A Unesco recommendation not to declare the Great Barrier Reef be placed on a list of World Heritage sites “in danger” is a triumph of lobbying and spin over science.
The recommendation – to be considered by the World Heritage Committee next month – goes against a 2022 decision by the IUCN and World Heritage Centre scientific committee, to recommend the reef be placed on the “in danger” list.
As stated by Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson:
“The burning of fossil fuels is literally cooking our oceans and degrading marine ecosystems across the globe, and nowhere else has this been more politicised than on the Great Barrier Reef.
“Only two years ago the IUCN and World Heritage Centre scientific committee recommended the Great Barrier Reef be placed on the “in danger” list largely due to devastating climate impacts. Yet the Australian Government lobbied against this recommendation and has continued to rip open new coal and gas mines.
“The Unesco recommendation not to declare the Great Barrier Reef be placed on a list of World Heritage sites “in danger” is a triumph of lobbying and spin over science.
“Successive governments have lobbied hard and splashed cash on the Great Barrier Reef to buy political cover instead of treating the root cause of this magnificent ecosystem’s decline; which is rising emissions from burning fossil fuels.
“The Albanese government has previously claimed it’s ‘on track’ to have national climate targets in line with keeping global heating to 1.5C, but we know this is completely disingenuous.
“No amount of conservation efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef will shield it from the impacts of new coal and gas projects.
“The world will continue to watch the plight of the Great Barrier Reef moving forward, and as a custodian of this great natural wonder the Albanese government should remember this next time it inevitably looks to approve another fossil fuel project.”
