The $1 billion Great Barrier Reef funding is nonsensical. Australians, and their natural wonder, deserve so much better

Wed, 9 Feb 2022 02:28:13 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/the-1-billion-great-barrier-reef-funding-is-nonsensical-australians-and-their-natural-wonder-deserve-so-much-better-175924>

"Today, the federal government is due to report back to UNESCO on its efforts
to protect the Great Barrier Reef. The government’s announcement last week of
A$1 billion of additional funding is welcome, but it will do little to allay
UNESCO’s concerns.

Climate change is the number one threat to the Great Barrier Reef. While the
new funding is meant to address other threats to the natural wonder and may
improve its resilience, failing to address the climate threat is both
disappointing and nonsensical.

As the below graph shows, ocean temperatures on the reef in December last year
were the warmest on record. With this comes the risk of a fourth mass bleaching
event this decade.

The Great Barrier Reef came close last year to being put on a list of World
Heritage “in danger” sites. The funding announcement seems primarily about
appeasing UNESCO, with one eye also on the upcoming federal election. But
saving the Great Barrier Reef is not about throwing money at it – what matters
is how the dollars are spent."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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