Humanity risks losing the beautiful, complex reefs that have existed on Earth for millennia. Governments and officials have now acknowledged this devastating fact.
The Great Barrier Reef will continue to deteriorate, largely due to climate change , and the window to secure its future is rapidly closing. That is the sobering conclusion of a major new report into the state of the reef.
Anyone who knows anything about coral reefs would have been upset by what I saw. The world’s largest reef was in very, very bad shape. As I swam, in the back of my head was the knowledge that 2023 was Earth’s hottest year on record. In fact, the Great Barrier Reef is the warmest it has been for at least 400 years.
It found warming oceans and severe tropical cyclones are compounding other threats such as crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, poor water quality and unsustainable fishing. As my colleagues and I wrote recently, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered five mass bleaching events in the past nine summers. The reef’s World Heritage listing is proof of its outstanding global value. Australians love and feel pride in this vast and stunning place. The reef supports the livelihoods and wellbeing of many, including Traditional Owners who have cared for it over thousands of generations. It sustains all of us: economically, culturally and spiritually.
There was a time when governments and reef managers were not willing to admit the extent of the problem. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. As the report states:
Coral Coral Bleaching Global Warming Great Barrier Reef Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
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