Great Barrier Reef 2050: Can we save our precious Reef?
21 Feb 2004
WWF-Australia and the Queensland Tourism Industry Council today released a comprehensive study on how Australia's Great Barrier Reef may look in an overheating world.
The report by economist Hans Hoegh-Guldberg and world-renowned reef expert Ove Hoegh-Guldberg explores possible future scenarios for the Reef; a complex task drawing from studies in climate sciences, biology and the economics of Australia's coral reef industries.
The report, Implications of Climate Change for Australia's Great Barrier Reef, reveals the best case scenario for the Reef: recoverable loss if global temperature increases remain below two degrees. Under the worst case scenario, coral populations will collapse by 2100 and the re-establishment of coral reefs will be highly unlikely over the following 200-500 years.
Strong action to increase the reef's resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions today will be instrumental in securing the economic and environmental wealth of Australia tomorrow.
Only if global average temperature change is kept to below two degrees Celsius can the Reef have any chance of recovering from the predicted damage.
The report highlights that this can be achieved by replacing oil and coal-based energy with clean, renewable energy sources.
Under the best case scenario, coral cover will be significantly reduced by 2100 but will recover over the following century as the climate stabilises again.
Download report:
The Implications of Climate Change for Australia's Great Barrier Reef:
