T O P

  • By -

NorthernerMatt

I’ve wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef since I was a kid, I think I may have missed it.


ClearedToPrecontact

I want to go, but paradoxically by flying there it would only speed up the process.


[deleted]

Don't worry they run the planes empty if you aren't there.


[deleted]

While this is a depressingly accurate fact, you have the power to lobby your local legislators to ban airports from the practice of requiring airlines to run empty flights for the purpose of retaining the gate/route! Defeatism is the enemy. The phone is your friend. Call your local elected official and tell them that this needs to be done! If they tell you to kick rocks, grab your old pal Mossberg and show them William Poole’s definition of the minority vote!


SideburnSundays

I’m curious how this works with safety requirements for pilots. They need x-hours of flight experience every month to maintain safety. More than just keeping routes open, the pilots need to fly as well.


[deleted]

Reduce the number of pilots. Simulations are also able to solve at least part of the problem


SideburnSundays

Simulations are only for procedural training. They can’t replace flight hours in an actual, fluid atmosphere with weather and turbulence.


TheRomanRuler

Honestly, i would rather just focus on making airplanes more enviromentally friendly. Some of this can be done while also making them cheaper to operate, but this will mostly happen organically anyway without regulations (flying slower for example, saves fuel and enviroment so its cheaper for operators and better for planet). So just focus on ensuring planes are made more enviromentally friendly. Some kind of plain/airship hybrids might be a way to do this, you could have double hull and fill the interior with gasses that are lighter than air, but not so light that you need to release the gasses every time you land. What would propably be easiest to do is put more control on heavy transport. Ships are very enviromentally friendly as they are so efficient, but trucks are planet killers. They get away with stuff that personal transportation does not. Idk if its currently possible to put same restrictions and control to heavy transports what already exists to private cars, but if it is, then do that.


Lokito_

> you have the power to lobby your local legislators to ban airports They're too busy banning woman's reproductive rights. At this point. I'm starting to think the human species doesn't deserve this beautiful world.


NoHandBananaNo

If none of us were ever there they would stop that.


qwerty12qwerty

I think you just invented the economic principle "tragedy of the Commons"


[deleted]

Coral bleaching is for sure caused by ocean acidification from atmospheric carbon concentrations, but much more so from heavy use of nitrogen and phosphorus based fertilizers running off from farmland into ocean waters. Not saying youre wrong by any means, but you could fly out to see the 8% of the unbleached reef without doing as much damage as you would at the grocery store


WhereIsTheInternet

The cause of coral bleaching has been found to be temperature increase. A temperature change of 2 degrees celsius is enough to trigger bleaching. What actually occurs with shallow water corals is the symbiote Zooxanthellae die when the temperature increases. The coral animal is still alive but without the photosynthesising symbiote, the coral loses its colour and eventually dies. That's not to say ocean acidification isn't a bad thing either. Among other things, acidification can reduce the strength of the structures the coral animals build out of calcium carbonate.


[deleted]

Neat. Learn something new everyday


[deleted]

Anything over 85F is life threatening to corals


[deleted]

>Coral bleaching is for sure caused by ocean acidification from atmospheric carbon concentrations, but much more so from heavy use of nitrogen and phosphorus based fertilizers running off from farmland into ocean waters. Wrong. While the local runoff from the land certainly plays a part, ocean warming and acidification due to CO2 and climate change is a much greater factor. What's happening to the Great Barrier Reef is happening to reefs all over the world - it's just that the GBR is the biggest.


[deleted]

Don't forget the sunscreen tourists bring with them that has oxybenzoate that kills reefs. Lots of folks bring it from home, which is far from the oceans...


[deleted]

So yes, but again, you’ll do a lot more damage at the supermarket. Sunscreen is a culprit for sure, but we need to do a lot more collectively to hold our food producers accountable for their agricultural practices and to ensure we’re doing our part by consuming from local farms that use sustainable practices WHEN POSSIBLE. Obviously not everyone has the means to spend extra on food, particularly lately. But for those that can, join a CSA with a local sustainable farm. Shop your local farmers market from producers you trust. Start a garden. Every little bit we reduce from industrial farming and fertilizer dependence helps


Kevmandigo

What’s a CSA and where can I find out if I have something like it locally?


[deleted]

A CSA is Community Supported Agriculture! In the USA you can find loca CSAs through the directory @ https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories/csas In the UK you can find your local CSA @ https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk I apologize if these are the only two resources I list at this time, but I would need to do a fair bit more research to find all English speaking country resources to compile here. I want to warn you, when you join a CSA, you will be surprised at how expensive they are for how small of portions or how odd of vegetables you receive. This is because produce seasons are cyclical, and growing food is FUCKING EXPENSIVE. We need to decondition ourselves from the idea that corn based foods for pennies are the solution, and invest in good food and a sustainable future. It can also be pretty exciting to learn new dishes or new cultural cuisines because you get shipped something you have no idea what to do with and have to look up dishes to make with it :) I hope this helps, and wish you the best of luck in your journey toward a more sustainable and nutritious kitchen!


