Poverty causes more deaths than climate change. Otis Historical Archives, CC BY

By Andrew Papworth, University College London

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By Justin Lewis, Cardiff University

After mass bleaching in 1998, more than half of coral reefs in the Seychelles have slowly recovered. Nick Graham

By John Pandolfi, The University of Queensland

Coral reefs are the poster child for the damage people are doing to the world’s oceans. Overfishing, pollution and declining water quality have all taken their toll on reefs around the world. Perhaps the most famous example is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, where half of the coral cover has disappeared over the past 25 years.

One was about 17 Westerners being killed and one was about 2,000 Africans. Guess which got most of the media attention? Kano, Nigeria Stringer/Reuters.

By Ethan Zuckerman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Consider two tragic events that took place last week.

A small cell of Islamic terrorists attacked cartoonists at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and shoppers in a Paris supermarket, killing 17 people and sparking international outcry, solidarity and support.

Prices of gas are approaching $2 a gallon. Does that make it a good time to raise the gas tax? Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

By Wallace Tyner, Purdue University