Reef Bleaching Linked to Ship Rules

According to a study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, as reported by Phys.org Earth Sciences, regulations introduced in 2020 to reduce ship fuel pollution may have inadvertently increased solar radiation, leading to more frequent coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef. This unexpected finding highlights the complex relationships between environmental policies and their unintended consequences. While the mining industry may not be directly impacted, the study's results underscore the importance of considering broader environmental factors in operations and policy decisions, particularly in sensitive ecosystems like those found in Norway's Trøndelag region.