Hacker News Reader

It doesn't matter. There's no way that Australia could "save" the reef. At best, maybe they could bioengineer something that looked enough like a reef to keep tourists happy. Or maybe just replace it with plastic and stuff ;)

View on HN

We could be global leaders committed to reducing green house gas emissions ASAP.

No we could not single handily turn the ship around, nobody ever said we could.

But we could be leaders and work hard for the greater good. Many many people have said we should do that.

Those are admirable sentiments. And it's great to be optimistic. But if the models are at all relevant, it's probably already too late.

Well, I mean, it matters.. both the corruption and the destruction of the reef (which by the way also faces more imminent threats from mining and agriculture).

I don't mean that destruction of the reef doesn't matter. But I do doubt that Australia can do much to help or hurt, at this point. Perhaps reducing runoff from mining and agriculture would help. But oceanic acidification is a global issue, and it's inevitable at this point.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com