After the United Nations reports that Australia is not doing enough to protect it from the effects of climate change, the Great Barrier Reef may lose its prestigious World Heritage status.
Australia, which attracts millions of tourists and beach tourists to snorkel every year, vowed on Tuesday to fight any status changes that could damage its tourism industry or to see the United Nations take tougher action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the National greenhouse. It is suspected that the “colorful coral network on the northeast coast of Australia” is particularly dangerous due to climate change.
The committee proposed that the Great Barrier Reef be included in the United States’ World Heritage List in Danger. UNESCO, a measure that can play a monitoring role for UNESCO to implement “remedial measures” to reduce emissions, it says will destroy coral reefs and their marine life.
According to the report, these measures will take into account the fact that Australia “cannot deal with the threat of climate change alone.” Any degradation of the coral reef’s World Heritage status could also reduce tourism revenue from natural wonders and shake Australians’ national pride and ethnicity, pride, and confidence in his government’s ability to take care of the coral reef ecosystem.
Australia’s Environment Minister Sussan Ley said on Tuesday that the country would oppose its inclusion in the list. She and Foreign Minister Marys Payne had talked with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and expressed that the government was “strongly disappointed” and “confused” with the proposal. “This is a complete subversion of the normal process,” Ley said. “Coral reefs are an international symbol. We are here to fight for coral reefs. We are here to challenge this decision.” He said although he acknowledged the impact of climate change on coral reefs. Threatened, but Australia will oppose being included in the list. “This decision is flawed. There are obviously political factors behind this,” he told reporters.
However, environmentalists welcomed the draft decision of the UN agency. “UNESCO’s recommendation is clear and unambiguous. That is, the Australian government has not done enough to protect our most important natural assets,” Chad Lake, the marine chief of the Australian World Wildlife Fund, said in a statement. He added that tolerance will also sound the alarm for the country. Our coral reef will have a huge impact on many Australians, but this is a powerful message that our government needs to raise its ambitions.” Greenpeace Australia Pacific also stated that the government must work harder to give coral reefs a “fighter club” and take its role as an “environmental steward” seriously, spokesman Martin Zavan said. “UNESCO’s warning couldn’t be clearer.
The Great Barrier Reef is in danger,” he said in a statement. “The condition of coral reefs can easily change from bad to catastrophic.” The world’s most extensive coral reef ecosystem, a network of 2,500 coral reefs covering 348,000 square kilometers (216,237 square miles), has been listed since 1981 Included in the World Heritage List, but scientists have repeatedly warned that its health is being increasingly affected by climate change and rising ocean temperatures.
The United Nations report found that the site was severely affected by coral bleaching and death due to unusually warm ocean temperatures in 2016, 2017, and last year. The draft report said: “The long-term prospects of the property ecosystem have deteriorated further, from poverty to very poor,” adding that this deterioration “is more rapid and widespread than previously apparent.” According to the report’s recommendations, the World Heritage Committee A final decision will be made in July, and the Great Barrier Reef may be added to the list of 53 other sites deemed at risk in countries such as Afghanistan and Peru.