Download The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government

The Great Barrier Reef,
UNESCO and the
Australian government
November 2016
Bleached coral at Lizard
Island on the Great Barrier
Reef, March 2016.
© The Ocean Agency
Cover image:
©Greenpeace/Amendolia
The deadline
On or before 1 December, the Australian government must
submit a report to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee
detailing its handling of the health of the Great Barrier Reef
in the last 18 months – a period during which it suffered
its worst ever coral bleaching and the death of 22% of its
coral. The Australian government claimed that it has made
The backstory
“good progress” during this time.
In 2012, UNESCO warned Australia the Great Barrier Reef was under imminent
threat and could be listed as “in danger”. Fears about the reef were sparked by its
deteriorating condition and the dangers posed by further coal expansion projects
in the area. An “in danger” listing allows the UNESCO World Heritage Committee
to allocate assistance from the World Heritage Fund. The act of listing a site as “in
danger” can be seen as an embarrassment for the government responsible.
In July 2015, after intense lobbying from the Australian government, UNESCO
placed the Great Barrier Reef on its watch list, declining to list it as “in danger”. The
Australian government committed to regular updates on its handling of the reef’s
health over the next five years.Before 1 December, the Australian government must
report back with its first submission to UNESCO about its handling of the Great
Barrier Reef’s health.
In the time that has elapsed between July 2015 and now, almost a quarter (22%)
of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral has died after the most severe coral bleaching
event in history. The bleaching was caused by higher water temperatures caused
by climate change and the El Nino weather pattern.1 Australia’s carbon emissions
have increased during that time and the Australian government has committed
to and approved a number of projects that are detrimental to the Great Barrier
Reef’s health.
1 Media Briefing The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government
The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government Media Briefing 2
What has Australia done for the
Great Barrier Reef during this period?
40-60%
from 2000 levels
26-28%
from 2005 levels
93% of reefs on the
Great Barrier Reef
found to be affected
by bleaching
21 March
Coral bleaching hit the
Great Barrier Reef
Aerial survey conducted by
the National Coral Bleaching
Task Force found widespread
bleaching across the length
of the 2,300km Great
Barrier Reef.14 The bleaching
event is the worst in the
reef’s history.15
Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park Authority raised the
threat level in response to
“severe regional bleaching” in
the northern part of the Great
Barrier Reef.11
A'S
ALI T
R
T
AUS RGES E
LA L MIN
D
A
CO ROVE
APP
2015
Almost a quarter of the coral
on the Great Barrier Reef was
found to be dead as a result
of the year’s bleaching event,
according to the Australian
Institute of Marine Science,
the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park Authority and the
Australian Research Council
Centre of Excellence for Coral
Reef Studies.17
The announcement focused
efforts on water quality,
crown-of-thorns starfish and
clean energy in the Great
Barrier Reef area. Critics
attacked the announcement
as again failing to take
seriously climate change and
fossil fuels, the major threats
to the reef. The money was
also found to have been
diverted from a fund that
would otherwise have solely
funded clean energy projects
in Australia.18
9 October
Proposed largest coal
mine granted special
status by Queensland
state government
5 October
Global threshold
for Paris climate
agreement reached
The Paris climate agreement
threshold for entry into force
was met after the European
Union ratified the agreement.
