The Australian government expressed its opposition Tuesday to a recommendation by a United Nations-backed mission that the Great Barrier Reef be added to a list of "in danger" World Heritage sites, warning of the significant impact climate change is having on the world's largest coral reef ecosystem.
The recommendation came in a mission report released Monday, following a 10-day monitoring visit to the reef in March by officials from UNESCO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The report found that the Australian government's plans to protect the reef are "lacking clear climate change targets and implementation measures," and made 10 key recommendations, including the adoption of stronger emissions reduction policies consistent with preventing warming of 1.5 degrees.
Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said Tuesday that Canberra would make clear to UNESCO that there is no need to single out the Great Barrier Reef in this way, arguing that every coral reef in the world is affected by climate change.
"The reason that UNESCO in the past has singled out a place as at risk is because they wanted to see greater government investment or greater government action and since the change of government, both of those things have happened," Plibersek said in a press conference, adding that the report was based on monitoring done under the previous government.
According to Plibersek, several of the key criticisms raised in the report are no longer relevant, after the cancellation of nearby dam projects and the introduction of new legislation since the new Labor government took office in May.
Since being elected, the administration of Anthony Albanese has legislated an emissions reduction target of 43 percent by 2030 and committed AU$1.2 billion ($800 million) for work to protect the reef in coming years.
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee proposed that the reef be added to the "in danger" list in June last year, but the listing was delayed after then Environment Minister Sussan Ley lobbied to amend the draft recommendation, arguing normal processes had not been followed.
Canberra has fought off a number of attempts to assign "in danger" status to the Great Barrier Reef since it was listed as a World Heritage site in 1981, fearing a potential impact on the reef's tourism industry that is said to support 64,000 jobs and contributes AU$6.4 billion ($4.3 billion) to the nation's economy.
The report's recommendation that the reef be inscribed on the "in danger" list will be taken into consideration alongside responses from the Australian government and Queensland state government, before UNESCO makes a formal recommendation to the World Heritage Committee before its next meeting, expected in 2023.
