Antinuclear

Government ditches $10m promotion blitz amid Great Barrier Reef furore, Canberra Times, By Nicole Hasham, 21 October 2018 The Morrison government has abandoned plans for a $10 million campaign promoting the Great Barrier Reef’s promising future, after a public backlash over its failure to address climate change and protect the natural wonder.An eminent reef scientist has also slammed as “not scientifically credible” claims by a charity gifted $444 million for reef conservation efforts that it will “climate-proof” the tourism icon.

Fairfax Media has learned the government has scrapped the $10 million reef communication campaign outlined in this year’s federal budget.

The campaign would have sought to give the public hope that the reef can be saved and outlined action being taken to protect it, after devastating back-to-back coral bleaching events brought on by climate change.

The government had been skittish about the spending measure, as reported last month when it emerged the Department of the Environment and Energy instructed officials to avoid revealing its true price tag.

In response to questions from Fairfax Media, the department confirmed the campaign “is not going ahead”. ……..

A major report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this month warned that an average global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees would substantially and irrevocably damage the world’s coral reefs, and a 2 degree rise would virtually destroy them. The world is currently on track for a global temperature rise of 3 to 4 degrees by 2100.

The Great Barrier Reef Foundation is supported by corporations including those from the polluting fossil fuel industry. It does not lobby for emissions reduction, despite recognising that climate change is the biggest threat facing the reef…….https://www.canberratimes.com.au/politics/federal/government-ditches-10m-promotion-blitz-amid-great-barrier-reef-furore-20181020-p50av5.html