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Corals make—and save—money in the global economy. Tourism alone generates $186.5 billion in annual revenues from resorts, snorkeling, and scuba diving (albeit not always good for the reefs), and accounts for 50 percent of the GNP in some coastal developing nations. Up to 15 percent of the total worldwide annual fisheries harvest comes from reefs; reef habitats are even more important in locales where seafood is the main source of protein (up to 90 percent for people living in the Pacific Islands). Even in the U.S., where beef, pork, and poultry are more plentiful, commercial reef fishing brings in more than $75 million annually.

Where reefs save money is in the natural ecosystem services they perform: filtering and processing waste and nutrients, making sand for eroding shorelines, and serving as a natural protector for coastlines against waves and hurricanes. A study by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis estimates the annual value of these services to be $174.1 billion.

What we can’t calculate, however, is the untold value of corals to medical science. Researchers have been screening reefs for potential pharmaceutical applications for the past two decades, discovering compounds with anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-carcinogenic, and cardioactive properties. As the reefs die, science loses forever the opportunity to explore these unique beings.

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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

But you told us fundraising is annoying—with the gimmicks, overwrought tone, manipulative language, and sheer volume of urgent URGENT URGENT!!! content we’re all bombarded with. It sure can be.

So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

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