Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Great Barrier Reef Facing 'Catastrophic Damage' From Climate Change
The Great Barrier Reef faces "catastrophic damage" from climate change and chemical runoff, according to a major report carried out by the Australian government.
The reef, which stretches for 1,200 miles off the northeast coast of Australia, has "poor" prospects of survival as a result of over-development and a failure by the relevant authorities to protect it from illegal fishing and chemical run-off, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said its first report on the state of the reef's health.
Corals are seen at the Great Barrier Reef in this January 2002 handout photo. (REUTERS/Centre for Marine Studies, The University of Queensland/Ove Hoegh-Guldberg/Handout/Files) The report warned that damage to mangroves, increasing algae on coral reefs, ocean acidification and coral bleaching were already evident.
"While populations of almost all marine species are intact and there are no records of extinctions, some ecologically important species, such as dugongs, marine turtles, seabirds, black teatfish and some sharks, have declined significantly," it said.
"Disease in corals and pest outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish and cyanobacteria appear to be becoming more frequent and more serious."
The Outlook Report 2009, found climate change, declining water quality from coastal runoff, development and illegal fishing were the biggest dangers to the reef.
While the World Heritage-protected site, which sprawls for more than 133,000sq miles and is the world's largest living organism, is in a better position than most other reefs globally, the risk of its destruction was mounting.
"Even with the recent management initiatives to improve resilience, the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef is poor and catastrophic damage to the ecosystem may not be averted," the report found.
"If changes in the world's climate become too severe, no management actions will be able to climate-proof" its ecosystem, it said.
The study echoed findings by scientists belonging to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the Great Barrier Reef could be "functionally extinct" within decades, with deadly coral bleaching likely to be an annual occurrence by 2030.
Improving water quality and further research into the effects of fishing were among initiatives that will give the reef the best chance of adapting to the "serious threats" ahead, the authority said.
The Australian government responded to the report with a plan to cut the amount of pollution reaching the reef in runoff water from agricultural land.
The reef, which is larger than Italy, contributes about $A5.4 billion to the Australian economy through tourism, fishing and other industries and supports more than 50,000 jobs, according government figures.
- Posted in
12 Comments so far
Show AllBy all means, we should do more research. We should spend maybe ten years looking at it closely, so we can document its demise. Along with that one, we should also study the other coral reef systems of the world. Yes sir. Study. Like we don't know what is causing this? Like we need to think about it some more? Like Nero, we should fiddle while the whole thing dies? WTF???
MichaelC
Save habitat! You can't save the animals till you save their home.
You don't save the animals, you don't save mankind from extinction.
It's our habitat too!
The Australian Federal Government here probably couldn't care less about the reef unless it starts to look visually bad and so makes them look bad.
The Queensland state government is in the pocket and follows all the lines given to it by the federal government so don't expect any leadership in that regard.
We've had river systems drying up to nothing and vast areas using up water for cotton and so on, whilst the lower reaches that produce food and need drinking water get bugger all. (research "Cobby Station" for an idea)
We're also having the ridiculous situation of how the government is buying back 'water rights' that it originally *gave away* to cotton producers and so on, in order to have water to use for other needs.....like food production and drinking water.
The government has just signed a $50 billion deal with China for a gas plant project on the other (west) side of the country despite any objections from environmental concerns.
Here's some relevant news reports on this news site.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
and type in the search field: gorgon
When told of a large number of whales being just recently spotted in the proposed Gorgon development area, the politicians said they'll 'try' to keep them safe.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/02/2673805.htm
Which is like that utterly hopeless Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett.....the one-time activist who completely sold his soul to politics once he got into politics, and his handling on how the Japanese are still slaughtering whales.
Australia 'seems' to be doing okay economically at the moment but it's all smoke & mirrors. In actuality for the common man it's hard and getting very much harder with unemployment, as well as all prices & taxes and so on rising sharply again & again.
Australia is only hanging on by virtue of it's affiliation with China and selling off of Australia's resources. It's well known China has been going all-out to invigorate it's economy by spending up big. But how long can that last? As soon as China wobbles then Australia will topple economically like other countries are.
