he great barrier reef is experiencing incredible growth — and the media are silent. the australian government’s most recent official report on reef recovery indicates that coral cover at the northern great barrier reef “continued to increase to 27% from the most recent low point in 2017.” meanwhile, the central great barrier reef saw a 26% increase in hard coral cover. indeed, the study stated that over thirty-five years of monitoring, the great barrier reef has consistently “shown an ability to recover after disturbances.” nevertheless, coverage of the great barrier reef from mainstream media outlets portray a starkly different narrative.the new york times, for instance, reported in april 2018 that “an underwater heat wave that damaged huge sections of australia’s great barrier reef two years ago spurred a die-off of coral so severe that scientists say the natural wonder will never look the same again.” the article pushed governments to honor the paris climate agreement; the author argued that by complying with the treaty, australia will “still have the great barrier reef in 50 years” — although it “would still look very different from today.” as recently as october 2020, the washington post ran an article called “warming has killed half the coral on the great barrier reef, study finds. it might never recover.” the piece argued that technological advancements meant to aid reef recovery “might not be enough for a country that continues to lead the world in exporting coal, a fossil fuel that contributes to warming, which hastens the decline of coral.” indeed, center for industrial progress founder and president alex epstein noted that the mainstream media has been quick to cover the great barrier reef’s decline — but not its rapid rebound. “the climate media’s evasion of the great barrier reef improvement confirms that they have no interest in the truth about what’s happening with climate and why,” he said on twitter. “they are interested in attacking fossil fuels, attacking capitalism, and justifying vast expansions of government power.” “any science editor that covered the decline of the great barrier reef but not its improvement” — including those at the new york times, the washington post, cnn, the guardian, usa today, and national geographic — “should commit to correcting their failures or be pressured into resigning.” he also noted that celebrities such as mark ruffalo and leonardo dicaprio — who have publicly “catastrophized” about the great barrier reef — should “celebrate, share the good news, and walk back their climate catastrophism.” “why does it matter so much that the climate media only cover negative stories and ignore positive ones?” asked epstein. “because it contributes to deadly energy policy by catastrophizing the side-effects of the fossil fuels that modern life depends on, while ignoring their massive benefits.”
despite climate change fearmongering, study shows the great barrier reef is growing quickly