Only climate action can save Reef: Greens

Greens MP Ronan Lee today said only strong action to tackle climate change can save the Great Barrier Reef.

A scientific report by Queensland researchers published in the prestigious journal Science showed that the Reef is at risk due to rising sea temperatures and acidification.

“This is scientific proof that the Reef will die without immediate and strong action to tackle climate change.

“There are 60,000 Queenslander’s jobs associated with the Great Barrier Reef and without climate action these jobs will go.

“Ignoring the effects of climate change on the Reef is a recipe for massive job losses in the tourism sector.

“We need decisive action to tackle climate change and this means setting a target to reduce carbon emissions that is much higher that the Government’s current 5%.

“The State Government is showing little interest in tackling the biggest cause of Reef destruction – climate change.

“Pretending that the Reef can be saved by only addressing the problems of agricultural run-off while ignoring the massive damage being done to the Reef by climate change is a recipe for disaster.

“The single biggest threat to the Reef comes from coral bleaching which is caused by rising sea temperatures and increased acidification, both caused by increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere” Mr Lee said.