I was lucky to grow up at a time when it was not difficult for the child of a tenant farmer to make his way to the state university.

Coral reefs, the rain forest of the ocean, are home for one-third of the species of the sea. Coral reefs are under stress for several reasons, including warming of the ocean, but especially because of ocean acidification, a direct effect of added carbon dioxide. Ocean life dependent on carbonate shells and skeletons is threatened by dissolution as the ocean becomes more acid.

The urgency derives from the nearness of climate tipping points.

Only in the last few years did the science crystallize, revealing the urgency - our planet really is in peril. If we do not change course soon, we will hand our children a situation that is out of their control.

Global warming has already triggered a sea level rise that could reach from 6 metres (19.69 ft) to 25 metres (27.34 yards).

I've tried to be a straight scientist doing the science and reporting it as best I can.

Interference with communications of science to the public has been greater during the current administration than at any time in my career.