By Che Andrade
Background:
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem. It covers 348,000 square kilometers and is home to over 1,500 species of fish. Approximately 2.19 million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. Attractions at the Great Barrier Reef include walking through it, snorkeling, and boat trips. The Great Coral Reef is one of the world’s biggest tourist attractions, but it may not be there for much longer. The Great Barrier Reef is expected to be dead by 2050.
Externalities:
An externality is an indirect cost or benefit to an uninvolved third party that arises from another party's activity. There are many externalities involved with the barrier reef. The first one is travel to and around Australia. The travel creates pollution which is killing the barrier reef. The increased travel around the Reef increases pollution along with disrupting the ecosystem.
This is a difficult situation to fix because of the Great Barrier Reef's draw. The only solution I can think of is to have bigger boats take you most of the way there and when you get to a certain distance you take manually powered boats the rest of the way. This would disrupt the ecosystem less by not having as many high-powered motors so close to the Reef polluting the water.
"10 Fun Great Barrier Reef Facts." Port Douglas Meridian, https://portdouglasmeridian.com/blog/10-fun-great-barrier-reef-facts/#:~:text=This%20incredible%20eco%2Dsystem%20is,than%201%2C500%20species%20of%20fish.