Millions pledged to save the Great Barrier Reef, but scientists say it won't solve the problem

Following bad news after bad news for the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian government has pledged a large sum of money for its preservation.

More than A$500 million (US$379 million) has been been promised in a funding package to protect and restore the reef.

The money will be used for improving water quality, mitigating coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, and general reef restoration.

"We'll be improving the monitoring of the reef's health and the measurement of its impacts," environment minister Josh Frydenberg told ABC News. "The more we understand about the reef, the better we can protect it."

Despite the government's promises, scientists and campaigners say the money isn't addressing the biggest problem for the reef: Climate change.

Corals have suffered back-to-back bleachings as a result of increased sea temperatures. At the same time, the acidification of oceans from the burning of fossil fuels compounds the reef's challenges.

"Science is well aware of what is killing coral on the Great Barrier Reef," Bill McKibben, environmentalist and 350.org founder, said in a statement. "It's the excess heat that comes from burning fossil fuels. If the Turnbull government was serious about saving the Reef they would be willing to take on the industry responsible for the damage."

Australia's independent not-for-profit Climate Council concurred, with councillor and ecologist Lesley Hughes calling the move a "golden bandaid."

“If we do not do something to address the root cause of the problem, then the Federal Government’s $500 million measures are nothing more than a golden bandaid," said Hughes in a statement.

Terry Hughes, who authored a study on the collapse of the reef's ecosystems after a devastating 2016 marine heat wave, wrote on Twitter that the challenge of climate change won't be solved by "killing a few starfish in Queensland."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Near the reef, a proposal for one the world's largest coal mines by Indian energy conglomerate Adani continues to be raised by critics for its danger to the reef.

"To simultaneously promote Adani’s coal mine, which would be one of the world’s largest, pretending to care about the world’s largest Reef is an acrobatic feat only cynical politicians would attempt," McKibben added.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society and Australian Academy of Science welcomed the additional funding, but stressed it would be for nothing if climate change isn't addressed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.