• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
Celebrating our 1,000th edition. The climate news you need
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  FEATURED
Soaring Fertilizer Prices Could Deliver ‘Silver Lining’ For Emissions, But Farmers Struggle to Limit Use June 26, 2022
BREAKING: UN Nature Summit, the ‘Paris Conference for Biodiversity’, Moves to Montreal in December June 19, 2022
‘LET’S SUE BIG OIL’: Legal Team Launches Class Action Campaign for B.C. Municipalities June 17, 2022
‘It Could Have Been Any of Us’, Colleague Says, After Brazil Confirms Murders of Bruno Pereira, Dom Phillips June 17, 2022
Infrastructure Gap a ‘Life and Death’ Matter as Northern Canada Warms June 17, 2022
Next
Prev
Home Jurisdictions Australia

Australia Withdraws $10M Ad Blitz Claiming Great Barrier Reef Will be Just Fine

October 23, 2018
Reading time: 2 minutes

Sarah_Ackerman/Wikimedia Commons

Sarah_Ackerman/Wikimedia Commons

 

Australia has had to back down from a A$10-million public relations blitz for the Great Barrier Reef, after climate and oceans advocates scorched the country’s climate-denying Liberal coalition for failing to protect the iconic ecosystem from climate impacts.

“The campaign would have sought to give the public hope that the reef can be saved and outlined action being taken to protect it, after devastating back-to-back coral bleaching events brought on by climate change,” the Sydney Morning Herald reports. But word of the PR effort, contained in this year’s federal budget, led to “a public backlash over its failure to address climate change and protect the natural wonder.”

“It doesn’t matter how many millions you spend on trying to spin your reef-saving credentials,” said Richard Leck, head of oceans at WWF Australia. “Without an effective policy on climate change, the public simply won’t believe it, and the government has finally realized that.”

The government most recently led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison is also under fire over an unsolicited, $444-million grant to a fossil-affiliated foundation that claims its conservation efforts can “climate-proof” the reef.

The funds were to enable the Great Barrier Reef Foundation “to implement conservation programs including water quality improvements, and making the reef more resilient to climate change,” the Herald notes. But “the foundation did not ask for the funds, and expert government agencies were not given the opportunity to apply.” Morrison, who was then treasurer, “has taken responsibility for the decision, which is now being examined by a Senate inquiry.”

Earlier this month, GBRF Managing Director Anna Marsden said its efforts would “essentially ensure we can climate-proof our coral reefs”. But “internationally renowned reef expert Terry Hughes scoffed at the suggestion,” the Herald states, “telling Fairfax Media it was ‘not scientifically credible’.”

“Nothing in the $444-million allocation will do anything about reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Hughes said. “The only way to deal with global warming is to tackle global warming. It isn’t possible to climate-proof the reef.”

The Foundation “is supported by corporations including those from the polluting fossil fuel industry,” the Herald notes. “It does not lobby for emissions reduction, despite recognizing that climate change is the biggest threat facing the reef.”

A GBRF spokesperson said global climate action “needs to be matched with local measures to respond to the damage already done and continue to build reef resilience and adaption,” adding that the government grant “will allow us to advance the scale of work being done and will be guided by science”.



in Australia, Biodiversity & Habitat, Media, Messaging, & Public Opinion, Oceans

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

stockvault
Health & Safety

Animal Agriculture Could Reduce Future Pandemic Risk, UK Researchers Say

June 26, 2022
73
Gustavo Petro Urrego/flickr
Forests & Deforestation

Colombia’s President-Elect Has ‘Ambitious’ Plans to Halt Amazon Deforestation

June 26, 2022
67
moerschy / Pixabay
Media, Messaging, & Public Opinion

Pandemic Drives Up Support for Climate Action, Pessimism About Elected Leaders

June 26, 2022
27

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

David/flickr

U.S. Supreme Court Expected to Gut Emission Controls as Climate Scientists Petition for Plan B

June 26, 2022
580
Graco/Facebook

Soaring Fertilizer Prices Could Deliver ‘Silver Lining’ For Emissions, But Farmers Struggle to Limit Use

June 27, 2022
116
Konrad Summers/Kern West Oil Museum via Wikimedia Commons

Imperial Oil Backs Lithium Recovery Project in Alberta’s Leduc Oilfield

June 26, 2022
97
pxhere

Environmental Racism Bill Passes Second Reading in House of Commons

June 26, 2022
79
stockvault

Animal Agriculture Could Reduce Future Pandemic Risk, UK Researchers Say

June 26, 2022
73
Gustavo Petro Urrego/flickr

Colombia’s President-Elect Has ‘Ambitious’ Plans to Halt Amazon Deforestation

June 26, 2022
67

Recent Posts

Adam E. Moreira/wikimedia commons

Suspend Transit Fares, Not Gas Tax, Climate Advocates Urge Biden

June 26, 2022
55
moerschy / Pixabay

Pandemic Drives Up Support for Climate Action, Pessimism About Elected Leaders

June 26, 2022
27
hellomike/flickr

No Public Input as Canada Finalizes Climate Plan for Airlines

June 27, 2022
37
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Southeast Asia/wikimedia commons

Japan, Korea Sell Vietnam on Gas Amid Crackdown on Climate Activists

June 26, 2022
22
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_picture_candidates/Barrow_Offshore_Wind_Farm

Global Offshore Wind Pipeline Doubles to 846 Gigawatts

June 26, 2022
38
TAFE SA TONSLEY/Flickr

U.S. Renewables Industries Scramble to Reuse, Recycle Before Waste Volumes Skyrocket

June 26, 2022
63
Next Post
Mike Gonzalez/ Wikimedia Commons

Green Climate Fund Approves 19 Projects, Begins Hunt for New Money

The Energy Mix

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}