[ad_1]
Australia, a major exporter of coal and gas, is one of the few OECD countries to resist pressure to sign a target of net zero emissions by 2050
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told G7 leaders last week that Australia wants to achieve net carbon emissions “as soon as possible”, and preferably by 2050.
A 2020 study by marine scientists found that from 1995 to 2017, the Great Barrier Reef lost more than half of its corals since 1995 to bleaching due to warming seas due to climate change.
Unesco cited Australia’s insufficient progress on climate change as it recommended that the reef, which stretches over 2,300 km, see its degraded health at risk.
The new Unesco report revealed that the long-term outlook for the reef has deteriorated from bad to very bad.
The committee’s draft report urges the Australian government to take action to tackle climate change as part of the Paris agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Ms Ley and Foreign Minister Marise Payne called Unesco’s director-general on Monday evening to express their deep disappointment and bewilderment at the interim decision, which Ms Ley said the government would challenge the final decision in July.
If decommissioned, the reef would be the first natural feature on the list of World Heritage sites to be labeled “endangered” primarily due to climate change.
While the list could unlock funds to help restore the reef, the recommendation would likely have an impact on tourism, estimated at around A $ 6.4 billion for the Australian economy.
In 2018, the Australian government awarded $ 444 million to a Great Barrier Reef Foundation with just six employees after the small, little-known group participated in an opaque bidding process.
[ad_2]
picture credit