Report shows outlook for Australian environment is grim but not without hope

The latest State of the Environment (SOE) Report was released today by the Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek and while it shows Australia's environment to be in a grim state, the report also outlines ways in which immediate action could turn things around.

 The report is a comprehensive assessment of the state of Australia’s environment produced every five years by the Australian Government. It is an independent and evidence-based review that is mandated by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Despite the grim assessment, the report outlined ways in which the grim assessment could be improved through stronger protections, innovative thinking and courageous leadership stating hope was not lost and "Immediate action with innovative management and collaboration can turn things around.”

In addition to more investment in the environment, a key change needed was better data collection and monitoring, the report said. Additionally, when solutions were developed, they need to be in coordination with Indigenous and local communities.

Climate change, mining, pollution, invasive species and habitat loss are outlined in the five-yearly report with Minister Plibersek laying the blame squarely at the feet of the previous Coalition government.

The report was handed to the previous Federal Government in December last year, but former Environment Minister Sussan Ley did not release it before the election.

Minister Plibersek, who will release the five-yearly report today at an address to the National Press Club, said it was a “shocking document” that told “a story of crisis and decline in Australia’s environment, and of a decade of government inaction and wilful ignorance.”

“I won’t be putting my head in the sand,” she said. “Under Labor the environment is back on the priority list..

“I’ll be honest: the report is a confronting read. I know why the previous government refused to release it. We need to properly understand the challenges facing our environment to be able to protect and manage it. It’s a big task to reverse a decade of decline – but I’m up for it.

"If we don't do something to change what we're doing now, we're going to continue to see the decline."

The lead author of the report, Emma Johnston from the University of Sydney, said the biggest difference between this report and the previous one from 2016 was how climate change was now damaging the environment.

"In previous reports, we've been largely talking about the impacts of climate in the future tense," she said.

"In this report there's a stark contrast, because we are now documenting widespread impacts of climate change."

Among the numerous problems documented in the report were observations that:

• Australia has more foreign plant species than natives. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent over the past 50 years attempting to manage introduced species, diseases and invasive pests.

• Of the 450 gigalitres of water for the environment promised under the Murray-Darling Basin plan, only two gigalitres have been delivered

• The number of species listed as threatened has increased by 8% since 2016

• Up to 78% of Australia's coastal saltmarshes have been lost since European colonisation and they continue to deteriorate

• Ocean acidification – caused by absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – is nearing a tipping point that will cause the decline of juvenile coral.

• Reefs around the country, and species that rely on them, were in poor and deteriorating condition. Sea urchins pushed south by rising sea temperatures have devastated kelp beds along the country’s south-east, threatening rocky reef ecosystems and 150 reef species.

• Australia has lost more mammal species than any other continent

• Since 1990, more than 6.1 million hectares of mature forest have been cleared.

A number of senior conservationists and scientists have responded to the latest State of the Environment (SOE) Report.

Dr Larry Marshall, CSIRO Chief Executive commented “our unique Australian environment is precious and much-loved by all Australians. Our landscapes, biodiversity, air, coast and seas are facing pressures unlike ever before and science, research and innovation will be critical to turn the tide of environment deterioration and degradation in the future.

“Scientists from across Australia have meticulously gathered and assessed the evidence that has contributed to this timely snapshot of Australia’s environment, which is facing significant challenges due to increasing pressures from climate change, pollution, resource extraction, habitat loss and invasive species. 

“I would urge all Australians to engage deeply with this report, as a declining environment affects all of us. By working together to take action, we can help our environment to heal.” 

Australian Academy of Science President Chennupati Jagadeish said the report was "sobering reading" and urged the government to go further on climate change action.

Professor Jagadeish added “Climate change has severe ramifications for the economic prosperity of many Australian industries: tourism, recreation, agriculture, fisheries and others, along with the durability of our built infrastructure and the resilience of urban ecosystems.

“The Academy backs the report’s call for greater national leadership to help foster coordinated action and encourage investment to address our mounting environmental and heritage issues.

"To protect our environment Australia must revisit its emission reduction commitments and work with other countries to provide the leadership and collaboration required to place Australia and the world on a safer climate trajectory.”

World Wide Fund for Nature Australia Chief Conservation Officer Rachel Lowry said the report must mark a turning point, leading to greater investment and stronger environment laws noting "It's been a long time since Australia has seen the leadership and determination to turn things around for our environment. I'm holding high hopes that Minister Plibersek and Prime Minister Albanese seize this moment.”

Australian Conservation Foundation Chief Executive Kelly O'Shanassy called for immediate action advising "to halt Australia's nature crisis, we need strong national environment laws, an independent regulator to enforce them and adequate funding for the recovery of Australia's threatened species and the restoration of degraded landscapes.”

Image top: Koala struggling during flooding in NSW courtesy Aussie Ark; image above coral bleaching