This nine-year program comes months after the Australian government narrowly prevented the Great Barrier Reef from being placed on UNESCO’s “endangered” heritage list due to ecosystem deterioration caused by climate change.
It also comes just months before the general election in May, in which Morrison will have to win the near-reef state of Queensland if he wants to stay in power.
But from the Climate Council, an environmental pressure group, they assured that this financing package is like “putting a band-aid on a broken leg”.
When the United Nations previously threatened in 2015 to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef, Australia created the “Reef 2050” plan and funneled billions of dollars into its protection.
These measures are considered to have curbed the rate of deterioration, but much of the world’s largest coral ecosystem is already damaged. A recent study indicated that 98% of the reef has been affected by bleaching since 1998.
The government’s backing of the coal industry and its reluctance to address global warming have led to a loss of party support in cities and spawned a series of green-focused independent candidates.
“Unless you cut emissions thoroughly in this decade, the situation will only get worse”said Lesley Hughes, a biology professor at Macquarie University and a member of the Climate Council, who accused Morrison of “giving money to the Great Barrier Reef with one hand and financing the industry that has devastating climate impacts” on that ecosystem with the other.
Victims of disasters such as fires, droughts or floods, Australians are overwhelmingly in favor of limiting climate change. A 2021 survey by the Lowy Institute in Sydney showed that 60% considered “warming to be a serious and pressing problem”.
Eight in ten Australians support the carbon neutrality target set for 2050, which the government reluctantly approved ahead of the Glasgow climate summit last year.
Australia, one of the largest exporters of gas and coal, is economically dependent on fossil fuels. In addition, their political parties receive important donations from these sectors.
Source From: Ambito
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