climate. Bleaching 91% of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

Conditions are worsening in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, with a new episode of coral bleaching emerging.

All this only happens when China’s UNESCO World Heritage Committee decides next month whether to include the world’s largest coral system, which stretches 2,300 kilometers off the northeastern coast, on its list of “endangered” World Heritage sites. the continent.

A helicopter survey conducted in Australia’s summer 2021-22 by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority found that mass bleaching affected 91% of the shoals examined, according to the report cited by The Guardian Australia. It is the fourth episode recorded so far since 2016 and the sixth since 1998.

Bleaching occurs when coral is stressed by above-average water temperatures. The animal in the coral expels the algae that carry out the photosynthesis process that coexists with them, feeding them and giving them attractive colors.

Lisa Schindler, campaign manager for the Australian Marine Conservation Society, told Australia’s Guardian newspaper that the agency’s report was “dreadful news for those who love the barrier” and “further evidence” that reducing fossil fuel emissions should be a top priority for the next moment. Australian government after the federal election on May 21.

SDA