EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | Contact
Pixar animation studios have today been met with both praise and scepticism by announcing that the final movie in the Finding Nemo trilogy ‘Finding Solace’, will be focused on the Great Barrier Reef’s mass coral bleaching.
Though Pixar isn’t one to shy away from hard topics such as mental illness, death and grief, it still comes as a shock to many that such a heartwarming series would end on a dark note, especially seeing as leaked script pages even suggest that Marlin, Nemo and Dory grow increasingly duller in colour as the movie progresses, to showcase how environmental factors effect the health of an entire ecosystem.
When queried why a beloved children’s movie would even touch on such a difficult topic, a spokesperson for Pixar revealed that it was imperative to encourage a generation of environmentally-minded children, should the world have any hope of survival.
Originally pipped to have the third movie centred on Dory discovering she actually be non-binary (Discovering Dory), it was quickly scrapped when news came out of a leaked draft map of the bleaching damage done to the Great Barrier Reef, which the Australian government no doubt wanted to keep under wraps until after the election.
Having lost half its coral since 1995, Queensland’s greatest natural beauty has declined fast as a result of global warming and increased acidity in the water, which has culminated in the fourth mass coral bleaching in just seven years. This occurs when coral is put under so much environmental stress it is forced to expel the algae, with an estimated 91% of the coral affected by bleaching to some degree.
Other than the obvious aesthetic appeal and tourism ($$$) that comes from having a beautifully coloured reef, coral bleaching has a devastating effect on the reef’s ecosystem, causing a chain-like reaction that has the potential to wipe out wildlife and food shortages for humans.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has now pledged $1 billion towards conserving the reef to support ‘scientists, farmers and traditional owners’ and to thwart the spiky coral sucking cunts known as crown-of-thorns starfish.
Despite being the ‘single largest investment in the reef’ this promise has been met with scepticism considering the last time the Liberal government delivered a massive grant for the reef, a performance audit report deemed that it as done without any proper tender processes or clear objectives, or under the guidance of environmental experts who understand the complexities of such a large ecosystem.
Though the grant aims to cover research for projects such as the development of heat-resistant coral, there’s been no action to fix the problem at the source by edging the foot off the pedal when it comes to new coal and gas projects or putting in place effective climate change initiatives.
More to come
