Climate change is the main threat to the world’s largest coral reef system, according to an Australian agency.
CLIMATE CHANGE IS driving the demise of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, according to a government agency.
The outlook for the world’s largest coral reef system has been downgraded from “poor” to “very poor” – the lowest level possible – in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s report.
While climate change is the greatest threat faced by the reef, other issues include coastal development, land-based run-off and direct human usage like illegal fishing, according to the report, which is updated every five years.
“This report draws attention to the fact that the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef, the long term outlook, is very poor – that’s largely driven by climate change,” GBRMPA’s Chief Scientist David Wachenfeld told reporters in Sydney.
“Despite that, with the right mix of local actions to improve the resilience of the system and global actions to tackle climate change in the strongest and fastest way possible, we can turn that around,” Wachenfeld continued.
The report found that there have been some successful local management actions, but climate change threatens to stall or undo those achievements.
“Significant global action to address climate change is critical to slowing deterioration of the Reef’s ecosystem and heritage values and supporting recovery,” the report said. “Such action will complement and greatly increase the effectiveness of local management action in the Reef and its catchment.”
July was the globe’s hottest month ever recorded, and researchers predict that 2019 will be among the top five hottest years on record, likely coming in second after 2016.[
The Australian Marine Conservation Society called on Australia’s government to act in response to the report.
“We are seeing the results of Government inaction on climate change,” Imogen Zethoven, the group’s director of strategy, said in a statement. “This latest report outlines the big threats from warming oceans and poor water quality. Nobody can say they were not warned.”