Giving Compass' Take:

• Zack Rago, the filmmaker of Chasing Coral, films the coral-bleaching process, documenting how corals expel algae living inside them right before they die. 

• This documentary sheds light on the harmful effects of climate change on our ocean's ecosystems. What are the ways donors can help? 

• Read about how bleached coral reefs change local fish communities.

Underwater in the Great Barrier Reef, after weeks of filming coral to manually build time-lapses–helping gather 50 or 60 shots a day, and spending hours in the water–Zack Rago scrawled a note and held it up to a fellow cameraman. “This is the hardest dive I’ve ever had to do.” The coral, alive when filming started, was dying as they watched. As he held a rotting piece of coral in his hand, the coral disintegrated.

Rago, a self-described coral nerd, is featured in Chasing Coral, a mesmerizing beautiful (and depressing) documentary now on Netflix. Like Chasing Ice, a 2012 documentary from the same director, Jeff Orlowski, it tells the story of climate change by showing some of its unambiguous effects. The film follows coral bleaching–a process where corals expel the algae living inside them when it gets too hot, a step often followed by death...

“What we’re hoping to do is not lose other ecosystems down the line,” Orlowski says. “That’s what I’m hopeful for. We’re hopeful that we can prevent much worse damage in the future that right now is inevitable unless we take action. That’s where the optimism comes in.”

Read the full article on Chasing Coral by Adele Peters at FastCompany.