Copyrighted Image? DMCA | The world's largest and best protected coral reef will be doomed by Australia's unprecedented scale of planned coal and gas development, experts say. This threat to the Great Barrier Reef is so serious that UNESCO recently announced it may downgrade the reef's prestigious designation as a World Heritage Site to a "World Heritage Site in Danger." Terry Hughes, director of the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Australia, said "It's immoral to keep building new coal mines when we know so much about climate change and its impacts." |