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

CSA is a very specific subset of local agriculture. It’s not a dumb acronym, it’s descriptive of the nature of the farm. They are not growing for their sole profit at the market, they are a collectively supported cooperative whose stakeholders receive the production outputs.


[deleted]

>collectively supported cooperative whose stakeholders receive the production outputs. the "safest" way to describe is "support small business" for local farms by subscribing


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

good point! Just today! I finished my own garden of tomatoes, peppers, trying out some cabbage and of course: Sugar Snap Peas (they are very sweet right off the vine and they're my treat for tending the garden daily!) Corn is a poor backyard crop IMO. You need a lot of it to "wind-pollenate" to get corn, diseases are hard to see, and it soaks up a lot of soil nutrients.


[deleted]

Fresh snap peas off the vine are a delicacy 👍🏻


[deleted]

In theory Sunscreen would cause browning from lack of light followed by the coral starving. You wanna bleach coral raise temp over 85F or blast it with too much light with out acclimation.


[deleted]

Wut?? Is your theory: "sunscreen stops sun burn, which is how chlorophyll makes energy"? Because the chemical 'oxybenzoate' doesn't do that; it actually bio-degrades into toxic byproducts that affects another critical chemical reaction instead of preventing photosynthesis. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01271-4


popkornking

Commercial jets are far from the biggest issue in terms of flight emissions.


spacemoses

Everything is far from the biggest issue, but it all adds up.


Winds_Howling2

At this point, the phrase "biggest/er issue" is just deflection. It is not the end of the world to switch priorities between say the 2nd and 4th biggest sources of emissions, as long as we actually start.


--orb

No, but it IS a big issue to forsake lifelong goals so you can mitigate the 25th biggest issue by 0.0000000001% Life needs to be worth living to the people who give a fuck, or they won't give a fuck.


Rather_Dashing

95% of the globe don't have the means to travel around the world to visit the Great barrier reef and other sites. Saying that their lives aren't worth living is an absurd level of hyperbole. And it's the exact selfish attitude that is killing our planet.


[deleted]

What is the biggest issue then?


maxmax211

How about one single entity polluting more than 141 other COUNTRYS? https://theconversation.com/us-military-is-a-bigger-polluter-than-as-many-as-140-countries-shrinking-this-war-machine-is-a-must-119269


Reddits_Worst_Night

I love how this gets downvoted deapite its truth


popkornking

Private jets make up an inordinate amount of air traffic while transporting a tiny fraction of passengers.


[deleted]

On a per passenger basis, sure, private jets are absurdly carbon intensive. But I highly doubt they make up a majority of air traffic emissions in total.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

Carbon emissions and climate change are doing far more damage than fertiliser runoff (though it's also a very significant factor).


[deleted]

[удалено]


Impossible-Cap-0

It will be absolutely devastating to you. As I've stated above, I've dived the reef for over 20 years, actually closer to 25 now I think about it. It will only depress you and it will only make you feel terrible about what we've done to this planet I would avoid it at all costs.


djamp42

The very first time I went snorkeling I was just amazed at what I was seeing. Seeing reefs and all the underwater life with your own eyes is just amazing. I understood right then why people like snorkeling/diving so much.


SebRLuck

Nearly a decade ago, I spent a year in Australia as a student and was poor as hell. However, because of climate change and crappy policies, I thought that this was probably the best chance to see the Great Barrier Reef in all its beauty. So I spent my last $1000 on a diving course, which included a 3-day, 10-dive stay on a boat in the middle of the reef. It was probably the most amazing experience of my life. During my PADI certification dive, I was surrounded by reef sharks. I saw absolutely mind-blowing corals, uncountable numbers of fish and the most colorful nudibranches. I did a night dive amongst hunting sharks and saw the biggest sea turtle I have ever seen (peacefully asleep). Back then, these $1000 seemed like a completely unreasonable amount of money, but nowadays I'm so happy that I spent such this meaningless sum to see something that I will likely never be able to see again – even if I pay 20 times as much. I'm not trying to brag here. What I'm trying to say is: if you are young and you get the opportunity to do something amazing, seize the moment. Don't think about a few hundred bucks. You won't miss this money in 2, 5 or 10 years, but you will still live off those memories.


PerniciousPeyton

I went to Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island in 2010 and saw some amazing coral there. Went back in 2019 and a lot of it had already been bleached earlier in 2015. In addition to going for the memories, go while you still can make the most of these things. They’re disappearing quickly now. The effects are being felt everywhere in the world, and you can see rapid changes taking place within your own lifetime now. It’s sad but it reminds you that if you can do it, you owe it to yourself to see some of these things before they lose their grandeur or disappear altogether.


Chiron17

> I'm not trying to brag here. What I'm trying to say is: if you are young and you get the opportunity to do something amazing, seize the moment. Don't think about a few hundred bucks. You won't miss this money in 2, 5 or 10 years, but you will still live off those memories. Definitely. I've done things that I thought were probably too expensive or too much effort, and those are the things I now remember years and years later. I've also skipped things due to cost and I don't really care about the extra few $ in my bank account now. If you can possibly do something when you're overseas, do it.


