As mass bleaching continues to devastate large swathes of the Great Barrier Reef, scientists are fast losing hope that the world’s largest living organism can be saved in its entirety. Conceding that climate change will “inevitably” cause the decline of the reef’s overall health in the coming decades, reef experts have started talking about a possible “Plan B” — a strategy that won’t save the reef as a whole, but may at least ensure that it doesn’t disappear completely. At a recent committee meeting, two experts, both hailing from government science agencies, said that “improving the natural heritage values of the reef was no longer possible,” reported The Guardian. Earlier this month, another group of reef experts ― the Great Barrier Reef Independent Expert Panel, an advisory group also tasked with implementing the Reef 2050 plan ― echoed that sentiment. According to a 2013 report by consultancy firm Deloitte Access Economics, the reef contributes almost $4 billion to the Australian economy each year and supports almost 70,000 jobs.

Source: Huffington Post June 01, 2017 11:37 UTC