ITV News Correspondent Rachel Younger reports from the Bahamas, where rising ocean levels pose a catastrophic threat, but its inhabitants are fighting back.
We have watched turtles and lemon sharks basking in turquoise waters, admired the elegance of yellow-crowned night herons and shrunk from the huge turkey vultures swooping across the landscape.
But there is no escaping what this ocean nation has lost.
Don a snorkel and you will still see iridescent fish flashing between the coral.
But the rainbow colours of the reef are gone. Rising sea temperatures, the direct result of climate change, have bleached the coral, making it more susceptible to disease.
• Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj
• Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news
Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en
Follow ITV News on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itvnews/
Follow ITV News on X: https://twitter.com/itvnews
