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EXPERT REACTION: Where to next for the Great Barrier Reef?

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Over the weekend we heard that the World Heritage Committee will not be placing the Great Barrier Reef on its ‘in danger’ list, despite a recommendation from UNESCO earlier this year. Australia will now need to deliver a report on the state of the reef in February next year for the committee to consider. We asked Australian climate and reef experts what happens now when it comes to protecting the reef.

Organisation/s: Australian Science Media Centre

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Expert Reaction

These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.

David Schoeman is a Professor of Global-Change Ecology at the University of the Sunshine Coast

The GBR is one of just a handful of places that can be considered truly central to Australian identity at national scale. And 'digger' remains an evocative epithet in Australian culture. But we can’t keep both. At least not in their present forms.
 
Yes, it is disappointing that the Federal Government has been so slow to affect meaningful change in management of the GBR, as climate-change exacerbates ongoing land-based threats. And it should surprise nobody that a political body like UNESCO made a political decision. But political rhetoric doesn’t alter facts, no matter who that rhetoric comes from. Few scientists would dispute that the Reef as a whole is in deep trouble. And every scrap of evidence I have seen confirms that the Reef will not survive this century unless global governments reject Australia’s vocal pursuit of a fossil-fuelled future. We need fundamental change in our approach.

If we want the GBR in our future, we need to leave digging in the past.

Last updated: 26 Jul 2021 4:19pm
Declared conflicts of interest:
None declared.
Dr Thomas Newsome is an Academic Fellow at the University of Sydney

The decision by the World Heritage Committee to not list the reef as ‘in danger’ does not change the imperilled state of the reef, and little will change between now and February 2022 when Australia must report back. To preserve the reef, Australia must actually address climate change by urgently cutting carbon emissions and initiating more ambitious targets to reach net zero emissions. The report back provides an opportunity for Australia to change its approach to addressing climate change and to demonstrate its commitment to tackling the global issue of climate change.

Last updated: 26 Jul 2021 4:14pm
Declared conflicts of interest:
None declared.

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