Australia fights UN downgrade of Great Barrier Reef health

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ROD McGUIRK

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia said Tuesday it will fight against plans to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status due to climate change, while environmentalists have applauded the U.N. World Heritage Committee’s proposal.

The committee said in a draft report on Monday that “there is no possible doubt” that the network of colorful corals off Australia’s northeast coast was “facing ascertained danger.”

The report recommends that the world’s most extensive coral reef ecosystem be added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger, which includes 53 sites, when the World Heritage Committee considers the question in China in July.

The listing could shake Australians’ confidence in their government’s ability to care for the natural wonder and create a role for UNESCO headquarters in devising so-called “corrective measures,” which would likely include tougher action to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.



This aerial photos shows the Great Barrier Reef in Australia on Dec. 2, 2017. Australia said Tuesday, June 22, 2021, it will fight a recommendation for the Great Barrier Reef to be listed as in danger of losing its World Heritage values due to climate change, while environmentalists have applauded the U.N. World Heritage Committee's proposal.(Kyodo News via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-australia-lifestyle-travel-climate-change-9afa8b8ab7f176921d9fda37fc834ae8

[hatrack]

1. Gotta keep pretending that everything's fine, just fine, no matter what . . .

[Martin68]

2. An enormous amount of income to the Australian tourism industry rests on this decision.

I'd be interested to see a plan from the U.N. World Heritage Committee. If Australia has not taken its stewardship seriously, it would help if the Committee put forth a concrete and practical plan to save the reef. If the Committee finds that Australia has done all they could to mitigate and reverse the degradation of the Great Barrier Reef, it might be occurring due to global warming. If so, Australia does not have the resources to solve the problem, and an international effort would be required.