The Great Barrier Reef will continue to deteriorate, largely due to climate change, and the window to secure its future is rapidly closing. That is the sobering conclusion of a major new report into the state of the reef.
The report was released by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. It confirms what scientists have long known: humanity is killing the Great Barrier Reef, and other reefs around the world, by failing to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
The Great Barrier Reef has suffered five mass bleaching events in the past nine summers. In mild bleaching events, corals can recover. But in the severe events that are becoming more common, corals do not survive.
Humanity must take urgent action to limit global temperature rise. But we are failing. We are failing the Great Barrier Reef and indeed, coral reefs across the planet.
There was a time when governments and reef managers were not willing to admit the extent of the problem. I don’t think that’s the case anymore. As the report states: “2024 opens a new chapter for the reef. Future warming already locked into the climate system means that further degradation is inevitable. This is the sobering calculus of climate change.”