The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has approved a proposal to dump dredge spoil

Three million cubic metres of spoil must be dredged as part of the project at Bowen in North Queensland green-lighted by Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt last month.

Scientists and conservation lobbyists had urged the Authority to reject the expansion, with 233 signing a letter to chairman Russell Reichelt that said: "The best available science makes it very clear that expansion of the port at Abbot Point will have detrimental effects on the Great Barrier Reef. Sediment from dredging can smother corals and seagrasses and expose them to poisons and elevated nutrients."

Greenpeace warns that any dumping of dredge spoil on the World Heritage-listed reef will be an "international embarrassment" and akin to "dumping rubbish in the Grand Canyon".

"We wouldn't throw rubbish on World Heritage sites like the Grand Canyon or the Vatican City, so why would we dump on the reef?" spokeswoman Louise Matthiesson said.

"Scientists are clear that the potential impacts of dumping the dredge spoil so close to fringing reefs and the WWII Catalina plane wreck are significant."

The reef already faced pressures from climate change, land-based pollution and crown of thorns starfish outbreaks, she added.

ABC

It took literally thousands of years to create the Great Barrier Reef and some politician clown gave approval to dump 3 million cubic metres of spoil into it. WTH???

Well I guess I better plan that scuba trip pretty soon because this sounds like it will be a disaster. Reefs are intricate and fragile they are under enough pressure already. Eery year the ones I visit I can see the white out (when it dies) and it is hard for me to understand how an Environment Minister would give an OK to something like that. Is corruption rampant there? That is the only way I can see something like this being approved. What a disgusting human being.

Oh how shameful, this is terrible news.

It is really sad what those in charge will and are doing to our planet, all life on the planet and it's resources, there will come a point when the earth is too far gone and than what?

Could there be anything done to stop this? To preserve the reefs? If the scientists are saying it is liekly to cause serious damage to the reef and all life in and around it, than why is this allowed to happen

Covered here.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

P

reply to post by pheonix358


Damn I thought I scooped it. I don't know why I missed that when I did a search.


MODs do your thing.

reply to post by Grimpachi


I have to ask as I've got a thread going on avatars. Is you kitty photoshoped? Or a picture of a cat in actual free fall?

I'm not sure whether the idea of a cat in free fall appalls me or amuses me.

I've always wanted to read a good SciFi book about cats in free fall. It would be hilarious. The indignity of it all.

Sorry off topic.....

This is a good catch and a horrific misuse of remain resources.

reply to post by FyreByrd


LOL No it isn't photo shopped but isn't mine either. I was looking through a site called perfectly timed pics and thought it was hilarious.

I used to listen to Neal Botz when he was on talk radio, and he would sometime talk about how he took his cat skydiving so I know these things happen. From the look of that pic it seems that cat does it quite often.


On topic: The more I read about what they are planing to do with the reef the madder I get. It seems this all for oil. One mishap will destroy something that cant be replaced.

brandiwine14
Oh how shameful, this is terrible news.

It is really sad what those in charge will and are doing to our planet, all life on the planet and it's resources, there will come a point when the earth is too far gone and than what?

Could there be anything done to stop this? To preserve the reefs? If the scientists are saying it is liekly to cause serious damage to the reef and all life in and around it, than why is this allowed to happen

edit on 2-2-2014 by brandiwine14 because: (no reason given)

The planet has shown it's resilience over and over again. It would recover. Whether we will remain a feature in the scenario is another question. Mother earth just might decide that we are a parasite it can no longer support and shrug us off. We should show more respect to the planet that nurtures and supports us. Give back instead of just taking . Stop acting like spoiled children who cannot think beyond their own skin.
But I have faith that there are enough folks who do care, who can understand the delicate balance and hopefully those minds will prevail.