UNESCO calls for urgent measures to protect the Great Barrier Reef

Solving climate-related problems requires rapid action. Australia must institute "urgent" measures to protect the Great Barrier Reef, especially by adopting more ambitious climate goals, UNESCO warned on Monday. The largest coral ecosystem in the world "is still seriously threatened" and "urgent and sustained measures represent the highest priority", the institution indicated in a report, mentioning the issue of coral bleaching. UNESCO has asked Australia to submit, in early 2025, an updated account of efforts to protect and conserve corals, without however recommending placing the ecosystem on the list of world heritage in danger. The request of this specialized UN agency was welcomed by the Australian Minister of the Environment, Tanya Plibersek: "It's a big win for Queensland, a big win for the thousands of people who depend on the reef for their work, it's a big win for all the plants and all the animals that live here''. Associations for the protection of the environment believe, however, that UNESCO's decision should represent "an alarm signal". "UNESCO has asked Australia to set more ambitious climate targets and has given us a deadline of February 2025 to submit a progress report," recalled David Ritter, Greenpeace Australia-Pacific Director General, stating that " "time is running out.'' The Australian federal government's Great Barrier Marine Park Authority announced in April that this new episode, caused by rising sea temperatures, is the fifth in the last eight years, a phenomenon of coral bleaching that causes the expulsion of algae symbiotic, responsible for the vivid colors of the corals.If high temperatures persist, the corals turn white and die.