Australian officials will dispute a recommendation by a China-chaired UN committee that the Great Barrier Reef should be added to a list of “in danger” World Heritage Sites, arguing that the shock decision was politically motivated. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation committee (UNESCO) has said in a draft recommendation the world’s biggest coral reef system should be added to the list due to the impact of climate change. The Great Barrier Reef supports thousands of Australian jobs and is a major tourist attraction that Australia has fought for years to keep off the “in danger” list. In 2015, UNESCO noted the outlook for the reef was poor but kept the site’s status unchanged. Environment Minister Sussan Ley believes that Australia has been singled out by the UN committee, whose member countries control World Heritage listings, in a way that “completely distorts the normal process,” while noting that UNESCO has about …