Great Barrier Reef Authority Stands Up to the Australian Government On Climate Change
LADbible
July 24 2019

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has stood up to its boss, the Australian Government, calling for the "strongest and fastest possible action" against climate change.   

The government body officially released a climate change position calling for anurgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to protect the future of the reef.

"Only the strongest and fastest possible action on climate change will reduce the risks and limit the impacts of climate change on the reef," the authority said. "Further loss of coral is inevitable, but can be minimised by limiting global temperature increase to the maximum extent possible."

Back to back bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 saw half of the Great Barrier Reef's shallow coral areas bleached to death.   

"Of particular concern are projections that the reef could be affected by bleaching events twice per decade by about 2035 and annually by about 2044 if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase at the current rate," the report warned.



The Marine Park authority stressed the point: "If bleaching becomes more frequent and more intense, there will not be enough time for reefs to recover. These effects are likely to include loss of properties and infrastructure, loss of cultural and regional identity and, unless urgent action is taken, declines in regional economies."   

Imogen Zethoven, the strategic director at the Australian Marine Conservation Society added: "The prime minister, a former managing director of Tourism Australia, knows how critical the reef is to the tourism industry and to Australia's international reputation."

Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley has acknowledged the report saying "climate change is the biggest threat to the reef and there are actions we can continue to take to build a more resilient reef."

With an increasing amount of government figures and agencies acknowledging the warnings around climate change, the pressure on the Morrison government to protect Australia's most iconic living wonder continues to rise.

lee wrote on Jul 24^th, 2019 at 2:04pm:

Do people think Lee is unemployed? or that this is his employment.