- World Heritage Committee told the Australian Government just two weeks ago it needs to lift its greenhouse gas reduction targets in line with keeping average global temperature rise to 1.5oC - a critical threshold for coral
- Australia must stop approving new fossil fuel developments - OECD's International Energy Agency has said we cannot start any new fossil fuel projects if we are to keep global warming to 1.5oC
- Australia must commit to net-zero emissions by 2035
- Reef has suffered worst summer on record with cyclones, severe flooding and fifth mass bleaching event in past eight years - the most extreme and widespread
The Australian Government must do more to battle climate change and protect the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian Marine Conservation Society said after a new report found the Reef's waters are the hottest they have been in 400 years.
The long-term study has found the four warmest summers in the Coral Sea over 400 years have all occurred in the past decade, and that man-made climate change is to blame.
AMCS Great Barrier Reef Campaign Manager Dr Lissa Schindler said: "The Great Barrier Reef has just experienced a summer from hell and the hottest decade in 400 years. Climate change is the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef. This summer our Reef was hit by flooding, two cyclones and one of the worst coral bleaching events on record - the fifth mass bleaching event in eight years - driven by climate change. We know that damage is bad, but we will not know the full extent of the damage until the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority releases data on the coral mortality later in the year.
"The impacts of climate change are worsening, especially for the Reef, yet the Australian Government has not strengthened its commitments to cutting greenhouse gas pollution nor delivered the promised full reform of our national environmental laws, which should deal with climate threats, including preventing fossil fuel projects from going ahead.
"The World Heritage Committee just told the Australian Government two weeks ago it must commit to emissions cuts that keep average global temperature rise to 1.5oC - a critical threshold for the survival of coral reefs. That would mean Australia committing to net-zero emissions by 2035. The OECD's conservative International Energy Agency has said we cannot start any new fossil fuel projects if we are to keep global warming to 1.5oC, yet the federal government announced two weeks ago it's finalising more permits for offshore gas exploration.
"The Great Barrier Reef has suffered its worst summer on record, facing cyclones, severe flooding, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and its fifth mass bleaching event in the last eight years - the most extreme and most widespread we have ever seen.
"Australia must increase its ambition, action and commitments to battle climate change and protect our greatest natural asset."
