When is the Great Barrier Reef not so great?

When the Australian government decides to make carbon emission reduction targets that aren't low enough, at least according to a bunch of environmental campaigners.

Global warming is threatening Aussie tourism icons like the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park, which is why the year-old Aussie government promised major moves on climate change. Activist group GetUp is pretty disappointed at the lack of progress; they say emissions targets need to be more drastic to ensure tourists will still have somewhere to visit in the next few decades.

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· Can Britain's Coral Farmers Save the Maldives? [Jaunted]
· Barrier Reef coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of clownfish at the Barrier Reef: Leonard Low] ]]> amandak 2008-12-11T09:30:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/13/81446/773

With natural spectacles like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef under threat from global warming, we know there’s a rush on to visit them before they’re destroyed forever.

But there is another way. Over in Britain, growing your own Great Barrier Reef has become a trendy hobby of late. Yep, the "home-grown coral farm" craze is sweeping the nation with new farming techniques making it possible to grow your own coral reef in a tank in your yard.

All we need now is for some of these hobby coral farmers to make their tanks big enough for snorkeling and tourists will be flocking in. Or make even larger coral reefs and when the Maldives disappear, there'll be somewhere just like home for the Maldivians to move to--after all, they're now saving cash for the day when rising sea levels obliterate their country.

Related Stories:
· Great Barrier Reef in Garden Shed [Ananova]
· Maldives Saves for New Homeland Amid Flooding Fears [AFP, via Google]
· Water Hazard [Jaunted]

[Photo: stuandgravy] ]]> amandak 2008-11-13T09:30:12-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/9/22/83951/8997

When describing a place we don't want to visit, we often use the (co-opted) phrase "It's so crowded, no one goes there anymore". That may go from a one-liner to a reality soon, according to an analysis by English insurance company Churchill.

By 2020, Churchill speculates that many sites near the water may be closed due to climate change and too many visitors. Their list includes Goa, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Amalfi and Dalmatian Coasts. The report also suggests that climate changes from global warming could put golfing vacations at risk.

A-ha! We knew there was a way to get Republican backing for measures to combat global warming in the U.S., and there it is: Golf. Threaten to take away golf, and it hits close to home.

[Image via addicted eyes/Flickr]  

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·   Tourist Hotspots at Risk of Closure [Guardian]]]> AVB 2006-09-22T08:39:51-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/