The global agreement’s
climate targets are entirely
incompatible with opening
new fossil fuel projects.21
2016
1 July
12 December
23 December
3 April
6 April
UNESCO placed the
Great Barrier Reef on
its ‘watch list’
Paris climate
agreement reached
Australian government
approved large coal
port dredging in the
Great Barrier Reef
Australia approved
mining leases for
Adani’s Carmichael
coal mine
Australian
government
announced hundreds
of climate science
job cuts
3 Media Briefing The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government
Australia is one of 196 parties
to adopt the historic Paris
climate agreement at the
COP21. The agreement sets
1.5C global temperature
warming as a target limit for
governments. The agreement
is heralded as the end of the
fossil fuel era.7
The expansion of the
Abbot Point coal terminal in
Queensland would involve
dredging 1.1 million cubic
metres of sea floor in the
Great Barrier Reef World
Heritage Area. It would allow
more coal to be exported from
Australia and shipped through
the Great Barrier Reef.8
Source: Empire State Building fact in
graphic above9
24 December
Government
announced an
increase in Australia’s
carbon emissions
Australian emissions
increased by nearly 1% in
2015 according to a federal
government report. Australia
emitted 549.3 mega-tonnes
of carbon in 2014-15, an
increase of 0.8% on the year
previous. This figure jumped
to 1.3% when land use and
deforestation were taken into
account. The government
quietly released the figures
on Christmas Eve.10
Queensland state
government approves three
mining leases for Australia’s
largest coal mine. The mine
would export through a new
port on the coast and ship
coal directly through the
Great Barrier Reef.12
Up to 350 jobs at Australia’s
government science
organisation CSIRO were cut,
with the majority falling in the
climate science department.13
Pressure from the Australian
government’s environment
department forced the
removal of all mentions of
Australia from a UNESCO
report on climate change and
its impact on world heritagelisted sites.16
Great
Barrier
Reef
©Shutterstock.com
©Shutterstock.com
RO
CSI UTS
C
JOB
©Shutterstock.com
©Shutterstock.com
©Greenpeace
©Dreamstime.com
2015
Emissions
ING
MIN SES
LEA OVED
R
APP
Mentions of the
Great Barrier Reef
were removed from
a UNESCO climate
change report
after intervention
from the Australian
government
©The Ocean Agency
27 May
1.1m3
Abbot Pt
dredge
spoil
After lobbying by the
Australian government,
the UN’s World Heritage
Committee declined to list
the Great Barrier Reef as “in
danger”, but announced it
would continue to monitor the
reef over the next five years
and that Australia must show
significant progress in its
conservation plan by the end
of 2016.3
AL
TIC S
I
R
C ATU
ST NTED
GRA
DEADLINE
©Shutterstock.com
1.04m3
Days after the threshold for
entry into force of the Paris
climate agreement was met,
the Carmichael coal mine
was granted “critical” status
by the Queensland state
government to speed up the
approval process.22
©Dreamstime.com
Emission
reduction target:
19 April
©Greenpeace/Jefferson
The targets were criticised
as being too low to be
compatible with the global
ambition to limit the global
temperature rise to 2C.
The government’s own
climate change authority
recommended a 40-60%
target from Australia’s
emissions in the year 2000.4
The federal government
approved an application to
open Australia’s largest ever
coal mine. The Carmichael coal
mine would be larger than many
capital cities, and responsible
for an additional 79m tonnes
of CO2 emissions per year
(more than New York’s annual
emissions5). An earlier approval
was previously overruled
by a federal court over the
government’s failure to take into
account the mine’s impact on
two vulnerable local species.6
©Shutterstock.com
12 August
Government
announced emission
reduction target of
26-28% from 2005
emissions
3 June
Government scientists
announced 22% of
Great Barrier Reef
coral dead from
bleaching
©The Ocean Agency
Under pressure from
UNESCO, the government
announced a framework for
protecting and managing the
reef until 2050. The proposals
included a partial ban on
dumping dredge spoil from
coal port developments in the
Great Barrier Reef, $100m
to improve water quality, and
reductions in pesticide and
sediment pollution – but little
action to curb the impacts of
climate change.2
13 June
Prime minister
announced $1bn of
loans to protect Great
Barrier Reef
©The Ocean Agency
Australian government
announced Reef
2050 long-term
sustainability plan
16 October
Australian
government approved
largest coal mine in
Australian history
©The Ocean Agency
20 March
18 August
29 September
1 December
Land clearing
legislation to protect
the reef failed to pass
Government claimed
‘good progress’ in
protecting the reef
during previous year
Deadline for Australia
to report on progress
to protect the reef to
UNESCO
The first annual update on
the Reef 2050 plan saw
the Australian government
claim it was making “good
progress” in protecting the
Great Barrier Reef over the
previous year, despite the
death of 22% of its coral
during that time. Climate
change was mentioned just
four times in the 36-page
document.20
Australia must report on its
progress on conserving the
Great Barrier Reef to the UN.
A bill to pass laws to prevent
land clearing – a source of
both carbon emissions and
runoff pollution to the reef –
failed to pass in Queensland’s
state parliament. The
legislation was a key part of
Australia’s Reef 2050 plan.19
The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government Media Briefing 5
© The Ocean Agency
© Dreamstime.com
Bleached coral at Lizard
Island on the Great Barrier
Reef, March 2016.
Sydney
Carmichael
mine size
Map comparing size of Carmichael mine and Sydney24
The Reef 2050 plan
Coral bleaching
The Australian federal government released the Reef 2050 plan in March 2015 as
part of its response to UNESCO’s threat to categorise the Great Barrier Reef as
“in danger”.
