A prolonged heat wave in Australia has bleached 91% of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a new monitoring report released by the government reveals.
Of the 719 reefs studied, 654 (91%) show bleaching damage.
This is the first time that this damage has happened in parallel with the La Niña climate phenomenon, which, in theory, cools ocean temperatures.
“Climate change is getting worse, and the Great Barrier Reef is already experiencing the consequences of this”, warns the government’s text, published on Tuesday night (10).
This is the fourth “mass bleaching” suffered by the world’s largest reef since 2016.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority carried out in-depth studies of the site, cataloged as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) World Heritage Site, between September 2021 and March 2022.
According to that study, when seawater began to warm last December, the three major regions of the reef experienced bleaching. This phenomenon is caused by the thermal stress of the corals and the consequent expulsion of the bright algae that live in it and give it its color.
The white corals are still alive and can recover if conditions improve, but “very white corals have high levels of mortality”, warns the document, whose first version was published in March.
‘Insufficient goals’
The report comes ten days before Australia’s May 21 federal election, in which climate change emerges as a key issue for voters.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to stick to the 2030 carbon neutral target, despite criticisms calling for more ambitious milestones. He also pledged to export coal as long as there is demand. In opposition, the Labor Party is not talking about ending the use of coal either.
“Although it is becoming more frequent, bleaching is not normal and we should not take it for granted,” warned Lissa Schindler, an activist with the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
“The two main parties must bow to reality: their climate goals are not enough for the reef,” he stressed.
Next month, the United Nations World Heritage Committee must decide whether to include the reef in the list of protected places “in danger” due to deterioration caused by weather effects.
