Failure to meet the Paris climate targets would be more bad news for the world's corals. Credit:ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies The report cited the QRC's objection as being that it argues "there is no direct scientific link between coal mining of itself and climate change", a paraphrasing the QRC sought to change. In their report, the scientists highlighted the fact that the Great Barrier Reef's unprecedented bleaching events over the past two summers had killed "close to 50 per cent" of the corals over the entire reef, and they called for climate action. "Global emission reduction targets should be set to secure an average temperature increase of no more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, or even less," the report said. "To protect current reef biodiversity, global average temperature rise would need to be limited to [about] 1.2 degrees."

The light on the hill? Australia's energy and climate policies remain at odds. Credit:AP At the end of 2015, almost 200 nations in Paris agreed to keep temperature increases to between 1.5 and 2 degrees to curb the impact of more frequent extreme climate events, such as more potent storms and fiercer heatwaves as the planet heats up. However, the expert panel said the Paris pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions were inadequate - including Australia's - putting the world on a warming course of as much as 3.7 degrees. That is about four times the increase so far, which has already led to several major bouts of coral bleaching. 'Australia should lead'

"Australia should set targets appropriate to its 'fair share' of emission reduction aimed at keeping global warming to the low end of the [Paris] range, or below," the report said. In addition, Australia should "play a prominent leading role in securing appropriate global targets and purposeful action to meet a 1.5-degree target, or lower," the panel concluded. Mr Frydenberg said the government was "deeply concerned about the impacts of coral bleaching and are committed to action to address climate change through the Paris Agreement, which commits parties to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees". "While we consider the expert advice in detail, we have identified a number of actions to be undertaken immediately, including: bringing forward the mid-term review of the Reef 2050 Plan; scaling up crown-of-thorns starfish control, research and management; and improving water quality entering the Reef," he said. The Queensland government said it was up to Canberra to lead the way.

"This is yet another report, from the Turnbull government's own panel of experts, telling them they aren't doing enough to address the biggest threat to the Great Barrier Reef," Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles said. "This just reinforces the need for the Turnbull government to adopt the Clean Energy Target recommended by their own Finkel review, as well as policies to reduce other emissions," Mr Miles said. Coral reefs are among the most prominent "early movers" in terms of ecosystems stressed by rapid warming. Many coral species expel the algae that provide them with most of the energy and their often brilliant colours once certain temperature thresholds are exceeded for a sustained time. Corals that survive can have reduced reproduction, hindering their recovery and leaving the reef vulnerable to another heat spike. Report dispute

The Turnbull government has said Australia is on course to meet its 2020 emissions reduction goals and that its 2030 targets are among the most ambitious. Even if reached, however, Australia would still be one of the world's largest emitters on a per-capita basis by the end of the next decade. The expert group recommended the government continue to support programs that reduce other stresses on the corals, such as reducing high-nutrient run-off from Queensland farms. The report said the government should identify key species that support the reef's ecology and target interventions "at scale ... and with urgency" to support these creatures. The Queensland Resources Council, meanwhile, sought changes to the advisory committee report it said contained some inaccurate characterisation of its position.

Ian Macfarlane, a former federal energy minister and now chief executive of the QRC, said the mining group "supports the recent findings by the Queensland and Australian governments that climate change causes coral bleaching on the reef". "There is a difference between coal burning and coal mining and QRC's position on the latter is mining itself is not a large contributor to climate change," Mr Macfarlane said. Loading "In terms of the burning of coal, Australia has high efficiency, low emissions coal when compared with lower quality, higher emission coals sourced from Indonesia and India," he said. A report in Nature Climate Change this week found there was only a 5 per cent chance that global warming can be kept to under 2 degrees compared with pre-industrial era levels by 2100.