Expect to see more future developments like Gorgon usurping all commonsense and environmental concerns. Think of it all like Canada and tar sands though we haven't got quite that stupid.....yet.
See also how another proposed environmental disaster-in-the-making in Tasmania is coming along via this news sites news reports:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
And use this search term below:
gunns woodchip
If it wasn't for protesters and activists that project would have gone ahead long ago.
Believe me, Australian politicians are just as bad as elsewhere and are just as easily bought off if they think they can get away with it.
Stories like this explain why there is such a market for anti-depressants.
Joe
The reefs have been in decline, 4% per year, for about 15 years. In fact, every living thing on this planet is in a state of decline. I'm amazed when humans talk of future space travel and encounters with alien beings. If there is intelligent life in our universe they certainly won't let us loose in it.
we hear/read about these tragedies all the time, on and on and on and on.................
nothing ever happens to stop them................
"While populations of almost all marine species are intact and there are no records of extinctions..."
With all due respect I don't think anyone has any idea even of 10% of what is there, so no records of extinctions is cold comfort. And yes I know extinction is the rule rather than the exception, but we don't need to actually help the process.
The only thing government appears willing to do, regardless of the nature of the environmental problem, is hike the cigaret tax. This does seem effective in deflecting public attention, giving the illusion that our legislators are hard at work. Of course, few smoke (under 20% of US adults), smoking restrictions are so stringent that most of us have no exposure to tobacco smoke whatsoever, it would take a room full of smokers to produce as much pollution as simply turning the ignition key in your car, and none of this has anything to do with coral reefs -- beyond pointing out how successfully our legislators (who rely so heavily on campaign contributions from the very corporations causing the destruction) have avoided dealing with these real environmental crises. It will take a strong, united effort to get our legislators to act on these issues.
Somehow the News won't get better.
After 49 Years of age I come to know
what I want, when, where and with
whom. Equally Do I know what I don't
want, that, what is not an option.
Reluctantly Do I acknowledge that My
Appearance on the Planet in its most
precarious and fragile state must
have been intentionally. Otherwise
there would Be a happy end. In order
for Me to live all My dreams, I need
more time in Peace and resourceful
Living.
The militarists world wide can tap
each other on their with fantasy medals
decorated shoulders. Nice one!
Now You All Are going to die. Great
job. Annihilating one perfectly fine
Planet for the sake of 'National
Security' - an Insanity.
Plus most Nations sing in this choir.
The word alone. 'National Security'.
I Believe the importance of 'National
Security' becomes apparent when the
whole, wide world falls into agony.
The Agony Of inevitable Disaster.
Why? Security. That's why. We got to
be safe and secure and protect ourselves.
All those predictions show one thing
clearly, in the accumulation of effects
the whole becomes more than the sum of
its particles. So to speak. Hence, all
the negative reports, findings and
discoveries will lead to something that
is more negative then the sum of its
miseries.
One more great reason to live entirely
and exclusively in the NOW.
Believe That You Can Change Your Beliefs.
Yawn....
Global warming to climate change, (since the earth is cooling). What are you going to relabel it next year? Huh?
Yes. I can see fertilizer run-off, industrial waste, etc.. But stop with the global warming/climate change already.
It's called a cycle.
Nothing but the truth.
"The Earth is cooling"???? In your dreams! In what sense is it cooling? What private information are you privilage to that would lead you to think that the earth is cooling. Open your eyes. Open your mind. Human caused or not, the glaciers world wide are receeding at a record rate, jeopardizing the economies and livihoods of millions of people. The permafrost is melting bringing us to the brink of a run-away feedback loop. You are right about one thing though. It is a cycle. The anthropocene era, I believe its called. Got grandchildren? How do your actions today affect their children's future? Or does that idea make you Yawn as well?
We're out of rhythm. Check a broader swath of data.
Gore and his generally well oiled critics use smaller blocks of data than what would be legitimately convincing. However, Gore's is at least fairly representative of the greater trend.