WWF Australia conservation scientist Stuart Blanch says while the Morrison government signed up to the UN target to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, the new government will be responsible for delivering this promise He adds that the government should also play a stronger regulatory role.
Blanch says a national system for monitoring land clearing and better financial support for farmers, ranchers and indigenous communities are also needed to transition to reforestation markets.
“If we don’t quickly eliminate deforestation and deforestation … fires and droughts will overtake land clearing as the main driver of forest loss,” he says. “I’m 52 years old and I don’t want to retire and [find] the forest wars are still going on.
“The biggest allies in storing carbon in trees are farmers and loggers and we don’t pay them enough to be part of the solution.”
Kill the pests
The two main causes of Australia’s appalling extinction record are habitat destruction and the infiltration of invasive and feral species. Both will require an unprecedented response, says RMIT University sustainability expert Professor Sarah Bekessy.
First, there needs to be a dramatic increase in the amount of funding Australia provides to recover threatened species. A 2019 report, called Spending to Save, estimates that we need to spend about $2 billion a year to eliminate and reduce threats to rare and endangered species. That may sound like a lot of money, but Australians spend around $13 billion on their pets every year. Over the next 10 years, especially after the black wildfires of the summer of 2019-2020, other animals will be added to the threatened list.
“If we want to keep these species from falling over the edge, we need to invest heavily in recovery,” says Bekessy.
Take the weather seriously
Australia cannot tackle the climate crisis alone, but we can do much more to pull our weight. The country contributes 1.2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, placing the nation among the top 15 total emitters, the report noted.
The Labor government’s target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 is not in line with the best climate science, although it is a useful starting point if seen as a “floor” rather than a roof, says Climate Council Executive Director Amanda. McKenzie.
If the government puts in place systems that allow it to scale up its efforts, and if all levels of government along with business and civil society treat climate change as an emergency, Australia could once again emerge as a leader in the field, says McKenzie . But that’s a big yes.
Dr Melanie Pill from the ANU’s Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions says the country must also focus on adaptation. This includes investing in short-term solutions, such as adopting efficient irrigation systems and crop varieties, as well as transformative adaptation, such as moving people away from floodplains.
“The longer we do nothing, the worse it will be and the worse the irreversible loss and damage will be,” he says.
He adds that many developed countries have been major contributors to climate change, but developing countries are experiencing the worst of its effects.
“In the Pacific, we’re starting to see irreversible loss and damage from sea level rise, we’re seeing more intense and frequent cyclones…we’re losing culture, indigenous knowledge, and people have to migrate internally, and economies are not able . to cope,” says Pill.
Committed to effort
All this will require serious effort, will and money. Australian political leaders will need to have a serious conversation explaining that if we are to slow this destruction, let alone reverse it, sacrifices will have to be made by individuals, businesses and communities.
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Despite innovations in technology and conservation, the report notes that national strategies and investments are not matching the speed at which our environment is declining. It calls for leadership at all levels of government, community and non-governmental organizations, stronger climate action and greater financial investment to safeguard the country’s future.
Plibersek has said he needs more time to figure out what the government will do to stop Australia’s staggering wildlife and habitat loss.
“Individually, each of these revelations is dire, but it’s only when you think about the cumulative impact that you begin to get a full picture of the environmental decline,” he said Tuesday.
“If we continue on the trajectory we’re on, the beautiful places, landscapes, animals and plants we think of when we think of home may not be here for our children and grandchildren.”
Pill adds that while the solutions seem difficult, there is still time to act.
“We just need ambitious action. It’s important that the report has come out and that the government supports it. I hope this creates more momentum to move forward.”
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