Australia is not being 'singled out' by Unesco's in-danger recommendation for the Great Barrier Reef | Terry Hughes

Australia has the wealth, technology and resources to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Until this happens, it is not doing all it can to protect the reefGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe latest update from Unesco on the Great Barrier Reef world heritage area has been widely misreported as a decision to not place the reef on the world heritage "in danger" list. In reality, Unesco has simply postponed the next consideration of an in-danger listing until the 2024 meeting of the world heritage committee.Unesco has acknowledged some recent improvements reported to them by the commonwealth and Queensland governments, such as a promised ban on gill nets as well as some additional investments in culling starfish and small-scale reef restoration. But buried deep within the diplomatic language of Unesco's latest assessment is an acknowledgment of the slow speed of progress being made on meeting targets for reducing coastal pollution, and of Australia's inadequate responses to the escalating impacts of climate change.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...