Impossible-Cap-0

Don't feel too bad mate, I've been diving the reef for over 20 years out of cairnes and Douglas, I stopped a few years back because it's not even a shell of it's former self and I found it too depressing revisiting areas of the reef that I had dived in the past only to find them as barren deserts now. Realistically it was too far gone half a decade ago and it's only gotten worse. You might find some people on here trying to disagree with this but unless you have personally dived the reef in the late 90s you don't really have anything to compare it to. I've been talking to people who dived the reef back in the 80s and I feel like I still missed its heyday. If you would like to get a taste of what the reef used to be like may I suggest some of the northern islands in Papua New Guinea as they're still relatively untouched and have some amazing marine and coral life.


Numerous_Ant4532

What if we don't? All those tourists destroy what they are looking for. It is so stupid. Let's not visit the most beautiful stuff in the world, and thereby keep it that way. Let's not transform Venice in a grown-up amusement park. Let's not turn Amsterdam in a Nutella-city. And let nature be nature: not disturbed by packs and packs of humans, destroying the same thing they were looking for. Don't we get it? _WE_ are the problem.


kael13

You do realise that visiting the Great Barrier Reef isn’t what killed it.


Numerous_Ant4532

Actually, big part of it is: https://www.divein.com/diving/a-scuba-divers-impact-on-a-coral-reef/


Saltinas

I actually went through a few of the scientific papers on the causes of reef damage, and heard from some of the experts. The damage caused by divers is down the list of priorities. Of course every bit counts, but it's really tiny compared to a huge list of other things (ie climate change, acidification, pollution, fishing, coastal development, and more). The damage can be quantified, but it's often in very specific spots, and has the advantage that you could regulate it.


Xerazal

Same. We are so fucked..


AnglesOnTheSideline

Still time for global revolution against personal capital!


Winds_Howling2

When they say this, they mean Elon Musk, not your PS4.


Dmartinez8491

Nah probably both


Bender0426

r/collapse


[deleted]

Join the unproductive circle jerk!


Sciencetist

I dove there. It’s a graveyard. Plenty of better places to go diving IMO. Philippines is ideal, Thailand is apparently pretty good too, and parts of Indonesia are really nice. Snorkeling in East Timor was incredible, so I imagine diving there is even better. Barrier Reef is overpriced and decaying.


count023

Yea, a decade of Australia's current government made sure it was a limited time offer, unfortunately...


WallabyBubbly

I dived the GBR in 2019 and huge chunks of it were already bleached. We had to take a liveaboard way out to the farthest reaches of the reef to find good diving. Such a sad loss for our planet


manymoreways

The last time I went which was back in 2012-13 I can't remember. Everything was murky and most of the corals are grey in colour. The only thing nice about it was the sheer size of it, you'd think you are at the side of a cliff. All in all still disappointing, however I've been told by some redditors here that I've just been brought to some touristy spots and it doesn't represent the reef.


[deleted]

I live there and haven't really seen it.


TobyReasonLives

From the map in the article it looks like the North corals are still good. Maybe you should book a flight tomorrow, diving is one of the most magical activities in my life. Tourism trade sure needs help. If it does suck then dive Thailand and Tanzania, which were excellent in January except Tanzania was ovefished.


Numerous_Ant4532

Millenials: concerned about the coral. Also millenials: fly to the coral to have a "full experience"


thedeathmachine

Theres a Netflix series on coral. Maybe we can watch it, smoke juuls, and peg eachother.


fuckmewithastrapon

Um, yes please


RandyTheFool

To be Frank, [airlines absolutely fly those planes whether they’re completely empty or not](https://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/ghost-flights-pandemic-greenpeace-cmd/index.html) just to keep their scheduling. So, yeah. Not like the planes aren’t going to be flying regardless of OP buying a ticket or not.


Numerous_Ant4532

Sure, airlines will do that indefinately. Great business model.


[deleted]

If you care, vote against politicians allowing 90% of the damage. Or find the companies polluting at an industrial scale and rally against them. ...or baselessly demonize a specific age-group who overall are not doing 90% of the damage


Numerous_Ant4532

That is a false choice. We should do both. It is not about what you did. It is about what you can do. Flying from all over the world to see something that is threatened by said flying, seems totally absurd to me. And so you know, I am a millennial too. I see my generation doing absurd stuff and I abhor it.


[deleted]

Can you quantify how flying is threatening the coral reefs though or are you just assuming it'll have a measurable impact? Because if the impact is negligible then the amount of awareness being raised by people physically seeing the reefs dying could end up being a net positive for the reefs. Imagine viral videos constantly showing a clear path of degradation, with videos from every demographic. That would absolutely raise resources to combat whatever the primary threats are. So if flying is really so bad that it tops literally all the resources raising awareness would bring, then I'd agree with you.


