Extinction Fears for Great Barrier Reef
Pastor Dale Morgan
Extinction Fears for Great Barrier Reef*
January 30, 2007 10:43am
Article from: AAP
THE Great Barrier Reef will become functionally extinct in less than 20
years if global warming continues at its current pace, a draft
international report warns.
A confidential draft of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC), obtained by The Age, says that global warming
will cause billions of dollars of damage to coastal areas, key
ecosystems and the farming sector without massive greenhouse gas
emission cuts.
In a chapter on Australia, the draft IPCC climate impacts report warns
that coral bleaching in the Barrier Reef is likely to occur annually by
2030 because of warmer, more acidic seas.
The reef is one of several iconic areas of Australia identified in the
report as key hot spots for climate vulnerability. Others include the
Kakadu National Park's wetlands, the Murray-Darling Basin and alpine
zones in southern Australia.
Australian Conservation Foundation executive director Don Henry said the
report was a big wake-up call.
"They are saying our beloved Barrier Reef is at grave risk," Mr Henry
said on Sky News.
"We've got a major economic and environmental problem unless we heed the
call of these scientists.
"I think the science is getting clearer about how just how serious and
urgent it is."