Great Barrier Reef Should Be Listed As ‘In Danger,’ UNESCO Says

Back-to-back mass bleaching events have devastated large parts of the reef, prompting dire warnings of climate change.

The Great Barrier Reef should be listed as a World Heritage Site “in danger,” UNESCO said in draft recommendations, echoing scientists’ warnings that climate change is ravaging one of the planet’s most iconic structures. The United Nations’ cultural body said Tuesday the ongoing impacts of warmer temperatures along the reef — which have battered the structure and left large swaths of corals dying or dead ― warranted the dramatic move, which would call on the Australian government to pursue “the most ambitious actions to address climate change.” Listing the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger” would be a significant blow to Australian identity, although it would fall in line with warnings repeated by scientists for years that climate change has continued unabated. UNESCO says the designation is meant to “inform the international community of conditions which threaten the very characteristics for which a property was inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to encourage corrective action.”