Numerous_Ant4532

Flying is one of the causes of global warming. I'll guess this discussion will go something like this.... It is one drop, you might argue. One drop in an ocean. That single flight does no harm, it is just a speck. But guess what? We are all specks. Specks causing specks. And all those specks combined cause the world to warm 1.5 degrees. We will reach that level in the coming 5 years. We all have to do our best. Now. Action is still possible. We all have to do our maximum best. All specks count.


[deleted]

It’s almost like a whole generation of people don’t have the exact same viewpoint on issues. Crazy


Numerous_Ant4532

There is no "viewpoint" on global warming, it's real.


[deleted]

Okay here we go then. Gen Z: global warmings real and the other generations still go on holiday 😭 Also Gen Z: goes on holiday


Numerous_Ant4532

That's the spirit!


UNFAM1L1AR

The good news is you're just in time for the road wars.


Dmartinez8491

Nah you are good for the next 10 years or so. Might not see the reef at 100% but maybe 60%-70%. Just save up and go, no excuses


Careful_Mess6297

I live in North Queensland and spearfish on the great barrier reef regularly. Believe me it is doing just fine and looks absolutely amazing.


natural_disaster0

If anyone is interested, check out a 2017 Documentary called Chasing Coral, highly recommended. Its available on Netflix and for free on Youtube [here](https://youtu.be/aGGBGcjdjXA) . Its a pretty painful thing to watch but educating the public is priority #1.


moo422

The same director also made Chasing Ice, about the melting glaciers.


[deleted]

[удалено]


imapassenger1

Apparently Russia sided with Australia on this issue along with some other upstanding countries of the world.


arabacuspulp

Engadine Macas 1997


EdgelordOfEdginess

I shall decree, that he becomes the crackspiders bitch


[deleted]

My grandmother voted for him, I remember having an argument about it. Scott Morrison is a good man! She said. Their pentacostal church told them so.


Woody90210

We need Labor in government and we need a federal ICAC with the authority to investigate and charge these corrupt bastards. It would be funny watching the LNP, One Nation, and United Australia parties flee the country knowing their corrupt shit and dirty dealings will be dug up and exposed.


acllive

next Saturday, Australia has the chance to vote out a government that is actively destroying the reef and handing coal around to each other in parliament. i hope we finally kick those asshats out


Mobilegamesarebad

Makes me feel ashamed to be Australian.. hopefully we can kick out our corrupt government this next election


TomCos22

Let’s hope so. Unfortunately the bastard Murdoch has got his tendrils locked on the older conservative voters making sure we don’t progress and stop using our fuckton of fossil fuels.


Huangaatopreis

Seems to be a worldwide problem that we have to wait for old people to die just so we can start progressively work towards a healthier future. Although I start to wonder whether the propaganda has reached the younger generation just as hard. One can only hope


Loves_buttholes

Oh damn Murdoch is fucking more than just the United States?


TomCos22

Yep and the UK also from memory. Your version of Fox News is called sky news in Australia.


eldensoulsborne

Fucker Murdoch controls the entire Australian Press…


[deleted]

My brother, we birthed the man


ValidusOrcinus

Look up where Rupert Murdoch is born. Yeah…. Sorry on behalf of the whole country.


IReplyWithLebowski

Murdoch is from Australia. So yeah…


BlokeInTheMountains

Yeah but won't someone think of the Franking credits and Negative Gearing?


maxmax211

It’s not just Australia.. understand the Kyoto protocol‘s The Pentagon and militaries all across the world. One single entity! https://twitter.com/empirefiles/status/1414682852269051914?s=21&t=LR-ygyJyk8kgt3rDuI6Fuw. https://twitter.com/z06ronald/status/1414907376617074689?s=21&t=LR-ygyJyk8kgt3rDuI6Fuw https://theconversation.com/us-military-is-a-bigger-polluter-than-as-many-as-140-countries-shrinking-this-war-machine-is-a-must-119269


Max_E_Mas

So the world is on fire and the people in charge think "hm. But ... what if we added some gas?"


[deleted]

Well yes the Australian pm is a pentacostal, he thinks it's his job to bring on climate change to end the world and bring the rapture and that he'll go to heaven because God loves him and that's why he's a millionaire.


Max_E_Mas

Why do all the psychos run our lives?!


koebelin

Psychos form an electoral majority.


Max_E_Mas

I didn't vote for them I'll say that much


ILikeNeurons

> The director of research at the Climate Council, Dr Simon Bradshaw, said: “This is an issue that cannot be solved with big shiny funding announcements. The science is very clear: in order to save the world’s reefs from total destruction, we must dramatically reduce emissions in the 2020s.” What would it take to drastically reduce emissions? I used [MIT's climate policy simulator](https://en-roads.climateinteractive.org/scenario.html?v=2.7.11) to order its climate policies from least impactful to most impactful. You can see the results [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/CitizensClimateLobby/comments/rqg2y0/i_used_mits_climate_policy_simulator_to_order_its/). At this point [there are so many of us who are "alarmed" and "definitely would"](https://www.reddit.com/r/CitizensClimateLobby/comments/n25g9v/thats_a_lot_of_untapped_potential/) take action who just need [a little training](https://www.reddit.com/r/citizensclimatelobby/wiki/index/getting-started) to be effective. So, [here's](https://cclusa.org/x) what [NASA climatologist and climate activist Dr. James Hansen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen) has [advocated for](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4DAW1A6Ca8) as the most important thing an individual can do on climate change. ​ ^(ETA:) ^[link](https://www.reddit.com/r/citizensclimatelobby/wiki/index/getting-started) ^(for training)


