Our study led by Dr Angela Dean found that most Australians are not making a connection between climate change and reef health. We conducted an online survey of 4,285 Australians  asking “…what types of actions could people like you do that would be helpful for the GBR?”. We found that only 4.1% mentioned a specific action related to mitigating climate change; another 3.8% mentioned climate change but no specific action. The most common responses related to reducing plastic pollution (25.6%).

Our findings show that most Australians do not associate the health of the GBR with individual climate‐related actions. Initiatives that seek to engage community members in reef conservation need to move beyond generic calls to action and should promote uptake of specific climate‐related actions while also addressing drivers of action. Ideally, we must encourage Australians to not just reduce emissions in the home, but to also communicate their support for decarbonization with political representatives and the broader community.

For more information read the study:

Dean, A.J., Gulliver, R.E. and K.A. Wilson (In press, published online 10.09. 2020) “Taking action for the Reef?”–Australians do not connect Reef conservation with individual climate‐related actions. Conservation Letters. p.e12765. doi: 10.1111/conl.12765

Read QUT media release here