Climate change is starting to affect everybody and everything. Now, the coral reef damage from the Great Barrier Reef could affect the economy in Australia. The mass coral bleaching that is caused by climate change can cost Aussie almost 1 million tourists every year. The lost revenue can get to up to $760 million.
- Coral reef damage affects the economy in Australia
- The recovery of coral reefs is a long process
- Marine animals are going to lose their habitat
- Less than 1.7 million people are estimated to visit Australia every year
Coral Reef Damage And Its Effects
This is not news for Australia. In the last few years, the Great Barrier Reef has suffered major coral reef damage. Due to this fact, more and more coral reefs are dying. This is going to affect the economy in Australia because fewer tourists are going to visit the coral reefs. Another problem caused by the coral bleaching is the loss of habitat for marine animals.
Fish and other marine animals live in the coral reefs. Once these coral reefs start to disappear, a lot of species could be on the verge of extinction because they lost their habitat. This might mean another hit for Australia’s economy. They will lose some species of fish and marine animals.
People will also start to lose their jobs. Since the tourism industry is going to be affected, the people who have jobs in this industry will need to find another place to work. A new study shows that more than 10,000 jobs will be lost. The Climate Council from Australia was the one that made the study. More research shows that it is more than an environmental problem.
This isn’t just an environmental issue. The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s greatest economic assets,” said the council’s Lesley Hughes.
The researchers predicted that the number of tourists is going to decline drastically. Their numbers show that less than 1.7 million visitors are going to Aussie from now on. Until now, in 2015 more than 2.8 million people visited the coral reefs every year.
Despite the fact that state officials are taking measures to stop the coral reef damage, the situation is worse than predicted. Even if the coral reefs start to recover, it is going to take a lot of time before they bounce back to the original state. It could take more than a decade for the corals to recover.
What is your opinion about this study? Did you know that the coral reef damage can affect the economy of Australia?
Image source: Wikipedia
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