The federal agency that manages the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef has made an unprecedented call for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, warning only the “strongest and fastest possible action” will reduce the risks to the natural wonder.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) published a climate position statement that said the reef was already damaged from warming oceans and it is “critical” global temperature rises remain within 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The conservative Liberal-National federal government has been criticised for overseeing four straight years of increases in national emissions and experts say it will not meet the country’s United Nations sponsored Paris Agreement target under current climate policy.
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 and can be minimised by limiting global temperature increase to the maximum extent possible.”
The climate statement was in development for more than a year and published during the week according to a report by The Guardian Online.
It said climate change was the single greatest threat to the reef and pointed to the “widespread impacts” already felt from back to back marine heatwaves in 2016 and 2017 that caused the mass wipe-out of corals.
“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 authority said.
“If bleaching becomes more frequent and more intense, there will not be enough time for reefs to recover and persist as coral-dominated systems in their current form.”
The marine park authority’s statement said the reduction in emissions required for the reef to survive required both national and international effort and an “urgent and critical” acceleration of policies to cut carbon pollution.
Any further increase in global temperatures will have “further negative impacts” for reef-dependent activities such as tourism, fishing and traditional use.
“These effects are likely to include loss of properties and infrastructure, loss of cultural and regional identity and, unless urgent action is taken, subsequent declines in regional economies,” the authority said.
Environment groups said that such a clear statement from the government’s own agency should prompt the Liberal-National government to act faster to address the climate crisis.
Australia’s emissions have been rising since the repeal of the carbon price in 2014.
“The Great Barrier Reef is not dead yet, but the marine park authority makes it clear that it is already under stress from rising temperatures,” Christian Slattery, a campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, said.
Environment minister Sussan Ley said she accepted accept the scientific advice, “both that climate change is the biggest threat to the reef and that there are actions we can continue to take to build a more resilient reef.”
“The government is taking meaningful action to reduce global emissions and we investing $1.2bn in addressing threats such as water quality, marine litter and the crown of thorns star fish.”
In 2017, Australia avoided an “in danger” listing for the reef from UNESCO’s World Heritage committee.
However, its status will be reassessed by UNESCO next year and Australia must submit a state of conservation report to UNESCO in December.
An outlook report for the reef from GBRMPA is also due soon.
