The effects of climate change mainly rising temperatures, rising sea levels and ocean acidification affects the coastal ecosystem. The ideal water temperature for corals is between 21- 29 degree Celsius. Therefore warming of the oceans due to rising temperatures and rising sea levels will lead to coral bleaching as the symbiotic algae inside the corals which provides for its colour and most of its food, dies. It is estimated that, within 20-25 years, if current trends continue, coral bleaching will be an annual event. Widespread coral bleaching would thus affect the survival of fishes and in turn impact livelihoods and tourism.

Furthermore, ocean acidification due to acid rain would also endanger the survival of marine life. The release of more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere also means more of these greenhouse gases are absorbed into the carbon sinks such as oceans. This alter the ocean’s pH balance which makes the water more acidic and toxic. Certain organisms such as shellfish and corals are extremely vulnerable to ocean acidification as it interferes with their ability to form hard skeleton.

Lastly, climate change may also lead to extreme weather conditions such as more powerful tropical storms and cyclones which will cause more damage to coral reefs and the locals.

The Tragedy of the Commons, a basic problem from many human societies,  happen when there is a common pool of resource in this case The Coral Triangle where it is impossible to be controlled by a single individual or country. Since each individual would want the best for themselves and no responsibility to the community, they would behave in ways to maximise their self-interest. This is shown through the over-exploitation of the natural resources. For the common resource is large, individuals see little harm from their own use. This will therefore lead to problems such as overfishing and thus the sharp decline in biodiversity. Despite this, many governments and organisations is made aware of the problems and are writing policies that tackle this problem.