Replacing the Great Barrier Reef !

 One of the " wonders or the world " is fast becoming a casualty of global warming.   Our Great Barrier Reef is melting away before our eyes as between seventy and ninety percent of the coral will disintegrate as the world abandons hope of keeping world temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees.

The Australian Academy of Science warns that the ambitious target of the Paris Climate Agreement has slipped out on reach and is " virtually impossible ".  It is looking likely that the temperature of the world we know will rise by three degrees and that will be fatal for this coral phenomenon.

The loss of the reef will have a big impact on tourism in Australia.  The reef was a big drawcard and economists put its value at $ 5 billion.  Much of the Queensland tourist industry is centered on access to the reef and it was the starting point of many holiday destinations.

A leading biologist specialising in coral reefs warns that even if that 1.5 degree of warming was attained, the reef would be badly damaged. The heat factor would cause seventy to ninety percent of the coral to shrink, and if warming rose to two degrees, just one percent of the coral would survive.

Unfortunately, this destruction of the Great Barrier Reef actually started with the Industrial Revolution  several centuries earlier.  It was the invention of the steam engine that contributed to a warmer world and it looks like we have long past the point of no return.

At the Paris Climate Conference of 2016, Australia committed to keeping global warming below two degrees and as close to one point five degrees as possible.   We promised to reduce emissions by 26 - 28 percent based on 2005 levels by 2030.  That attainment is now looking very unlikely.

Now that we have a warning that our Great Barrier Reef is about to disappear we urgently need an action plan to replace it.  Coral reefs are common in many parts of the world and survive even warmer water than we are seeing here in Australia, but it is not the same coral as in our reef and the colours are not so vibrant.

It is within our reach to select warmer temperature corals from around the world and build a new Great Barrier Reef, and we need to do it quickly before the destruction under way becomes too evident.  The Great Barrier Reef is home to an amazing variety of tropical fish and along with the coral these are sights that attract the tourists.

It is important that we retain these fish by creating a new home for them with coral that can stand a warmer temperature and that will only be achieved if we put in place a selective replacement routine by hiring biologists with the knowledge to select the right corals to thrive on the Queensland coast.  It is essential that they achieve the right compatability.

Obviously, creating a new Barrier Reef will cost a lot of money and there will be a high degree of trial and error, but it is necessary if we are to retain our status as a holiday destination for the world.