While true Coz reefs have survived prior challenges (hurricanes/etc.) they recover over geologic, not human time scales, moreover, the overwhelming scientific consensus these days is that the human element (super fast global warming/acidification of ocean waters/pollution) has NEVER been seen before in the 4.6 billion years of earth's history, so Coz's reefs (along with the rest of the world's reefs) will actually NEVER recover and will soon be extinct within the next few decades at best.
You make one very good point, the life that lives on earth is always changing and has been governed by millions and billions of years of change. 99.9% of all life that has ever existed on this planet is now extinct. All life here today represents only a snap shot in time (and there is that 0.1% that has managed to endure over millions of years). No one should kid themselves, humanity will be fully eliminated and extinct long before the sun eventually scorches the earth. Could be pollution, another massive meteor strike, gamma ray burst, nuclear war who knows? It is almost an absolute certainty humanity will become extinct just as the other 99.9% of life that at one time has existed on this planet. Something else will evolve and replace us and virtually every other living thing we see today. As such, I'm not the least bit worried about the reefs, global warming, pollution levels, etc. Out with the old and in with the new is what the universe has always been about. Anyone who drives a hybrid car, replaces old light bulbs with LED's, recycles, uses low flow shower heads, etc. and really thinks they are going to make a difference over geologic time scales is narcissistic when you really think about it. Such actions may serve to postpone the inevitable a little bit but it is not going to change the ultimate outcome and that is humanity will be GONE in time. For those who believe technology will somehow fix this... Heck, it is technology and modernization that let to explosive global population growth that got us in the mess we are now in. Humans INFEST this planet today like an ever growing swarm of locusts that devour/consume everything in their presence.
The above being said... Lord knows I don't want to see yet another cruise pier constructed on Cozumel. I witnessed the extinction of the sea horses in the Paradise grasses when Carnival added their last pier to the south as that ongoing construction polluted the waters as all that crap was carried north and either killed them or hopefully just drove them away to other areas. There have been no seahorses seen in those grasses since from what I hear and that pier was added years ago now.
If it is to be a "Disney" pier for their cruise ships, everyone knows Disney is all about holding their clientele captive and sucking every dollar out of them. I think the world's most expensive hot dog is sold in Tomorrow Land at the magic kingdom in Orlando... $10 for a hot dog and fries or something. So, Disney will construct this pier and then build a megalopolis on land where people can eat and drink and shop and spend money all owned by Disney while the local population sees no benefit from it all just as they haven't seen any of the benefits they were promised decades ago when they were sold a bill of goods about how great everything would be if they became a cruise port. Schools still suck, infrastructure sucks, roads haven't improved, water and sewage systems promised haven't been constructed (unless they serve the cruise ship and tourist areas) wages haven't gone up, affordable housing hasn't been built, it was all a lie back then and it is no wonder the last proposed pier to be added was VOTED DOWN by the local population but it appears votes really don't matter in Mexico as this pier seems to be happening without any vote by the local population.
