Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop should apologise for claiming the Great Barrier Reef is “not in danger” from climate change, according to enough scientific evidence to form a small coral atoll.
Sorry. Too glib?
When the minister representing Australia at the next major United Nations climate change negotiations appears unwilling to accept the advice of her own government science and reef management agencies, then it’s time to worry.
Indeed, one of the world’s leading marine biologists and coral reef experts has told me he thinks Australian’s deserve better. But we’ll get to that in a bit.
This sorry tale starts with a speech to Australia’s University of Queensland from US President Barack Obama, who said the “incredible natural glory of the Great Barrier Reef is threatened” by climate change and he’d quite like it if his kids could see that natural glory for themselves, thanks very much. Read more at http://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2014/nov/25/australian-foreign-minister-says-reef-not-in-danger-but-what-do-her-own-scientists-disagree