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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/24/set-more-ambitious-climate-targets-to-save-great-barrier-reef-unesco-urges-australia>
"Unesco has urged Australia to set more ambitious climate targets for the Great
Barrier Reef in a list of recommendations to preserve its status as a world
heritage site.
The report, published in Paris late on Monday, did not recommend the reef be
placed on a list of sites “in danger” – a threat that has hung over the reef
for years – when the 21-country world heritage committee meets next month.
But the report says Australia should be asked to submit a progress report by
February 2025, after which the committee “could consider the inclusion of the
property on the list of world heritage in danger” at its 2026 meeting.
Unesco also said it had “high concern” that rates of land clearing in
catchments that flow into the reef was “incompatible” with targets to cut
sediments and nutrients running into the reef.
Australia’s environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, said Unesco’s
recommendations were “a huge win” for Queensland, for people working on the
reef and for its wildlife.
Unesco expressed “utmost concern” at the mass coral bleaching event that swept
across the reef this summer, urging Australia to make public the extent of
coral death “as soon as possible”.
Unesco experts wrote: “The current bleaching occurs as part of the fourth
global mass bleaching, which is likely impacting at least 30% of the world
heritage-listed coral reef properties, and the implications across the world
heritage system will also need to be considered further.”
The reef “remains under serious threat, and urgent and sustained action is of
utmost priority in order to improve the resilience of the property in a rapidly
changing climate”, the report said."
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
