Great Barrier Reef brought to politicians' doorstep in artful protest

If you can't beat 'em, erect a coral reef on their doorstep. That's what Greenpeace activists in Australia did overnight in a bid to confront politicians with the realities of climate change.

The protest held at Parliament House (Australia's Whitehouse) depicted a faux-coral reef in neon white, representing the coral bleaching occurring on the Great Barrier Reef; the only coral reef in the world to be granted World Heritage status.

"Almost a quarter of the reef's coral died this year," Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Nikola Casule told Fairfax Media. "Australia can't have both a healthy Great Barrier Reef and a coal industry."

Greenpeace Australia Pacific commissioned a study in May 2015, which claimed 85 percent of Australian people feel that the government is prioritising the coal mining industry over Australia's environment. Hence the protest slogan "choose the reef, not coal."

CARD ID: 81747

"We hope that by bringing the Great Barrier Reef to Canberra, politicians will be able to see first-hand what is at risk from their unwavering support for the coal mining industry" Casule said.

"Australia's coal mining industry exports more than one billion tonnes of carbon emissions each year. This contributes to increasing ocean temperatures which are killing the reef."