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Dr Veron joined divers from our ship, the Esperanza, to highlight combined threats to the reef's future coming from coal-fired power and shale oil exploitation.
Says Dr Veron, formerly chief scientist for the Australian Institute of Marine Science, "By mid-century, the corals of the Great Barrier Reef will have been replaced by bacterial slime and the biodiversity we now see will have been gone forever. We must never let this happen. We must reduce CO2 emissions urgently."
The Esperanza joined a flotilla of more than 90 local vessels, part of a community of thousands fighting a proposed shale oil mine that threatens catastrophic impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.
The proposed mine is just 10 kilometres from the pristine Great Barrier Reef, on the internationally significant Goorganga Wetlands. If approved, the mine will consume vast amounts of water while causing toxic leaching and air pollution from waste rock and water. The Whitsunday region is one of the natural wonders of the world. To consider setting up an industry as environmentally destructive as shale oil here is lunacy.
Shale oil trying to stage a comeback
Shale oil is one of the most environmentally damaging way of getting fossil fuel out of the ground but it is also a major climate changer. This one project would create up to 40 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, which is equivalent to a quarter of Queensland's annual emissions.
This is a campaign we’ve fought before. Between 1998 and 2004, Greenpeace and local communities fought the shale oil industry in Australia, ultimately shutting it down. But now it is staging a comeback.
World's largest coral reef in a world of trouble
Along with the local threat of a climate-causing shale oil mine, the Great Barrier Reef will suffer from more remote emissions. Wherever coal is burned, growing CO2 emissions will cause irreparable damage to the priceless reef. Queensland premier, Anna Bligh needs to realise this as she plans to double Queensland's coal exports by 2030.
The Rudd government has no plans for long-term solutions to end Australia's reliance on oil, coal and road transport. A national shale oil industry would be disastrous for the environment, for affected people and for the economy. Agriculture and tourism industries are already threatened by the impacts of climate change. The Great Barrier Reef creates more jobs than Australia's entire coal industry and generates important tourism dollars. It is already threatened by permanent coral bleaching as a result of climate change.
What the government needs to do
The government made an election promise to tackle climate change. They have an opportunity to kickstart Australia’s energy revolution. Long-term planning and public investment in an efficient transport system can tackle reliance on oil and vulnerability to rising oil prices while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Investment in renewable energy can see the coal industry phased out by 2030, helping to protect the Great Barrier Reef.
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