One of the actions that should be taken to save the Great Barrier Reef is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
(Mirror Daily, United States) -The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful World Heritage Sites in the world. The problem is that the 1,400-mile reef in Australia is experiencing severe bleaching. The efforts made to save the site appear to be inefficient. In 2016, bleaching damages were even worse than predicted. This shows that authorities need to go to Plan B to save the Great Barrier Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, mentioned that more than 29% of the corals died because of bleaching in 2016. The process is caused by the rising water temperatures. At the beginning of the year, experts estimated that only 22% of the corals were going to be affected. However, it appears that the Great Barrier Reef is more vulnerable than experts believed.
Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan
Experts mentioned that taking into consideration recent events, authorities need to find a new plan. It appears that the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan is no longer effective. This is mainly due to the plan not including steps to counter Global warming and climate change.
This plan costs more than AU$2 billion, and it was launched in March 2015. At the time, it was believed that it could improve the universal value of the Great Barrier Reef. The recent bleaching events showed that the plan is not as efficient as believed. Scientists are urging authorities to change the 2050 plan. They mentioned that the plan should focus on smaller and more achievable changed.
“In our lifetime and on our watch, substantial areas of the Great Barrier Reef and the surrounding ecosystems are experiencing major long-term damage which may be irreversible unless action is taken now,” state the experts
Experts mentioned that the new plan needs to address climate change. One of the actions that should be taken to save the Great Barrier Reef is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. The experts wrote all of the changes that should be made on a communiqué from the Independent Expert Panel.
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