A Barbadian marine scientist — a leading Caribbean ocean researcher — has warned that Barbados’ coral reefs could collapse to fewer than five per cent viability by 2030, urging young people to take urgent action to safeguard the island’s environmental future.

Dr Lorna V. Inniss, regional coordinator and head of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO’s Caribbean office (IOCARIBE), said the future of Barbados’ natural resources depends on the decisions made today.

She appeared at a pre-launch media briefing and student engagement session for the Vetlesen Caribbean Hurricane Ocean Glider science field experiment at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) in Husbands, St James, on Tuesday.