The United Nations’ UNESCO committee has voted to not add the Great Barrier Reef to its “in danger” list, despite the biggest die-off of coral ever at the World Heritage Site.
“We’re taking every action possible to ensure this great wonder of the world stays viable and healthy for future generations to come,” Australia’s Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg told Australian Broadcasting Corporation Radio. But the country’s conservative government has come under attack for its management of the reef, especially after officials approved the construction of a $4-billion mine that will ship millions of tons of coal through Great Barrier Reef waters — doing no favors for a reef that many believe is dying because of fossil-fuel driven climate change. Coal is Australia’s second-largest export.
“Eager to head-off charges that it was failing the World Heritage Site, which was recently pegged at being worth $56 billon to Australia, the Coalition government of Malcolm Turnbull lobbied all 21 UNESCO members,” says Reuters.
Environmentalists say that UNESCO should have added the reef to the endangered list in order to force the Australian government to act on climate change.