Great Barrier Reef: water quality funds welcome, but without climate action reef is doomed

In response to today’s Great Barrier Reef announcement, the Australian Conservation Foundation’s climate change program manager Gavan McFadzean said:

“Funding to combat pest species, reduce run-off and improve water quality on the Great Barrier Reef is important, but the biggest threat to the reef is climate change and today’s announcement sidesteps this brutal truth.

“Three major coral bleaching events on the Barrier Reef in five years – a direct result of warming temperatures – has hit the tourism industry hard.

“The continued burning of coal, oil and gas is overheating the air and the ocean, damaging the reef’s sensitive coral through all-too-frequent bleaching events.

“ACF welcomes the long-term funding for improved water management across the catchment, but without serious climate action, the reef is doomed.

“A government that is fair dinkum about protecting the Great Barrier Reef would urgently phase out coal, oil and gas – and would not continue to subsidise the growth of fossil fuel industries – to give the reef a chance to survive.”

/Public Release. View in full here.