科学家:大堡礁保护措施不足

 CANBERRA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have criticized the Australian government's multi-million dollar Great Barrier Reef protection plan, claiming it ignores the threat of climate change.

The Australian Academy of Science (AAS) was asked to produce a response to the federal government's 'Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan' and delivered its verdict on Tuesday morning.

Its report suggested that although climate change represents the Great Barrier Reef's biggest threat, the protection plan doesn 't address the matter as a realistic threat to the reef's long- term health.

It also criticized a distinct lack of funding towards any restoration of the reef, while ignoring issues such as poor water quality, coastal¹ development and illegal fishing in the area.

Australian scientists say gov plan to protect Great Barrier Reef inadequateProfessor Terry Hughes, the director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence² for Coral Reef Studies, backed the AAS report, telling local media that not enough is being done to protect the reef.

"There's nothing in the plan on addressing climate change," Prof. Hughes told The Guardian³.

"The science is quite clear that you can't keep the Great Barrier Reef in good condition if you're going to develop huge coal reserves. We are already on our way to 2C warming and unless Australia cuts back on carbon dioxide emissions⁴, we won't have much of a Great Barrier Reef left."Only 35 million U.S. dollars were allocated⁵ to the 'Reef Trust Program' in Australia's latest federal budget, earning the government even more criticism from scientific responses.

As a result, threats such as the dumping of dredged seabed spoil into the waters were ignored, which could lead to the serious damage of the types of environment both coral and fish survive in.

Hughes therefore believes the government's 'Reef 2050 Plan' has been implemented⁶ to stave off UNESCO's World Heritage Committee from placing the Great Barrier Reef on its 'in-danger' list.

"There's no doubt the short-term goal of this report is to keep UNESCO happy," Hughes said. "I'm not sure that it will succeed or not, but in terms of this being a plan for the next 35 years, there are missing targets that need to be in there.

"It would be a terrible outcome if the Great Barrier Reef is placed on the in-danger list; it would be very damaging to Australia's reputation. I haven't met anyone who wants that to be the case, but I wouldn't be surprised if UNESCO went ahead and did it."However, Australia's federal environment minister, Greg Hunt, believes the government is doing its utmost to ensure the long- term safety of the Great Barrier Reef.

"We have a clear plan and a strong commitment to ensure the reef is healthy and resilient and we are making strong progress," Hunt said.

"The Great Barrier Reef remains⁷ an incredibly diverse and rich marine⁸ environment. We know the reef still retains the values for which it was listed as world heritage."

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

3 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

4 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

5 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

6 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。