This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
Temperatures over the Great Barrier Reef in December were the highest on record with “alarming” levels of heat that have put the ocean jewel on the verge of another mass bleaching of corals, according to analysis from U.S. government scientists seen by Guardian Australia.
On Friday, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison’s government announced $1 billion for reef conservation over the next nine years if it wins the next election – a pledge branded by some as a cynical attempt to stop the reef being placed on the world heritage “in danger” list at a meeting in July.
Conservationists and scientists mostly welcomed the pledge, but many said the government needed to greatly improve its greenhouse gas emissions targets and stop supporting fossil fuel projects.
In the three months leading up to December 14, an analysis from scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA,... Read more
