About the program

Our Great Barrier Reef is the worlds largest and and most complex ecosystem in the world. For most Australians, the reef holds a special place in our hearts, it’s part of who we are. Sadly, our reefs are under mounting pressures, but the biggest single threat to its survival is climate change. We need to act be cause saving the Great Barrier Reef is essential to the twenty-five percent of marine life that would lose their habitat and to the cultural, social, economic well-being of us and our future generations.

The ‘What Can I Do?’ program offers tailored climate actions at a household level to help protect coral reefs for the future.

How to Start:

  1. Choose your first action category (Food, Energy, Travel, Waste, Habitat, Communicate, Change)
  2. Sign into the ‘What Can I Do?’ challenge with your email so you can return to the platform at any time
  3. Drag each action into the frequency colour boxes
  4. Your choices will prompt further questions and offer more information
  5. Your personal climate action summary is generated including a calculation of your annual CO2 savings
  6. Take the next step by:
    • emailing your personal climate action summary to yourself as a reminder
    • taking a pledge to do an action you don’t do currently
    • adding your name to the list of people that have made the commitment to help reduce carbon emissions

Together we cultivate climate resilience.

Review the platform to view the collective “What can I do” community CO2 emissions reduction and additional new resources.

About the ‘What Can I Do?’ program

Getting involved in climate action is crucial because climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, and your participation can make a meaningful difference. Our aim is to change people feeling helpless and questioning “What Can I Do?” for the reef. We seek to create a positive push towards community action for the future of reefs.

The CoralWatch program employs behavioural science principles in an interactive platform. Seven pillars of change offer practical, effective, targeted actions people can take to lessen carbon emissions across Queensland communities. All actions and home efforts will feed back into a citizen science-based concept like the existing CoralWatch monitoring program. This valuable data will not only be a useful as a social science metric but also as immediate feedback to individuals to encourage and measure success. Climate action is a task for all of us, and together we can reduce global emissions through the things we do at home. Through innovative outreach strategies, education, and most critically, community collaboration, we become empowered and actively involved in acting to protect the Reef”.

By participating in the “What can I do?’ challenge, you will be able to:

  • Quantify changes to your carbon emissions linked to climate actions
  • Discover new strategies and resources to help you reduce your carbon footprint
  • Inspire others to make a difference

More info:Understanding the CO2 Figures in the “What can I do” Climate Impact Program

The CoralWatch Youth Ambassador program equips young people aged 8 to 14 and their parent with the tools and knowledge to monitor reefs, communicate science, and build skills, knowledge, and confidence in promoting sustainable behaviours in their communities.

Data collated in this platform will be used to identify gaps of knowledge and barriers to overcome. You can view the collective community CO2 emissions reduction online since January 2025.

A personal change can make an important contribution. For example, switching to renewable energy and making thoughtful choices about the way we eat and travel, can make a real difference in reducing emissions.

CoralWatch acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Land and Sea Country throughout Australia.  We pay our respects to Elders of yesterday, today, and tomorrow and we recognise them as Environmental Authorities and Caretakers of the lands on which we work, meet, and learn.