The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has warned the Queensland government about the elevated and imminent risk of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It conducted in-water spot surveys this week after reports of coral bleaching in the World Heritage-listed reef.

According to ABC News, the World Heritage Committee is tasked to conduct an examination of the state of conservation of the coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef Independent Review Group further asked the said committee to consider it as an agenda of their meeting next year. 

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Meanwhile, coral bleaching was in the spotlight last year as it affected as much as 80 percent of the reefs in the northern regions. This is considered the worst bleaching on record.

New records indicate that the built up stress of the reef is higher compared to last year, which has made experts predict that there will be a significant amount of bleaching this year. The GBRMPA conducted the survey on six reefs which are all experiencing thermal stress.

Furthermore, sea surface temperatures were above average within the 12 month period, and reports of coral bleaching have been continuously increasing, most especially the far south of Mackay which experienced the worst coral bleaching last year. Currently, the sea temperature is approximated to be two degrees warmer than the average temperature.

The Australian government has reportedly failed to meet the Paris agreement pertaining to emission reduction targets for the purpose of protecting the coral reefs around the world. The government is also supporting new coal mines, which is detrimental to coral reefs.

According to Newsport, the bleaching incidents happening on the Great Barrier Reef is one of the biggest, affecting the coral reefs of the world for more than two years. Moreover, Australia's 2015 reef conservation plan will reportedly not be attainable given the severity of the coral reef damage and slow pace of recovery.