UNESCO: Stand up to the Australian government and include the country in your climate change report
A UNESCO report on climate change and world heritage sites was significantly amended after the Australian government requested all references were removed to specific environmental concerns, as the report could impact the Australian tourism industry, according to a report in The Guardian.
According to the news report, the Australian government was concerned references to the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park and the forests of Tasmania could damage revenue generated by overseas visitors.
The news report states: "when the Australian Department of Environment saw a draft of the report, it objected, and every mention of Australia was removed by Unesco. Will Steffen, one of the scientific reviewers of the axed section on the reef, said Australia’s move was reminiscent of “the old Soviet Union”.
"No sections about any other country were removed from the report. The removals left Australia as the only inhabited continent on the planet with no mentions."
Intervening in a UNESCO report to this extend is disturbing - what else is the Australian government willing to do to hide the reality of the situation for the Reef, Kakadu and Tasmania?
Will you join me in urging the Australian government to apologise for its actions and for UNESCO to stand-up to Australia and publish a truthful report?
Please sign and share the petition.
UNESCO:
As someone who is concerned about climate change and its significant impact on Australia, I was deeply disappointed to learn that your recent climate change report had been edited to omit discussion of climate change's impact on the country.
I strongly urge you to issue a revised version of the report that re-incorporates information on the consequences of climate change for Australian treasures such as the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park and the forests of Tasmania. It is also important that this revisised version contain any ommited discussion of the adequacy of the government's efforts to address climate change.
[Your comments here]
Thank you for considering my comments.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
