The Great Barrier Reef should enter the list of world heritage sites that are at risk, a UN team has determined in a new report, according to the "Guardian".
The UN team was sent on a ten-day mission in March and at the end compiled a report in which it was stated that climate change poses a "significant challenge" to the world wonder that received the title of "World Heritage Site" in 1981.
According to the report, the rate at which they are working to reduce the pollution that flows into the waters of the reef from agriculture is too slow. In addition, additional investment is required to be able to meet the goals of water quality. The
recommendation in the report is to put the reef on the list of world heritage sites that are at risk, but The official decision on this will be made after an examination of the responses of the state of Queensland and other Australian states to the situation.
UNESCO will announce its recommendation to the World Heritage Committee before the next meeting.
The reef mission was launched at the request of former Australian environment minister Susan Ley, after the previous government lobbied against a 2021 UNESCO recommendation to put the reef on the "at risk" list.
Coral bleaching (photo: screenshot, corals)
The Great Barrier Reef (Photo: ShutterStock)
The Great Barrier Reef (Photo: Reuters)
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The team's final report was published today after a six-month delay, and includes ten recommendations that should be addressed "urgently". "Implementation of the recommendations could significantly improve Australia's ability to ensure and promote the conservation of the reef and preserve its outstanding universal value for future generations ", it says. It also says that "the Australian government should commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions." The new government in Australia enacted an updated national goal to cut emissions by 43% compared to 2005 levels by 2030, and reach zero emissions by 2050.
The government also pledged $1.2 billion in funding for water quality improvement and coral reef research.
The increase in the temperature of the ocean waters due to the burning of fossil fuels caused widespread coral bleaching (the loss of color that occurs in corals) - which leads to the death of the affected corals, and is a major threat to coral reefs - in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022.
According to the report, "the immunity and recovery capacity of the reef from the effects of climate change is significantly impaired, mainly due to the poor water quality."
The report was supposed to be published in May 2022, ahead of a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Russia in July - but the meeting did not take place due to the war in Ukraine .
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