Australia cut from UN report on climate threat to avoid damaging reef tourism
The Turnbull government intervened to excise references to Australia in a United Nations report on the risk of climate change to World Heritage sites including the Great Barrier Reef in a move dubbed by one Australian reviewer as "disgusting".
UN report: Australia's behaviour 'disgusting'
Australia's attempt to redact any reference of the Great Barrier Reef from a UNESCO climate change report angers researchers.
The report, released on Friday by UNESCO, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Union of Concerned Scientists, examined the impacts of warming world on 31 natural and man-made sites in 29 countries.
Australia is entirely absent in the report, despite an initial version of the report outlining at length the threat posed to the Great Barrier Reef. The section was reviewed by Australian researchers Will Steffen from the Australian National University and Ove Hoegh-Guldberg from the University of Queensland.
In the excised section, the scientists commented on the risk from global warming:
"The biggest long-term threat to the GBR today, and to its ecosystems services, biodiversity, heritage values and tourism economy is climate change, including rising sea temperatures, accelerating rates of sea level rise, changing weather patterns and ocean acidification."
"The department expressed concern that giving the report the title 'Destinations at risk' had the potential to cause considerable confusion," the department said in a statement, echoing comments earlier to the Guardian.However, the Environment Department intervened via Australia's ambassador to UNESCO to have Australia removed to avoid unwanted publicity that could hurt tourism to the reef.
"Recent experience in Australia had shown that negative commentary about the status of world heritage properties impacted on tourism," the statement said. "The department indicated it did not support any of Australia's world heritage properties being included in such a publication for the reasons outlined above."
Environment Minister Greg Hunt, who has spoken often about the government's success in convincing the World Heritage committee to remove the Great Barrier Reef from the "in danger" category was not involved in the intervention, his spokesman said.
'Head in sand'"The Minister was not aware and was not briefed or involved," he said. "The Department of Environment have confirmed this."
Professor Steffen, who is also on the Climate Council, said there was "nothing inflammatory" in the section on the Great Barrier Reef. "Obviously, it has implications for tourism but putting your head in the sand isn't the way to solve these sorts of things."
For a liberal, western democracy like Australia to behave in this way is frankly quite disgustingWill Steffen, emeritus professor at ANU
The reef has been severely hit this year by its worst ever coral bleaching, with about 93 per cent affected, officials said last month.More than half of corals in the relatively pristine north of the reef may have died.
Professor Steffen said it appeared the government had intervened "fairly much at the last minute" because his name appeared among the list of reviewers but the section he had reviewed had been cut.
He said he had come across such government intervention only once before in his international work, when the Russian government sought to provide dodgy data on how much of their great forests were being lost to logging or forest fires.
"For a liberal, western democracy like Australia to behave in this way is frankly quite disgusting," Professor Steffen told Fairfax Media, adding it was "totally pointless and absolutely counterproductive".
"It makes the government or whatever entity it is that's trying to squash science in the long run look bad," he said. "In fact it just draws more attention to the issue that they are trying to cover up."
He said Australians had to realise that pouring millions of dollars into protecting the reef, while helpful, would do little in the long run to save it unless global warming was halted.
"The more resilient you can make the reef the longer it may be able to hold out." Professor Steffen said. "But the science is pretty clear - the rate at which we're pouring greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is going to overwhelm the most resilient of reefs."
Political fall-out
Mark Butler, Labor's shadow environment minters, said Malcolm Turnbull "is trying to bury the existence of climate change".
"This is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and we have a responsibility to act to restore health and build resilience," Mr Butler said.
"What we don't need is a government that won't act on climate change and won't allocate any new funds to protect the Reef," he added. "The best way to help the reef and to boost tourism and economic growth is to take serious action on climate change, to face the challenge and show leadership."
Senator Larissa Waters, Australian Greens deputy leader and climate change spokeswoman, also condemned the government's intervention.
"The Turnbull Government will stop at nothing to cover up the devastating impact its inaction on global warming is having on our World Heritage Areas like the Great Barrier Reef and our magnificent Tassie Wilderness," Senator Waters said.
"I am calling on Minister Hunt to publicly explain his role in this sorry affair including whether he was aware of the censorship before the report was published regardless of whether he was formally briefed by the department," she said.
"The old parties are adding more fuel to the fire by allowing millions more tonnes of coal to be dug up and shipped out through the Reef to further cook its waters when burnt."
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/australia-cut-from-un-report-on-climate-threat-to-avoid-damaging-reef-tourism-20160526-gp4zzo.html
posted by Satish Sharma at
02:56
