Skip to content
Environment

Like a broken record: Scientists lament highest ocean temp in 400 years on Great Barrier Reef

The Climate Council 2 mins read

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THURSDAY 8 AUGUST 2024

SCIENTISTS have underscored that climate pollution from coal, oil and gas is the culprit behind new research findings that show the Great Barrier Reef is experiencing ocean temperatures hotter than anything recorded in the past 400 years. The paper, ‘Highest ocean heat in four centuries places Great Barrier Reef in danger‘ was published in Nature this morning.  

News of the repeated and catastrophic damage occurring on the Reef comes as Australia awaits the outcome of a significant legal case known as the “Living Wonders” climate case before the High Court. 

Co-author of the paper and Climate Councillor David Karoly said: “Climate pollution is a grave threat to our beloved reef. Every fraction of a degree of warming harms all the unique animal and plant species that the Great Barrier Reef is home to. 

 

“Any new coal, oil or gas project adds to our climate pollution problem and is driving record temperatures and intense marine heatwaves that devastate coral reefs in the same way that bushfires devastate our forests. In defiance of the science, the Australian government continues to approve new coal and gas projects that are turning up the temperature and putting our lives and the places we love in greater harm's way. While our environment law is failing to do the very thing it exists to do: protect our natural environment.”

 

Director of Research at the Climate Council, Dr Simon Bradshaw said: “All life, including our own, depends on the ocean - the great blue beating heart of our planet. We are watching in real time as that life support system unravels. The rapid changes to our Great Barrier Reef and other irreplaceable marine ecosystems are a harbinger of even more dangerous times ahead if we fail to cut climate pollution much further and faster than we are.

 

“This year we have again watched the Great Barrier Reef suffer enormous damage due to rising ocean temperatures. It is fading before our eyes and, without far more urgent action to drive down climate pollution, may soon be bleached in marine heatwaves almost every year.  We must cut climate pollution faster, so that we can give our Reef a fighting chance and our children an opportunity to delight in its wonders.”

 

For interviews please contact Lydia Hollister-Jones on 0448 043 015 lydia.hollister-jones@climatecouncil.org.au, or the media team on media@climatecouncil.org.au or 0485 863 063.

 

The Climate Council is Australia’s leading community-funded climate change communications organisation. We provide authoritative, expert and evidence-based advice on climate change to journalists, policymakers, and the wider Australian community.

 

For further information, go to: climatecouncil.org.au

Or follow us on social media: facebook.com/climatecouncil and twitter.com/climatecouncil

More from this category

  • Environment, Medical Health Aged Care
  • 07/02/2025
  • 16:15
NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)

ILLAWARRA MAN FINED $3000 FOR ILLEGAL SOLARIUM OPERATIONS

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued a Wollongong man two penalty notices—each carrying the maximum fine of $1500—for allegedly operating an illegal solarium business in the Illawarra region. An investigation launched by the NSW EPA last November revealed the man was providing covert solarium services out of two residential properties in West Wollongong and Warrawong, where he reportedly charged individuals $35 for 35 minutes of tanning bed use. In NSW, charging a fee for solarium use has been illegal since 2014 due to the significant health risks associated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation, including an increased risk of skin…

  • Contains:
  • Environment, Transport Automotive
  • 07/02/2025
  • 16:05
Electric Vehicle Council

Australia charges ahead with major EV infrastructure funding boost

The Electric Vehicle Council has welcomed the allocation of new federal government funding that will see hundreds of new kerbside chargers installed in Australia. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $2.4 million for EVX Australia to install 250 kerbside chargers providing 500 charge points, across metropolitan and regional areas in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Julie Delvecchio said: "It’s exciting to see the federal government allocate additional funding to expand essential EV infrastructure.” Investing in and expanding Australia’s electric vehicle charging network is crucial in accelerating the shift to EVs for…

  • Environment
  • 07/02/2025
  • 14:12
NSW Environment Protection Authority

WESTERN SYDNEY COMPANY FINED $30,000 FOR DANGEROUS CHEMICALS STORAGE

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued a $30,000 fine to Sika Australia, a chemicals company in Wetherill Park, for stockpiling flammable chemicals and storing them outside, posing a risk to the environment. During an inspection of the premises in July last year, EPA officers also found cement had spilled next to a stormwater drain, and a damaged reactor vessel, used in manufacturing, was leaking chemicals in a building classified as having an explosive gas atmosphere. NSW EPA Director Operations Adam Gilligan said the damage to the reactor vessel had the potential to increase the explosion risk in an…

  • Contains:

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.