Much of coral’s colour comes from marine
algae known as zooxanthellae, which
symbiotically inhabit the polyps and provide
much of the nutrition that corals rely on to
thrive. When surface ocean temperature
increases – a consequence of climate change
– the coral polyps react to the changing
conditions by expelling the zooxanthellae,
which in turn leads to bleaching. In severe and
protracted bleaching events, the coral will die
as a consequence.
Despite conceding that climate change is the “biggest long-term threat” to the reef’s
health, the Reef 2050 plan offered little action to curb the impacts of climate change.
The report’s main proposals include a ban on dumping dredge from new coal
port developments in the Great Barrier Reef marine park, $100m to improve water
quality, and reductions in pesticide and sediment pollution. In October 2016, the
chief of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority admitted that climate change
should have featured more heavily in the Reef 2050 plan.23
The Carmichael
coal mine
7 Media Briefing The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government
The Paris climate agreement saw governments all over the world, including Australia,
agree to aim to limit global temperature increases to within 1.5C/2C. However, if
nations were to mine and burn all the world’s currently operating coal, gas, and oil
field reserves, the resultant carbon emissions would break through the 2C upper
limit.25 Opening up even more coal, gas and oil reserves is simply incompatible with
the Paris climate agreement that Australia and the rest of the world has signed.
The Carmichael coal mine is the largest coal
mine ever proposed in Australia. It is planned
by mining company Adani and will be located
in the Galilee Basin in Queensland. The scale
of the proposed mine dwarfs many of the
world’s capital cities. At full production, the
mine will produce 60 million tonnes of coal per
year and its annual CO2 footprint will be bigger
than the cities of New York and Tokyo. It has
been plagued by funding withdrawals and
subject to legal challenges, but has received
unprecedented support from Australian state
and federal governments.
London
Media Briefing The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government 6
Why ban new coal mines?
Australia’s coal exports (coal that is mined in Australia and then sold abroad) are
responsible for almost double the carbon emissions (1bn tonnes CO2) of Australia’s
domestic emissions (560m tonnes CO2)26. Australia’s coal exports are by far the
nation’s largest contribution to climate change and global warming – and there are
more than 60 major coal projects in the pipeline.
As coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, a permanent ban on new coal mines
that would keep more Australian coal in the ground is the first and most logical step
towards meeting Australia’s global commitment to averting the worst impacts of
climate change.
Tokyo
New York
The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government Media Briefing 8
Chapter
Manta Rays swim in
the Great Barrier Reef.
© Dreamstime.com
© Greenpeace/Powell
Hay Point Coal Terminal,
Queensland is one of
the largest coal export
terminals in Australia and
services coal mined from
the Bowen Basin.
Additional facts
Highest per
capita carbon
emissions of
developed
nations
27
Coal is the largest source
of CO2 emissions into the
atmosphere, making it
the main driver of climate
change29
Australia is the largest
exporter of coal in the world28
Australia's
exported CO2
emissions
1bn tonnes
Australia's
domestic CO2
emissions
560m tonnes
9 Media Briefing The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government
Australia’s exported CO2
emissions from coal are
almost double those
of the country’s entire
domestic emissions
– but are not included
in the government’s
calculations of carbon
emissions.30
Largest living
structure on
the planet
1981
The Great Barrier Reef is
more than 2,300km long.
