Australia is waiting for the decision of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that could put the Great Barrier Reef under the list of ‘endangered’ sites. The committee is being held virtually and in the Chinese city of Fuzhou, with the decision is expected to pass down on Friday night Australian Eastern Standard Time. The Australian government has been disputing the earlier recommendation by the China-chaired committee that the reef should be classified as “in danger,” arguing that it was a politically motivated decision. Chinese vice education minister Tian Xuejun dismissed the claims by Australian politicians and said the country should focus on “earnestly fulfilling the duty” of protecting the Great Barrier Reef instead of making “groundless accusations.” Tian said the recommendations were made based on Australian data and based on the opinion of an advisory body. Environment minister Sussan Ley said on July 19 that a new report from the …