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The koala and banded cockatoo are among the 200 plants and animals that have been added to the list of endangered species since 2016, while warming air and ocean temperatures, events more extreme weather conditions, the loss of native vegetation and poor access to water in indigenous communities. these are just some of the grim findings of the latest report on the state of the environment.
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The only hope is that emissions from the electricity sector have decreased since 2016 and renewables have grown.
Here are five graphs that explain the state of our environment and the report.
Decreased biodiversity
The land and sea of Australia are home to more than 600,000 native species, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world. But since 2016, more than 200 species of plants and animals have been added as endangered species to the government list, such as the koala, the banded cockatoo and the Watson frog.
This figure is expected to grow in the coming years after the 2019-20 forest fires. The most pronounced increase has occurred in invertebrates and frogs, followed by reptiles and birds.
The biggest threat to Australia’s native animals since colonization is the introduced species. There are more than 200 invasive species that threaten Australia’s biodiversity, including the European rabbit, which affects 325 endangered terrestrial species, while the wild boar and cat affect more than 100 endangered species.
The other major threat facing Australia’s biodiversity is habitat loss and clean-up. More than 7 million hectares of habitat for endangered species were cleared or substantially degraded between 2000 and 2017.
The report found that mammals considered most at risk of extinction in the next 20 years occur mainly in northern Australia and southwestern Western Australia. They include the central rock rat, the northern jumping mouse, the carpenter rock rat, and the Christmas Island flying fox.
Extreme climate, rising sea levels and longer fire stations
Australia’s land and ocean temperatures have warmed an average of 1.4 degrees and 1.1 degrees since records began. We have already experienced the warmest year on record in 2019 and the warmest decade (from 2011 to 2020). If that is not enough, each individual year from 2013 to 2020 is among the 10 warmest recorded nationally.
Meanwhile, rainfall has declined since 1970 in South Australia. During the same period, rainfall has increased in northwestern Australia. The report notes that climate change is expected to worsen these factors, leading to more intense and frequent weather extremes, such as forest fires, droughts and floods.
The black summer was one of the worst fire seasons on record. Millions of hectares of land were burned, between 1 and 3 billion animals were killed or displaced, and 33 people died. The fire season increased the risk of extinction of many animals and plants, with more than 480 threatened plants, 20 mammals and 16 frogs now in need of urgent post-fire management intervention. The graph above shows how the season stacked up compared to others.
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Sea level rise on the Australian coast is above the global average of 3 to 3.5 millimeters per year, with some areas seeing 4 to 6 millimeters in the same period of time. . The report notes that this will have serious impacts on coastal erosion, the movement of beaches and low-lying areas, and indigenous communities are the most vulnerable.
Emissions
Australia contributes approximately 1.2 per cent of global emissions, making us among the top 15 total emitters.
Emissions from the electricity sector have decreased since 2017 due to the absorption of renewables. Despite the fall in transport emissions in 2020, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are already seeing these figures recover quickly.
Meanwhile, emissions from land use and forestry have increased since 2017.
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What is being done
Our environment is in very poor condition, so here’s a look at what’s being done about it. Since 2010, biodiversity spending has remained between $ 400 million and $ 500 million annually, before falling to $ 300 million in 2018-19 and then remaining below $ 400 million. Although a significant one-time investment was made in the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, funding for basic projects has declined, the report notes.
“Funding for the National Territorial Assistance Program has decreased, there is no longer funding for new national reserves, there have been cuts in biodiversity research at the CSIRO and the Climate Change Adaptation Research Center is gone suspend in 2019, ”the report said.
Despite innovations in technology and conservation, the report also notes that national strategies and investments do not match the speed with which our environment is declining. It calls for the need for leadership at all levels of government, community and non-government, stronger climate action and greater financial investment if the country has any hope of safeguarding its future.
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