Australia's barrier reef could die within decades: UN report

[JavaJones]

From: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/30/barrier-reef.html



Last Updated: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 | 7:47 AM ET

CBC News


Australia's Great Barrier Reef could be "functionally extinct" within decades, warns a leaked portion of a major United Nations report on climate change.
A confidential draft of the report, prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was leaked to Australia's The Age newspaper.
It warns warmer, more acidic seas could severely bleach coral in the world-famous reef as early as 2030. Recovery from such bleaching could take decades, the draft report warns.
However, if seas continue to warm, the coral could be killed outright, says the report.
An initial portion of the massive report will be released on Friday, with subsequent sections rolled out throughout the year, including examinations of climate change impacts and solutions to climate change.
A draft copy of the climate change impacts section, due out in April, contains an entire chapter on Australia, said The Age.

Along with the reef warning, the report says snow could disappear from Australia's southeastern alps, while water inflows to the country's main agricultural region could decrease by as much as 25 per cent by 2050.
Spanning 2,000 kilometres, the reef is one of Australia's top tourist destinations, generating close to $6 billion US per year and tens of thousands of jobs, said the newspaper.

 

[BOSTONBAKEDBEAN]

tears man tears sigh. when will the stinky humans go exstinct thats what i wana know. dont get me wrong i love the warm weather but. stinks
when the water rises over boston im gona start planting frags on the prew.
green peace has some great youtube video.

 

[CaptainAndy]

I wouldn't pay too much attention to reports from the UN.

 

[rich]

?????

wouldn 't pay much attention to u.n. report?????? who would you listen to our govn't a slave to big business dems and republicans alike but none a bigger shill than g.w. .Seriously when over 90% of the worlds scientists agree on something and those who don't do not object for any other reason than they are employed by those who pollute and cause the problems...wow interesting response...we must just be smarter than everyone else...

 

[JavaJones]

I guess we've visited these debates and ideological positions many times. I think that what we really need to focus on now is what we can do to educate people about the dangers to the reefs and what we can do about it. In order to do so, I don't think we need to engage or vent spleen over those who are in denial. This new report is alarming because it really poiints to the greatest reef of them all...

 

[Bobbofin]

hooey! I remember the Time Magazine cover in the 70's proclaiming we are heading towards an ice age. They claimed low ocean temps, etc, etc, etc.
It's just normal swings and variations of temp. We really don't have enough data to predict these things, we've only been keeping temp records for about 120 years. It's just crazy alarmists supported by the likes of Al Gore to get research money to do another flubbed up paper with more opinions than fact. Relative truth is great, you can say anything and prop it up as THE TRUTH and lead the masses astray. Who are you following?