The Great Barrier Reef is facing larger problems than ever before. The Queensland state government has approved the construction of one of the world's largest coal mines a mere two hundred miles from the reef.
As we know, the reef has been deteriorating at a rapid pace. This led to the passing of the Reef 2050 Plan, a thirty five year plan to improve the health of the reef. Josh Frydenberg, who is responsible for Australia’s energy policy, said that “good progress has been made in the first 18 months of this 35-year plan.” This statement is backed up by the update given which shows that "...of 151 planned measures, including the limiting of sediment and chemical runoff from farms and the better management of starfish predators, 32 have been completed and 103 are underway or on track to begin".
Some scientists such as Ian Chubb are claiming that climate change actually has the greatest threat on the reef.
Because the government ratified the Paris Agreement that aimed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26%-28% by 2030, environmentalists are claiming the approval of the coal mine shows the government's lack of care for the reef.
It seems like the Australian government is contradicting itself. We will have to wait to see how this plays out and hopefully it is not too late to recover the reef.
Credits:
Created with images by NOAA Photo Library - "reef1253"