Great Barrier Reef could adapt to climate change, scientists say | The Australian

THE prediction of a prominent marine biologist that climate change could render the Great Barrier Reef extinct within 30 years has been labelled overly pessimistic for failing to account for the adaptive capabilities of coral reefs.

University of Queensland marine biologist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg said yesterday that sea temperatures were likely to rise 2C over the next three decades, which would undoubtedly kill the reef.

But several of Professor Hoegh-Guldberg's colleagues have taken issue with his prognosis.
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Dr Reichelt said the greatest threat facing the reef was poor water quality in the coastal regions, the result of excess sediment and fertiliser.

"If a reef's going to survive bleaching, you don't want to kill it with a dirty river," he said.

Professor Hoegh-Guldberg, who in 1999 won the prestigious Eureka science prize for his work on coral bleaching, said the view "that reefs somehow have some magical adaptation ability" was unfounded.

"The other thing is, are we willing to take the risk, given we've got a more than 50 per cent likelihood that these scenarios are going to come up?" Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said.

"If I asked (my colleagues) to get into my car and I told them it was more than 50 per cent likely to crash, I don't think they'd be very sensible getting in it."

He told the ABC's Lateline program on Thursday the threat posed by climate change to the Great Barrier Reef should be treated as a "global emergency".

"Why we aren't just panicking at this point and starting to really make some changes? Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said. "It just ... it blows my mind sometimes."

1. When some random marine biologist suggests that human CO2 emissions are likely to raise sea temperatures by 2C over the next three decades, why should we believe it?

2. If the Great Barrier reef is so temperature-sensitive, why is it still here?

Great Barrier Reef, North Queensland, Australia - About the Great Barrier Reef Cairns Port Douglas Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is around 18 million years of age in the north and 2 million Years old in the south, with the existing reef system being between 10,000 and 6000 years old.