You don't know what you've got 'till its gone!

 

 

 

 

"Don't it always seem to go..You don't know what you've got 'till its gone.

To pay paradise put up a parking lot"

 

I've been singing the words of the Joni Mitchell song, "Big Yellow Taxi", to myself all morning.  Mr G and I went to Circular Quay early this morning - on the bus no less (being really green senior citizens!) - to see and take a tour of the new Greenpeace ship - Rainbow Warrior.  We're big fans, members, and donated for nearly 2 years to help make this custom made campaign ship a reality.  She's a beauty.

 

Me, standing on the back deck of the ship next to one of their "encounter" boats.

The Rainbow Warrior at Circular Quay passenger terminal.

This is the first time the new Rainbow Warrior has been in Australian waters.  She's here to educate, inform and promote awareness of the immediate dangers to the Great Barrier Reef.

 

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a World Heritage Area but the government in Canberra and Queensland are putting it at risk with a plan to open up an unprecedented scale of development in the next few years.  Here's the problem:

 

*  9 new coal export ports or terminals are proposed to be built along the GBR coast.

 

*  They will require millions of tonnes of dredging - most of which will be dumped on the reef or washed out as silt which will kill the coral.

 

*  More terminals will require more shipping.  Number of coal ships in 2012 - 2,034. 

 Potential number 10,986 (if all terminals go ahead). 

 

*  There have been 5 coal ship collisions and 9 groundings directly on the Great Barrier Reef.  The last one, on April 3 2010, was grounded for 9 days. 

During those 9 days it destroyed or damaged over 290,000 square metres of reef.

 

 

I've been to the reef.  Mr G are sailing there this winter.  I've scuba dived on it and stayed at the resorts.  Reef industries such as Tourism and Fishing alone are worth $5.4 Billion annually to the Australian economy and employs over 63,000 people in Queensland and around Australia.  Think how these important industries will shrink if the reef is damaged or destroyed.  

 

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful and eco-important places on earth.  

 

Greenpeace is international.  It does not get money from any corporation or government.  If you value the future find out how to help stop this planned rape of the Great Barrier Reef.  Have a look at this site generated by people like us - One Million Reasons to Save the Barrier Reef   

 

Now that we know what is planned it's important to do what we all can....people's demands can stop this happening.  Mr G and I will do what we can as well.