This science beat up is just a political distraction.

In terms of foreign trade in sugar the GBR is a well known trade off, a casualty.

Media concern highlighting the demise of the GBR is simply dramatic news/advertisment sales. No one in Canberra or Brisvegas really CARES about the GBR. All they have to do is APPEAR to care. They are great at that!

If the goofy political pundits who have condemned the GRB to extinction for the price of a rapidly dissolving Global Economic Fortune really wanted to save the GBR they would spend up and build wetlands. At least 10,000 1-2 acre Engineered wetlands at the outflow of all farms along the Qld coast.

Given the belly up of their favourite Global Financial blunders (which they are still hiding from we the public) these criminals could have built Reef saving wetlands as an investment worth 50 times more than their failed global junk bonds.

Queensland - welcome to the ship of chlordaned fools.

KAEP,

In my opinion the science you refer to is not science because of the litany of false claims, not just about Diuron.
For example where has the preposterous waffle come from about the entire GBR becoming extinct? All those reefs? Extinct?

The trade off appears to be credibility of scientists and science.

Not just the GBR is impacted, national fisheries are impacted too but not by the sugar industry.

The real problem is the gagging of marine damage incident evidence including autopsy results from abandoned of whale calves and whale stranding.

Consider reality. Farm run off and river outflow only occurs following rain, whereas city and town sewage is dumped daily.

The real polluter in the case of sewage nutrient pollution is the government, and government appears to be the primary source of research funding for the majority of scientists and science.

The litany of false science and serious consequences seem not duly considered.

For example, has sewage nutrient pollution proliferated micro ocean algae photosynthesis-linked warmth been measured and taken into account in AGW - ocean warming science?

Cane farmers are not the problem. Cane and other farmers are victims of the false claims. Focus must be on the source of the total load of nutrients. The whole water system of this planet requires critically urgent proper management without the litany of false claims.

JF Aus,

You are substantially correct.

However, do you understand the technicalities & role of Engineered Wetlands in solving Qld coastal problems?

Do you understand the severity of insect problems in Qld and the fact that chlordane is still used and is still affecting far more human issues than the barrier reef? If the whole Qld government was tested for Chlordane and related benzoid residues I think the issue might be clarified.

I love Queensland, but I wouldn't want to live there!

KAEP,

Yes I understand Engineered Wetlands but not just in solving coastal problems. There are massive problems inland. Plus, all rivers used to deliver natural nutrients and trace elements to the ocean ecosystem but big and small dams and cities and towns have reduced most or that. Now there are primarily just the massive loads of N&P going into food web ecosystem waters, daily.

There is need to think big, to think beyond Qld coast and the GBR.

I am aware of dengue fever in Qld these days but I know nothing about Chlordane, except that I don't believe it proliferates algae that is smothering vast areas of seagrass and sometimes to some extent GBR coral. Coral elsewhere in the world is significantly damaged or destroyed.

The litany of false claims has focused on mangroves with virtually no attention to seagrass being destroyed by sewage nutrient proliferated algae.

There is need for science to reach out beyond the litany of false claims. Maybe long goal terms for politicians that virtually blackmail scientists to think one way or the other would be a good start.

With the whole world ocean now nearly empty of available food, world food sustainability is at stake. Politicians best wake up very quickly