<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/23/world-heritage-committee-agrees-not-to-place-great-barrier-reef-on-in-danger-list>
"The Great Barrier Reef will not be placed on a list of world heritage sites
“in danger” after a global lobbying effort from Australia against the proposed
listing.
The 21-country World Heritage Committee on Friday ignored a scientific
assessment from the UN’s science and culture organisation, Unesco, that the
reef was clearly in danger from climate change and so should be placed on the
list.
Unesco will instead be asked to carry out a mission to the 2,300km reef in the
coming months and Australia will need to send a progress report to the agency
by February 2022 – earlier than a December 2022 deadline it had asked for.
Environment groups said the decision was a victory for cynical lobbying and
that Australia, as custodians of the world’s biggest coral reef, was now on
probation.
Ahead of Friday’s meeting, the Australian government had conducted a fierce
campaign to block the danger listing. More than a dozen ambassadors flew from
Canberra to Cairns, Queensland, for a snorkelling trip on the reef.
Australia’s environment minister, Sussan Ley, was dispatched to Europe on an
RAAF diplomatic jet to visit Budapest, Madrid, Sarajevo, Paris, Oman and the
Maldives.
Australia – a major producer and exporter of coal and gas – initially won
support from oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, both members of the committee,
to delay any decision on the danger listing until at least 2023.
But after an interjection from Norway, the committee decided instead the reef’s
health would be considered again at next year’s meeting."
Via Glyn Moody, who wrote "pathetic cowardice that condemns reef to mass
die-off"
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