It is roughly as large as
Japan, Italy or Germany.31
32
2 C?
o
253%
in Australia's CO2
exports since 199034
The year the Great
Barrier Reef was
listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage33
Climate change is the
largest threat to the
Great Barrier Reef
The potential carbon emissions from
the world’s existing oil, gas and coal
fields would already exceed the Paris
climate agreement upper target of a
2C temperature increase limit, making
any new fossil fuel projects entirely
incompatible with global climate targets.35
CO2
Tokyo
CO2
New York
CO2
Carmichael
The proposed Carmichael coal mine the
Australian government approved would be
responsible for more CO2 per year than cities
such as New York and Tokyo.36
The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government Media Briefing 10
References
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175 times likelier by human-caused climate change, say
scientists’, 29 April 2016, accessed 4 November 2016, <https://
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2 Government of Australia, Department of Energy and the
Environment, ‘The Reef 2050 Plan’, 2015, accessed 4 November
2016, <http://www.environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/long-termsustainability-plan>
3 Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), ‘Great Barrier Reef:
World Heritage Committee decides against declaring reef as
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www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-01/unesco-great-barrierreef/6588118>
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‘Emissions target leaves Australia trailing pack, say critics’, 11
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5 Taylor, L., The Guardian, ‘Coal from Carmichael mine 'will
create more annual emissions than New York’, 12 Nov 2015,
accessed 4 November 2016, <https://www.theguardian.com/
environment/2015/nov/12/coal-from-carmichael-mine-willcreate-more-annual-emissions-than-new-york>
6 Milman, O., The Guardian, ‘Adani Carmichael mine in Queensland
gets another green light from Coalition’, 15 October 2015,
accessed 4 November 2016, <https://www.theguardian.com/
business/2015/oct/15/adani-carmichael-mine-in-queenslandgets-another-green-light-from-coalition>
7 Goldenberg, S et al, The Guardian, ‘Paris climate deal: nearly
200 nations sign in end of fossil fuel era’, 13 December 2015,
accessed 4 November 2016, <https://www.theguardian.com/
environment/2015/dec/12/paris-climate-deal-200-nations-signfinish-fossil-fuel-era>
8 Horn, A., Ford, E et al, ABC, ‘Abbot Point: Federal Government
approves huge coal port expansion near Great Barrier Reef’, 23
December 2015, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.
abc.net.au/news/2015-12-22/massive-abbot-point-coal-portexpansion-gets-federal-approval/7047380>
9 Empire State Realty Trust, ‘Empire State Building Fact Sheet,’
undated, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.esbnyc.
com/sites/default/files/esb_fact_sheet_4_9_14_4.pdf>
10Bourke, L., Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Australia's carbon emissions
jump in 2015’, 26 December 2015, accessed 4 November
2016, <http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/
australias-carbon-emissions-jump-in-2015--20151225-glv017.
html>
11AAP via Sky News, ‘Coral bleaching on Barrier Reef getting
worse’, 21 March 2016, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://
www.skynews.com.au/news/national/qld/2016/03/21/coralbleaching-on-barrier-reef-getting-worse.html>
12AAP via The Guardian, ‘Adani's Carmichael coalmine leases
approved by Queensland’, 3 April 2016, accessed 4 November
2016, <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/
apr/03/adanis-carmichael-coalmine-leases-approved-byqueensland>
13Safi, M. and Slezak, M., The Guardian, ‘CSIRO confirms up to
350 job cuts, with climate research bearing the brunt’, 4 February
2016, accessed 4 November 2016, <https://www.theguardian.
com/australia-news/2016/feb/04/csiro-confirms-300-job-cutswith-climate-research-bearing-the-brunt>
14Arup, T., Sydney Morning Herald, ‘The Great Barrier Reef: 93%
hit by coral bleaching, surveys reveal’, 20 April 2016, accessed
4 November 2016, <http://www.smh.com.au/environment/
climate-change/the-great-barrier-reef--93-hit-by-coralbleaching-surveys-reveal-20160419-goa6jw.html>
15Normile, D., Science, ‘Survey confirms worst-ever coral bleaching
at Great Barrier Reef’, 18 April 2016, accessed 4 November
2016, <http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/surveyconfirms-worst-ever-coral-bleaching-great-barrier-reef>
16Slezak, M., The Guardian, ‘Australia scrubbed from UN climate
change report after government intervention’, 27 May 2016,
accessed 4 November 2016, <https://www.theguardian.com/
environment/2016/may/27/australia-scrubbed-from-un-climatechange-report-after-government-intervention>
17Slezak, M., The Guardian, ‘Agencies say 22% of Barrier Reef
coral is dead, correcting 'misinterpretation'’, 3 June 2016,
accessed 4 November 2016, < https://www.theguardian.com/
environment/2016/jun/03/agencies-say-22-of-barrier-reef-coralis-dead-correcting-misinterpretation>
18Slezak, M., The Guardian, ‘When you poke the Coalition's
Great Barrier Reef 'rescue mission' it crumbles’, 13 June 2016,
accessed 4 November 2016, <https://www.theguardian.com/
australia-news/2016/jun/13/when-you-poke-the-coalitionsgreat-barrier-reef-rescue-mission-it-crumbles>
19Burke, G., ABC, ‘Queensland tree clearing laws fail to pass
Parliament in blow to minority Labor Government’, 19 August
2016, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/
news/2016-08-19/queensland-parliament-tree-clearing-lawsfail-unesco-fears/7765214>
20Government of Australia, Department of Energy and the
Environment, ‘Reef 2050 Plan Annual Report and Implementation
Strategy’, 2015, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.
