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Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

edition.cnn.com

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Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#11

Post by ggm »

As a Brisbane resident I've been lucky enough to visit the north central reef twice in the last 30 years. If you are a casual visitor (as I was) the damage is for many people, theoretical because you have no basis to compare, and the reef charter boats go to the best places you can find to see the best diversity. I know it's real. It harder too see and understand it's extent.

Also, much tourism runs in the northern-central reef, but the southern reef is actually visitable, if slightly less spectacular and less developed onshore for tourism and hospitality. You can still see a rich diverse reef from heron island or lady Musgrave. It's not as "wow" as up north.

TL;DR yes, the reef is highly damaged and in extreme danger. Come visit anyway: you'll have fun, you will still see a rich diverse ecosystem (albiet in stress and failing globally) and the reef community needs your dollars.

Its worse if you don't come visit.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#12

Post by pilsetnieks »

ekianjo wrote: post #7
DavidPiper wrote: post #6

We're going on holiday to the Great Barrier Reef in a few months. I think it's quite likely to be the first and last time I see it in any state worth visiting for many years. Irrespective of how successful or unsuccessful the far-rights are in maintaining Australia's CO2 emission levels, I believe it's already too late - we've crossed from 'recovery is possible' to 'rebuilding is the only way' and that will take deca…

As far as I understand it recovery was never possible by the time we realized what was happening. We have no good way to capture CO2 and no actionable way worldwide to reduce CO2 production fast enough. Even if we stopped producing CO2 right now the levels in the atmosphere would still continue to have detrimental effects for dozens of years.

Dozens of years are manageable, if the cost is avoiding an ELE. Short term thinking is what got us in this mess, maybe it's time to think on larger timescales.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#13

Post by grecy »

Not that the headline exactly matches the article, but at this point is there any well educated forward-thinking person who doesn't think the planet is headed for a catastrophe?

The population of humans is booming.. and surely any intelligent person can see that eventually, at some point something will have to give. Maybe it will be when there are 10 billion of us, or 20, or 100, but surely, at some point something's going to break in a very big way.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#14

Post by roenxi »

DavidPiper wrote: post #6

We're going on holiday to the Great Barrier Reef in a few months. I think it's quite likely to be the first and last time I see it in any state worth visiting for many years. Irrespective of how successful or unsuccessful the far-rights are in maintaining Australia's CO2 emission levels, I believe it's already too late - we've crossed from 'recovery is possible' to 'rebuilding is the only way' and that will take deca…

The far right have been advocating or at least partial to Nuclear power since as far back as the late Howard government in '07. Cory Bernardi has a bill before the Senate right now titled "Nuclear Fuel Cycle (Facilitation) Bill 2017". France with nuclear remains the first world country with the cheapest, cleanest, and probably safest power.

There is no branch of politics committed to "maintaining Australia's CO2 emission levels". There is a branch that wants cheap, and a branch that wants specific technologies. And the status quo seems to be holding until Australia decides which option is better.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#15

Post by justicezyx »

grecy wrote: post #13

Not that the headline exactly matches the article, but at this point is there any well educated forward-thinking person who doesn't think the planet is headed for a catastrophe? The population of humans is booming.. and surely any intelligent person can see that eventually, at some point something will have to give. Maybe it will be when there are 10 billion of us, or 20, or 100, but surely, at some point something's…

The exponential growth, this planet is not growing...

I always am worried that no leading intellectual is considering the humans future. Cross the globe, I cannot see any happy ending for humans road forward.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#16

Post by Chris_Chambers »

danschumann wrote: post #8

The sci-fi writer in me envisions a story about a future where humans exist, and there is only one species of fish in the ocean, and everyone is sick of eating it.

The unused parts of the script of James Cameron’s Avatar are interesting. Everyone is forced to eat algae.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#17

Post by gizmo686 »

grecy wrote: post #13

Not that the headline exactly matches the article, but at this point is there any well educated forward-thinking person who doesn't think the planet is headed for a catastrophe? The population of humans is booming.. and surely any intelligent person can see that eventually, at some point something will have to give. Maybe it will be when there are 10 billion of us, or 20, or 100, but surely, at some point something's…

Developed countries have a fertility rate below the replacement rate.

The population growth we are seeing now is caused by mortality decreasing in developing countries. If history is an accurate guide, the birthrate will naturally follow and global population will plateau without the need for any catastrophe.

Of course, we are experiencing this period of population growth, at the same time as an environmental catastrophe, that we know will cause large scale displacement, so it is not obvious if we will make it to the "natural" population plateuo, or hit some less pleasent wall.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#18

Post by quickben »

danschumann wrote: post #8

The sci-fi writer in me envisions a story about a future where humans exist, and there is only one species of fish in the ocean, and everyone is sick of eating it.

Apparently the medusas will eat whatever is left from the fish. They thrive in high acidity.

Re: Great Barrier Reef headed for ‘massive death’

#20

Post by joe_the_user »

grecy wrote: post #13

Not that the headline exactly matches the article, but at this point is there any well educated forward-thinking person who doesn't think the planet is headed for a catastrophe? The population of humans is booming.. and surely any intelligent person can see that eventually, at some point something will have to give. Maybe it will be when there are 10 billion of us, or 20, or 100, but surely, at some point something's…

The population of humans is booming.

What a shame you had to spoil your otherwise reasonable argument with this canard. In most areas of the global (the Americas, Europe, Asia above India), population is not booming but shrinking.

Moreover, the destruction of various sorts we see hardly the result of booming population by itself but massive resource wastage of variety of sorts combined overall short-sightedness. Climate change is 97 billion pound set to destroy our world and it's relation to population growth is quite tenuous.

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