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Top Australian tourist attractions at risk
New report highlights climate change threats
A new report from the Climate Council has highlighted both the threats and opportunities climate change poses for the tourism industry in Australia.
The report states that Australia’s top five natural tourist attractions could be impacted by extreme weather events.
A rise in sea levels could result in a 100 fold increase in flooding right around the country’s coastline. This would include Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns.
There could also be more days above 35º at Ayers Rock.
Ecologist Professor Lesley Hughes, said: "In 2016 alone, more than 8 million international visitors arrived on our shores to see our natural icons, bringing in more than $40 billion dollars. In fact, tourism employs more than 15 times more people in Australia than coal mining".
Climate Council Acting CEO and Head of Research, Dr Martin Rice criticised the government for not mentioning sustainability in its new Tourism 2020 plan, commenting that "without credible climate policy that cuts Australia’s rising carbon pollution levels, the impacts of climate change will only intensify and accelerate across the country over the coming decades".
The Australian government has recently announced $60 million of new funding to help protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Dr Rice said "States and territories, local governments and individual tourism operators should be congratulated for rolling up their sleeves and doing their bit to slash pollution by embracing renewable energy and storage technology".
Last month, a report from The Economist Intelligence Unit commended European countries for leading the way in sustainable tourism.
Valere Tjolle
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