The coral situation is not improving in Australia.
About 91% of the Great Barrier Reef suffered "bleaching" due to a prolonged heat wave during the austral summer, according to a new government report released on Tuesday evening.
Of the 719 reefs surveyed, a total of 654, or 91%, exhibit some level of coral bleaching.
This is the first time that the largest coral reef in the world has been affected by such bleaching during the La Niña climatic phenomenon, usually characterized by abnormally low water temperatures.
“Climate change is intensifying and the reef is already feeling the consequences,” warns the monitoring report, which highlights that this is the fourth wave of “bleaching” to hit the reef since 2016.
Read alsoAustralia invests $700 million to protect the Great Barrier Reef
Between September 2021 and March 2022, the maritime authority of the Great Barrier Reef, which published this study, carried out exhaustive surveys on this reef, which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (United Nations Organization for education, science and culture).
She found that the waters began to warm in late December and that the three main regions where the barrier is located were hit by this phenomenon, which results in discoloration due to the expulsion of algae giving the coral its color. live.
A site threatened with decommissioning
Bleached corals remain alive and can recover if conditions improve, but "heavily bleached corals have higher mortality rates," said the report, an early version of which was released in March.
It was published ten days before the Australian federal election on May 21, when government policy on climate change will be at the heart of the issue.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is sticking to his 2030 carbon neutral target despite calls for more ambition, and has pledged to export coal as long as the demand exists.
In opposition, the Labor Party is not talking about a coal phase-out either.
VIDEO.
Unesco: the Great Barrier Reef soon to be classified as an “endangered” site?
“Although it is becoming more and more common, bleaching is not normal and we should not accept it as a fact,” warned Lissa Schindler, an activist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
“The two main parties must face the facts: their climate objectives are not enough for the reef”.
A movement in favor of a more proactive climate policy, Climat 200, funded by the philanthropist Simon Holmes à Court, presents around twenty candidates.
Some might threaten incumbent Tory MPs, like Finance Minister Josh Frydenberg.
In June, Unesco must decide on the possible inclusion of the Great Barrier Reef on the list of sites "in danger".
Australia launched a billion-dollar "Reef 2050" protection plan after the United Nations threatened in 2015 to decommission the site.