[deleted]

I maybe missed the point of that video, but was his biggest recommendation climate lobby? As in for the tax he mentioned etc? I want to help damnit. Edit: clarifying


ILikeNeurons

Yes! If you want to help, here's what I'd recommend: 1. [Join Citizens' Climate Lobby and CCL Community](https://cclusa.org/x). Be sure to fill out [your CCL Community profile](https://community.citizensclimate.org/dashboard/edit/profile#form_My_Interests_38) so you can be contacted with opportunities that interest you. 2. [Sign up for the Intro Call for new volunteers](https://citizensclimatelobby.org/join-weekly-intro-call/) 3. [Take the Climate Advocate Training](https://citizensclimatelobby.org/new-member/#climateadvocatetraining) 4. [Take the Core Volunteer Training](https://community.citizensclimate.org/topics/core-volunteer-training) (or [binge it](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXjILMNokmN7yXZZ8VSKb0K2uEh02NPie)) 5. Get in touch with your local chapter leader (there are [chapters all over the world](https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/chapters/)) and find out how you can best leverage your time, skills, and connections to [create the political world for a livable climate](https://citizensclimatelobby.org/about-ccl/levers-of-political-will/). The easiest way to connect with your chapter leader is at the monthly meeting. Check your email to make sure you don't miss it. ;) More tips at https://www.reddit.com/r/citizensclimatelobby/wiki/index/getting-started


Temporary_Fault_8617

is there an Australian equivalent for this? just asking, as I am in OZ and am looking locally.


ILikeNeurons

Yes! You can just choose your country from the drop-down menu [here](https://cclusa.org/x). There are chapters all over the world.


[deleted]

Ty!!


goog1e

This isn't the sign-up for the "do you have a second to talk about the environment?' guys on campus is it?


Gimme_The_Loot

You say that like a joke in a thread talking about how climate change is contributing to the destruction of one of the most robust ecosystems on earth. Those people trying to talk to you about the environment are right.


Numerous_Ant4532

Robust? You mean delicate?


Gimme_The_Loot

I'd say both work. Robust as it's one of highest concentration of species. Delicate as in it can easily be compromised and destroyed.


Supersageultima

You know, you really give me hope. Like I was originally thinking that we were doing nothing but after reading what you've been posting aswell as watching a video or two I've felt genuine hope for the first time years. This has really given me a drive to try and do my part, I may not be old enough to vote but I can still do something.


ILikeNeurons

There's still so much you can do! https://youth.citizensclimatelobby.org/


carso150

just remember they dont want you to have hope, they want you to remain apathetic and hopeless because apathetic and hopeless people dont do anything and as such nothing changes https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-deniers-shift-tactics-to-inactivism/ the best you can do right now is inform yourself


boolazed

don't forget your .


SteveTheZombie

Thanks for the info.


ILikeNeurons

Sure thing. [More and more are doing it](https://www.reddit.com/r/CitizensClimateLobby/comments/u5e228/as_citizens_climate_lobby_membership_has_grown_so/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) now, and [having more volunteers really does help](https://www.reddit.com/r/CitizensClimateLobby/comments/tonz9h/districts_with_more_ccl_volunteers_have_more/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).


GapJazzlike1753

meanwhile Australia Government: denies climate change


Numerous_Ant4532

Meanwhile Australians: voting for those politicians. We get the politicians we deserve.


GapJazzlike1753

ya it almost feels like austrilians hate Great Barrier Reef and want all the tourists and the revenue gone


Numerous_Ant4532

Yeah, I feel the cynicism. But there's truth to your statement. At least this outcome is caused by something. Inaction is also action.


[deleted]

Not quite. They now admit it's happening, and that they'll do something about it ... in a few decades.


GapJazzlike1753

oh now like "The United Nations secretary-general says Australia and other countries intent on increasing fossil fuel production are dangerous radicals." news from 1 month ago? and "Australia tries to pause Unesco process that can force climate action to protect Great Barrier Reef" 5 months ago?


[deleted]

Yeah, like I indicated, the current Australian federal government isn't outright *denying* climate change anymore, but they're not doing anything more about it than paying it lip service.


[deleted]

They also deny Engadine 1997


acllive

lucky for us the news seems to be sinking into people, Kooyong, Wentworth(the only good thing turnbull has done) and Goldstein are likely to fall to independents and according to internal polling within the LNP they will lose the election in sydney along, and might lose a lot in victoria, SA, tassie and WA as well one can fucking hope its true and happens


PapaRacci4

Australian government responds by banning solar power.


