Wonder of the World

Eco-tourism Requires Something to See

The Great Barriers Reef is a wonder of the world and it is dying.  Global warming combined with this season El Nino has resulted in the death of nearly a quarter of the reef.  Bleaching has left huge sections of the reef as appealing as snorkeling in a swimming pool.  Australia's response was to try and suppress information regarding the extent of damage to the reef.  We could post a picture of bleached coral, but instead take a look at Australia's largest export - coal.  So when the tourist dollar disappear, they will still have revenue from destroying the environment and adding to global warming - the same global warming the is destroying the reef,

If the bleaching continues on the Great Barrier Reef, tourists say they will pack their bags and go elsewhere, taking with them an estimated $1bn a year and costing 10,000 jobs in regional Queensland, according to a new poll.

The majority of Chinese tourists, and about a third of UK and US tourists, said if severe bleaching continues, and “some of the reef dies completely,” they would be more likely to visit somewhere other than Australia, according to the online polling of more than 4,000 people commissioned by the Australia Institute.

If they did visit Australia, 63% of Chinese, 42% of US and 37% of UK tourists said they’d visit somewhere other than the Great Barrier Reef. Similarly, 37% of Australian tourists said the same thing.