Following a study by scientists, the UN has produced a landmark report and recommended that the Great Barrier Reef, the symbol of Australia, be added to the list of World Heritage sites “in danger.”
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) released its long-awaited report on the reef on Tuesday (29 November), following a 10-day visit in March, calling for ambitious, rapid and sustained action to protect it.
It made 22 recommendations, ten urgently addressing, including a call for the government to update its climate change targets to stop warming at 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The Labor Party, which has been in power since May, has pledged to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 43% from 2005 levels by 2030. However, to stop global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, experts have said Australia must reduce its emissions by 74%.
The UNESCO report reveals that water acidity in the Great Barrier Reef has increased by 26% and that water quality targets have not been met. It recommends urgent action to stop sediment run-off, a ban on destructive gill netting and a reduction in run-off from banana and sugar cane crops.
The report’s recommendation to formally classify the reef as ‘endangered’ will be considered alongside proposals from the federal and Queensland governments before UNESCO decides its status.
In response to the report, Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Nita Green, the special envoy for the reef, said the government had taken significant steps to protect the reef in the six months since it took office.
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