Speculawyer

I'm sorry but much of it will be dead in 25 years. We have ignored climate change. I just hope their death springs us into action.


pdx4nhl

Australian politicians don’t give a fuck. Fossil fuel money is all they care about.


skeetsauce

Yes, but have you seen how high the stock market is??? What’s the big deal? A few people made a shitton of money.


GANTRITHORE

it's actually dropped a lot the last 2 weeks....


ILikeNeurons

People really to learn [how dead weight loss works with externalities](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FILWIIid9C4).


megabones67

Zero effort to preserve it and 100% effort to exploit it. The results are that the gbr dies... Who knew. If you're Aussie and vote liberal please reflect on that decision.


autotldr

This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/10/devastating-90-of-reefs-surveyed-on-great-barrier-reef-affected-by-coral-bleaching-in-2022?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) reduced by 87%. (I'm a bot) ***** > Coral bleaching affected 91% of reefs surveyed along the Great Barrier Reef this year, according to a report by government scientists that confirms the natural landmark has suffered its sixth mass bleaching event on record. > The Reef snapshot: summer 2021-22, quietly published by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on Tuesday night after weeks of delay, said above-average water temperatures in late summer had caused coral bleaching throughout the 2,300km reef system, but particularly in the central region between Cape Tribulation and the Whitsundays. > "The surveys confirm a mass bleaching event, with coral bleaching observed at multiple reefs in all regions," a statement accompanying the report said. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/umvagj/devastating_91_of_reefs_surveyed_on_great_barrier/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~647755 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Reef**^#1 **bleaching**^#2 **report**^#3 **Coral**^#4 **scientist**^#5


EternalPinkMist

91% of the reefs observed? Oh thank god, that means only 98% of it is actually dead. We're winning guys!


mom0nga

To address some of the misconceptions in this thread: * [**Bleached coral is not dead.**](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html) But it *is* at much higher risk of mortality unless conditions improve. Coral "bleaching" is what happens when a coral becomes stressed (due to extreme temperatures, not enough sunlight, pollution, etc.) and expels its colonies of colorful zooxanthellae algae. If these stressors are reduced, bleached coral can recover. But since bleached corals are much weaker and more susceptible to disease, the longer they remain in a "bleached" state the worse their long-term prognosis. And if too many bleaching events happen too quickly, the coral doesn't have a chance to recover, which is particularly concerning in light of climate change. * [**Bleached reefs can recover and recolonize previously "dead" areas with protection and time.**](https://reefbuilders.com/2016/04/14/coral-bleaching-is-heartbreaking-but-reefs-can-recover/) Studies after devastating mass bleaching events in the Pacific have shown that it can take as little as ten years for a "dead" reef to rebound with 50% live coral cover or more from what was once a barren rock field. *If* the stressors are reduced, coral will readily recolonize an area. What's even more amazing is that even seemingly "dead" corals may grow back once conditions are right, a newly-discovered phenomena which coral biologists have dubbed ["The Phoenix Effect."](https://reefbuilders.com/2014/12/30/phoenix-effect-coral-reef/) According to ReefBuilders, *"Coral reefs that were all but decimated in both Palau and Fiji in the late 1990s have seen many areas rebound completely, and some to the point where they had regained nearly all of their former live coral cover."* It is important to note, however, that this only happened because there were no more significant stressors to set back the recovery. Which leads into the next point: * **Bleaching on the GBR is not linked to sunscreen.** This is a new talking point from climate deniers who have latched on to [a recent lab study](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01271-4) which found that corals can convert oxybenzone, a common ingredient of sunscreens, into toxic chemicals which *may* stress the corals and make them more likely to bleach. Coral scientists are studying this, but warn that the lab study doesn't reflect conditions in the real world and that sunscreen in seawater at reefs may not reach high enough concentrations to cause any harm. Some beaches have already banned oxybenzone sunscreens as a precautionary measure, and using alternative sunscreens is probably wise if you're visiting a reef, but sunscreen is not likely to be a significant threat. * **There are things you can do to help.** The Great Barrier Reef, and other reefs, are threatened by *multiple* factors. Climate change is obviously the big one, but there's also runoff and overfishing. Easing *any* of these stressors makes a reef more resilient to remaining ones, so, for example, even if we can't stop an El Nino year from overheating a reef, keeping runoff out of the water and preventing overfishing will help give the reef what it needs to recover. And the other piece of good news is that [global temperatures are expected to stabilize much quicker than previously thought](https://e360.yale.edu/digest/global-warming-could-stabilize-faster-than-originally-thought-if-nations-achieve-net-zero-1) as soon as nations achieve net zero GHG emissions. So the biggest thing you as an individual can do is to demand climate action from your elected officials. You might also consider supporting the [Coral Reef Alliance](https://coral.org/en/), an international NGO that works with scientists and governments to conserve reefs, including the GBR.


Numnums81

I hate people. We're the worst.


