‘Crisis’: Climate panel flags Great Barrier Reef devastation

By KRISTEN GELINEAU
Associated Press

SYDNEY (AP) — A United Nations report is painting a dire picture of the Great Barrier Reef’s future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report released on Monday bluntly states that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is in crisis and suffering grave impacts from climate change, with frequent and severe coral bleaching caused by warming ocean temperatures. The reports says that the worst bleaching event, in 2016, affected over 90% of the reef. And a punishing succession of bleaching incidents has left the northern and middle portion of the reef system in a “highly degraded state.” The report warns that the damage to the reef could lead to a loss of 10,000 jobs and $1 billion Australian dollars ($720 million) in revenue every year from declines in tourism alone.