​Following a call by President Tony Chan for KAUST PIs to contribute through their research capabilities to alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts coordinated by Donal Bradley, KAUST vice president for research, and Pierre Magistretti, KAUST dean of the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering division, mobilized a group of faculty to form the Rapid Research Response Team (R3T).

One of the many faculty to step forward and contribute to the R3T was Carlos Duarte, a KAUST professor of marine science and the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology. In this lecture he lays out evidence of global ecosystem rebound in light of decreased human activity, and what that tells us about our ability to make positive change in the fight against climate change.