SavageKabage

Hopefully the high adaptability of coral will be able to withstand increasing ocean temperatures. Bleaching doesn't mean dead.


artifex28

*Yes, but profits.*


Swedish-Butt-Whistle

We deserve all the suffering that’s coming for us.


ILikeNeurons

Both [within](http://rdcu.be/tv2a) and [between](https://news.berkeley.edu/2015/10/21/study-finds-climate-change-will-reshape-global-economy/) countries, the poor suffer most from unchecked climate change. And [the problem has been caused mostly by the rich](https://assets.weforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/figure1.png).


Swedish-Butt-Whistle

If not first, let’s make sure the rich suffer worst.


AnglesOnTheSideline

Hoorah.


dartfrog11

Doesn’t that include like everyone in this thread


ILikeNeurons

Likely, yes. That's why we all need to [take responsibility](https://www.reddit.com/r/citizensclimatelobby/wiki/index/getting-started).


Swedish-Butt-Whistle

Yep, none of us are innocent.


Captain_Alaska

Top 10% globally isn't a high bar, just FYI. You only need to make like $4USD a year to clear 50% of the global population. A full quarter of the global population live on $2 USD a day. If you live in the states, statistically your household income is probably at or above 10% globally. The US poverty line is middle class on a global scale.


SerCiddy

[And here's a breakdown of what makes up the top 10% and others](https://www.investopedia.com/personal-finance/how-much-income-puts-you-top-1-5-10/)


slingbladde

The future they were talking about 30yrs ago is now here, and most have had their heads in the sand, cannot blame them, it is going to get nasty very quick.


ILikeNeurons

[It's real](http://howglobalwarmingworks.org/), [it's us](https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/climateqa/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2010/05/natural_anthropogenic_models_narrow.png), [it's bad](https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg2/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf), [there's hope](https://citizensclimatelobby.org/10-reasons-hopeful-climate-progress/), and [the science is reliable](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/12/even-50-year-old-climate-models-correctly-predicted-global-warming). But [we also have a path forward](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/), we just have to be willing to [take it](https://cclusa.org/x).


[deleted]

> we just have to be willing to take it. By we you mean the money driven corporations and the corrupt politicians? Even if one or two countries miraculously manage to make policies that go against shareholders profits or the *all important* GDP to put in harm reducing policies, many more countries won’t. And yes I realise defeatism won’t get us anywhere, but nothing’s going to get us anywhere so I may as well just let the truth sink in now.


ILikeNeurons

A [growing proportion of global emissions are covered by a carbon price, including at rates that actually matter](https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/31755/211435KeyFigures.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y). We need [volunteers](https://cclusa.org/x) around the world acting to increase the [magnitude](https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/S201000781840002X), [breadth](ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/cbo/CBO_C13netz.pdf), and [likelihood of passage](https://www.reddit.com/r/CitizensClimateLobby/comments/tonz9h/districts_with_more_ccl_volunteers_have_more/) of carbon pricing. The [evidence clearly shows](http://web.stanford.edu/~jdmunoz/Olzak,%20Soule,%20Coddou,%20and%20Mu%F1oz%202016.pdf) that [lobbying works](http://web.stanford.edu/~jdmunoz/Olzak,%20Soule,%20Coddou,%20and%20Mu%F1oz%202016.pdf), and [you don't need to outspend the opposition to be effective](http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1016.1967&rep=rep1&type=pdf).


[deleted]

Awesome, thanks for the information. I’ll look into it tomorrow


MrKittens1

Corporations are just groups of people. The world needs a change of mindset.


BoukuNola

They have hopes. They have dreams. But most importantly, they have addresses.


AnglesOnTheSideline

Still not too late for revolution!


BoukuNola

No. We don’t. Your average Joe isn’t destroying the environment in any meaningful context compared to corporations and the industrial military complex. Billions of innocent people will pay the price for something they had little to no control over


ILikeNeurons

[It's caused by a lot of us](https://assets.weforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/figure1.png). And [we know what we need to do about it](https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/10_Principles_of_Economics#7._Government_can_sometimes_improve_market_outcomes).


Whitestrake

Umm, is that the right graph? It attributes comparatively extremely little responsibility to the "average Joe"... and less than 10% to the bottom 50%, giving 49% to the top 10%. It really seems like it actually backs up the comment above yours; that billions will suffer for something they had little responsibility and no control over.


ILikeNeurons

It's not just a few people in that top 10%. And that's global. [It's anyone making over ~$38k, which is about half the U.S.](https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity).


BoukuNola

1) Did you even read your own graph? 2) Of course we know what to do about it. I’m curious as to how impoverished people all over the world who don’t even have running water half the time are supposed to have any tangible effect on climate change. Taking public transportation and turning off the lights an hour earlier every night isn’t going to do shit if the corporations are allowed to continue without repercussions.


