Australia argues against ‘endangered’ Unesco status for Great Barrier Reef
Australia's environment minister has said her government willlobbyagainstunescoadding the Great Barrier Reef to a list of endangered World Heritage sites, arguing that criticisms of government inaction on climate change are outdated.
Officials from the UN cultural agency and the International Union for Conservation of Nature have released a report warning that, without "ambitious, rapid and sustained" climate action, the world's largest coral reef is in peril.
The report, which recommended moving the Great Barrier Reef to endangered status, followed a ten-day mission in March to the famous reef system off Australia's north-east coast that was added to the World Heritage list in 1981.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the report is a reflection on Australia's previous conservative government, which was voted out of office in Mayelectionsafternineyearsin power. She said the new centreleft Labour Party government hasalreadyaddressedseveralof thereport'sconcerns,including action on climate change.
"We'll very clearly make the point to Unesco that there is no need to single the Great Barrier Reef out in this way with an endangered listing,” Ms Plibersek told reporters.
"Thereasonthatunescointhe pasthassingledoutaplaceasat risk is because they wanted to see greater government investment or greater government action and, since the change of government, both of those things have happened," she added.
The new government has legislated to commit Australia to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent below the 2005 level by 2030.
The previous government only committed to a reduction of 26 per cent to 28 per cent by the end of the decade.
Ms Plibersek said her governmenthasalsocommitted1.2billion Australian dollars (£666.2 million) to caring for the reef and has cancelled the previous government's plans to build two major dams in Queensland state that would have affected the reef 's water quality.
"If the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, then every coral reef in the world is in danger," Ms Plibersek said. "If this World Heritage site is in danger, then most World Heritage sites around the world are in danger from climate change."
Thereportsaidaustralia'sfederal government and Queensland authorities should adopt more ambitious emission reduction targets in line with international efforts to limit future warming to 1.5C since pre-industrialtimes.theminor Greensparty,whichwantsaustraliatoslashitsemissionsby75 per cent by the end of the decade, called for the government to do more to fight climate change in light of the report.
Jodierummer,amarinebiologist at James Cook University intownvillewhohasworkedon the reef for more than a decade, supported calls for Australia to aim for a 75 per cent emissions reduction.
"We are taking action, but that action needs to be much more rapid and much more urgent. We cannot claim to be doing all we can for the reef at this point. We aren't. We need to be sending that message to the rest of theworldthatwearedoingeverythingthatwepossiblycanfor the reef, and that means we need to take urgent action on emissions immediately."