In 2015, the Australian government announced an initiative called the Reef 2050 Plan to improve the quality of the reef by reducing pesticide and nitrogen runoff from nearby agricultural regions. However, the plan has been widely criticized for ignoring Australia’s contribution to climate change. As Hughes wrote in a 2021 editorial: “Australia has not acknowledged the obvious link between its responsibilities for managing the Great Barrier Reef for future generations, and the damage caused by its ongoing promotion of fossil fuels.” Indeed, on my visits to the Great Barrier Reef, I’ve
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