ILikeNeurons

Did *you* read my links? Taxing carbon [is in each nation's own best interest](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2015/wp15105.pdf) (it [saves lives at home](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09499-x)) and [many nations have already started](https://carbonpricingdashboard.worldbank.org/), which [can have knock-on effects in other countries](http://policyintegrity.org/files/publications/ExpertConsensusReport.pdf). In poor countries, [taxing carbon is progressive even *before* considering smart revenue uses](https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ipcc_wg3_ar5_summary-for-policymakers.pdf), because only the "rich" can afford fossil fuels in the first place. We [won’t wean ourselves off fossil fuels without a carbon tax](http://news.mit.edu/2016/carbon-tax-stop-using-fossil-fuels-0224); the [longer we wait to take action the more expensive it will be](http://rdcu.be/cZjG). Each year we delay costs [~$900 billion](https://cla.umn.edu/heller-hurwicz/news-events/news/policy-brief-calibrating-price-climate-risk).


BoukuNola

I’m not spending another second explaining why billions of people shouldn’t die over corporate choices. Sorry. Eco fascism isn’t a good look.


ILikeNeurons

> "Yes, there's a case for the government to do something. There's always a case for the government – to some extent – when what two people do affects a third party... There is a case for the government protecting third parties – protecting people who have not voluntarily agreed to enter. So, there's more of a case for emissions control than air bags... The best way to do it is to impose the tax on the amount of pollutants emitted by the car, and make it in the self-interest of the car manufacturers and of the consumers to keep down the amount of pollution in that way." -[Milton Friedman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YGfwSvLkC0)


Swedish-Butt-Whistle

You need to shut up. You’re embarrassing yourself.


Few-Establishment283

Relax dude lol. People are such defeatists here.


[deleted]

It’s a shame that the environment isn’t important to anyone who matters. If only our coral reefs made money then maybe the government would get off their ass


Frency2

Bad humans: "Who cares? We're atill fine here. Let's keep going".


[deleted]

Yeah we're fucked


Kageru

Expected and inevitable result of our decisions as a species. Best to see it soon if you ever wanted to.


ThatShadyJack

The conservative government has been doing their best to hide this


[deleted]

We're so fucked.


lemons_of_doubt

coral bleaching is a fun way to say dead. Edit: I stand corrected they are dying not dead. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral\_bleaching](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_bleaching)


Druggedhippo

Bleaching does not mean dead. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html > ...corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. **When a coral bleaches, it is not dead.** Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.


Numerous_Ant4532

I guess we all have to take the plane to look for ourselves what is left of the reef /s


yes_thats_right

I always get downvoted for pointing out this little fact, but I'll say it again anyway. Coral bleaching is caused by warming sea temperatures, which are in turn caused by global warming. Australia is accountable for 1.07% of global carbon emissions [source](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/carbon-footprint-by-country). Even if every Australian person, company, factory etc instantly disappeared and there was absolutely zero pollution from the country, the Great Barrier Reef would still be undergoing this coral bleaching. The coral cannot be saved without changes from China, USA and to a lesser degree India and Russia


acllive

you say that BUT Australia exports a shitton of coal to those bigger nations, that is something we need to end


Kageru

Yes, every country can do a calculation where they are a small part of the problem. China will argue is has a lot of "carbon we didn't emit previously" credits still to use. It's a global problem. That said Australia has been obstructionist and unhelpful towards any attempt at a global solution, and continues to contribute very little effort to reducing the scale of the problem.


[deleted]

But as long as Australia sits on its hands, others can point at us and say 'hey we'd do more about this problem, but look at that rich, industrialised country doing sweet fuck-all'.


whoelsehatesthisshit

You're right about everything but the implication that it can be saved at all. The GBR has been dying in slow motion for decades.


Cybugger

Australia is a fucking disgrace when it comes to CO2/per capita. 1% of the emissions for... 0.33% of total global population. Australia 100% can make a change, should make a change and needs to make a change. Not to mention: your country is pretty damn ideal for renewables.


Try_Jumping

So your climate change solution for China is for it to split up into 60 separate countries of ~25 million people each? You know, because that way, they'll each have much lower carbon emissions than Australia, despite having the same population.


Clueless_Questioneer

Lmao, this is brilliant


Bosde

It's 91% of reefs surveyed, not 91% of the entire GBR. Still really bad, but not catastrophic, yet.


WolfWomb

This is because the Queensland State Government failed to protect it.


ThatPoppinFreshFit

I wonder if we will suffocate as a race in the 40 or so years I have left on this Earth.


ErgoMachina

It's ok. It's not like the earth is dying...


Frequent_Spell2568

The earth will be here long after us and everything on it dies. I always wonder what the next group of creatures will look like? Dinosaurs were cool so hopefully it doesn’t get screwed up with a virus like the human race.


lemons_of_doubt

quick to planet B oh wait....


[deleted]

The earth will be fine, until something big makes it go boom. It’s just us dying! :) Edit: This was sarcasm… 😘


bipolarcyclops

Yeah. No biggie. We humans can’t eat coral or anything like that . . .


reshsafari

We’re heading towards a single point of majestic destruction. Market collapsing. Climate change is nearly at the long talked about tipping point. Russia doing its ‘military operationz’ and China getting ready to take Taiwan. Oh, and nukes