Australia's Great Barrier Reef losing

brilliant colors to climate change

By Ben Doherty and Christopher Knaus, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela sta on 04.17.17
Word Count 856
Level 1070L

Two Pacic double-saddle butterysh among a backdrop of corals at Flynn Reef, Tennis Courts dive site. It is a part of the
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia. Photo: Wise Hok Wai Lum/Wikimedia Commons

Large sections of the once-bright coral of Australia's Great Barrier Reef have turned bone-
white. Scientists say this is largely due to higher air and water temperatures.

A new report says the world is likely losing more than just the reef's beautiful colors
Australian businesses will suer as well.

The beauty of the Great Barrier Reef brings many visitors to Australia's Queensland region
every year. The tourism industry has pumped money into the economythe level of business
activity and availability of jobs.

Environment, Economy Will Suer

The loss of coral reefs caused by rising sea temperatures could cost $1 trillion globally, a
report from Australias Climate Council has estimated. The loss of the Great Barrier Reef
alone will cost Queensland 1 million visitors a year, it says. This could put 10,000 jobs in
danger and drain $1 billion from the economy.

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Since 2014, the Great Barrier Reef has been especially hard hit by bleaching. Higher
temperatures create warmer oceans, which put stress on coral reefs. White algae are expelled
due to the stress. Much of the coral has turned from colorful purples and oranges to white.
Bleaching has happened to the Great Barrier Reef in the past, but never for this long or this
severely.

The longer this bleaching event lasts, the harder it is for the reefs to recover.

Climate Change Gets The Blame

Lesley Hughes, a member of the Climate Council, said the report should be a wake-up call
to act now to protect the reef from further destruction.

The extraordinary devastation being experienced on the Great Barrier Reef is due to the
warming of our oceans, driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas, Hughes said. It would
have been virtually impossible for this to have occurred without climate change.

In showing the reef's value in dollars, Hughes believes that it will quiet some public debate.
She said there were unfair arguments being made that "pit the environment against the
economy."

This isnt just an environmental issue," Hughes said. The Great Barrier Reef brings in "more
than $7 billion each year to our economy, while also supporting the livelihoods of around
70,000 people." It's highly important to have a healthy reef to keep jobs in the area, he says.

Some Relief Is On The Way

The $1 trillion gure for the value of the worlds coral reefs came from a 2015 report led by
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, director of the University of Queenslands Global Change Institute. The
report found that worldwide, reefs supported 500 million people across 50 nations.

The recent storm Cyclone Debbie cooled the water and is expected to oer Queensland reefs
some relief from the bleaching events of 2016 and 2017. However, this is expected to be only
temporary.

Will Steen is a climate scientist and a former professor at the Australian National University.
He said bleaching events were likely to become more frequent and more severe in Australia
over the next 20 to 30 years. This could devastate the long-term health of the reef and its
ability to re-grow.

The only way to protect coral reefs in Australia and around the world is to stop greenhouse
gas emissions. Australia is the caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef," he said. He says Australia
is lagging behind other countries in trying to ght climate change.

Emissions are atlining in China and declining in the United States" and in other wealthy
countries, he said. "In comparison, Australias emissions continue to grow. Weve got to stop
and then reverse this trend and weve got to do it now. There is no time to lose.

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Surveys Reveal More Reef Bleaching

New coal mines are set to open in Queenslands Galilee Basin. Steen said this is inconsistent
with protecting the Great Barrier reef and reducing Australian and global carbon
emissions.

The Australian Research Councils Centre of Excellence for coral reef studies just released the
results of its latest aerial surveys. The group assessed 800 individual reefs.

The surveys show the 2016 and 2017 bleaching events have now aected a full two-thirds of
the reef, or about a 500-mile stretch of sea. Only the reefs southern third has avoided
bleaching.

The federal and state governments have a long-term plan to save the reef by 2050.

A Global Concern

Last month, the Australian government announced new measures to curb bleaching. It is
oering money to farmers who dump less nitrogen and sediment into the reef, Environment
Minister Josh Frydenberg said. Too much nitrogen or sediment can upset the coral's natural
growth. He also said the government was working with local communities to improve the reefs
health and maintain it for future generations.

The government is partnering with businesses to protect the reef, Frydenberg said.

The mega-company Adani is looking to build a coal mine in the Galilee Basin, in central
Queensland. It would not be far from the reef.

Both the country's federal and state governments support the construction of the mine.
Environmental groups and climate scientists have argued it will cause massive carbon
emissions. It could endanger local species and groundwater supplies, they say.

The reef the largest living structure on Earth will likely suer the most.

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