environment.gov.au/marine/gbr/publications/reef-2050-planannual-report-implementation-strategy>
21Muttitt, G. et al, Oil Change International et al, ‘The Sky’s Limit:
Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of Fossil
Fuel Production’, 22 September 2016, accessed 4 November
2016, <http://priceofoil.org/2016/09/22/the-skys-limit-report/>
22ABC, ‘Adani coal mine gains 'critical' status as Queensland
Government moves to kick-start project’ 10 October 2016,
accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/
news/2016-10-10/adani-coal-mine-gains-critical-statusqueensland-kick-start-move/7917506>
23AAP via 9 News, ‘Call for more climate focus in reef plan’, 16
October 2016, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.9news.
com.au/national/2016/10/17/13/40/call-for-more-climate-focusin-reef-plan>
24See, for example, links accessed 4 November 2016:
11 Media Briefing The Great Barrier Reef, UNESCO and the Australian government
Comparison with Sydney <http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/
cpsprodpb/74D9/production/_86131992_sydney_carmichael_
mine_comparison_624.jpg>, Paris <https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Carmichael_coal_mine#/media/File:Carmichael_mine_Paris.
jpg>, London <https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/
theausinstitute/pages/176/attachments/original/1440036045/
London_vs_Carmichael.jpg?1440036045>
25Muttitt, G. et al, Oil Change International et al, ‘The Sky’s Limit:
Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of Fossil
Fuel Production’, 22 September 2016, accessed 4 November
2016, <http://priceofoil.org/2016/09/22/the-skys-limit-report/>
26Greenpeace Australia Pacific, ‘Exporting climate change, killing
the Reef’, April 2016, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.
greenpeace.org/australia/en/what-we-do/climate/resources/
reports/Exporting-climate-change-killing-the-Reef/>
27PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 'Trends in
global CO2 emission: 2015 report', November 2015, accessed 7
November 2016, <http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/news_docs/jrc2015-trends-in-global-co2-emissions-2015-report-98184.pdf>
28International Energy Agency. 'Coal medium term market report
2015', December 2015, accessed 7 November 2016 <http://
www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/MTCMR2015SUM.pdf>
29Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. 'Great Barrier Reef
outlook report 2014', August 2014, accessed 7 November 2016
<http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/cdn/2014/GBRMPA-OutlookReport-IN-BRIEF-2014/>
30Muttitt, G. et al, Oil Change International et al, ‘The Sky’s Limit:
Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of Fossil
Fuel Production’, 22 September 2016, accessed 4 November
2016, <http://priceofoil.org/2016/09/22/the-skys-limit-report/>
31Greenpeace Australia Pacific, ‘Exporting climate change, killing
the Reef’, April 2016, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.
greenpeace.org/australia/en/what-we-do/climate/resources/
reports/Exporting-climate-change-killing-the-Reef/>
32ibid.
33Government of Australia, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority, ‘Facts about the Great Barrier Reef’, undated,
accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/
about-the-reef/facts-about-the-great-barrier-reef>
34Government of Australia, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority, ‘Criteria values and attributes’, undated, accessed 4
November 2016, <http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/about-the-reef/
heritage/great-barrier-reef-world-heritage-area/criteria-valuesand-attributes>
35Amos, C., and Swann, T., The Australia Institute, ‘Carmichael
in context: Quantifying Australia’s threat to climate action’,
November 2015, accessed 4 November 2016, <http://www.tai.
org.au/sites/defualt/files/Amos%202015%20Carmichael%20
in%20context%20-.pdf>
36Muttitt, G. et al, Oil Change International et al, ‘The Sky’s Limit:
Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of Fossil
Fuel Production’, 22 September 2016, accessed 4 November
2016, <http://priceofoil.org/2016/09/22/the-skys-limit-report/>
© Gary Bell / oceanwideimages.com
© The Ocean Agency
Chapter
A before and after image
of coral bleaching and
later dying in March / May
2016, at Lizard Island on
the Great Barrier Reef.
For more information contact:
Available for interview:
Shani Tager
Reef campaigner
Mobile: +61 427 914 070
[email protected]
Media enquiries:
Liam Kelly
Mobile: +61 407 742 025
[email protected]
Photo/Video resources:
Great Barrier Reef
photographs/
video footage available at:
photo.greenpeace.org
Published April 2016 by:
Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Level 2, 33 Mountain Street
Ultimo NSW 2007
Australia
© 2016 Greenpeace
greenpeace.org/australia