Download - SoE 2011 – Overview

www.environment.gov.au/soe

SoE 2011 – Overview

This presentation was developed as one of several Australia State of the Environment 2011 (SoE 2011) presentations given by the SoE Committee members and departmental staff following the release of SoE 2011.

This material was developed to be delivered as part of an oral presentation. The full report should be referred to for understanding the context of this information.

For more information please refer to:http:www.environment.gov.au/soe/index.htmlOr contact the SoE team via email:[email protected]


New cover page

Presentation – SoE 2011 OverviewPhoto: Aerial view of the Pilbara, by Andrew Griffiths, Lensaloft


State of the Environment reporting

A report on the Australian environment must be tabled in Parliament every five years

No current regulations regarding scope, content or process

All reports so far written by independent committees


Purpose of SoE 2011

Provide relevant and useful information on environmental issues to the public and decision-makers...

… to raise awareness and support more informed environmental management decisions …

… leading to more sustainable use and effective conservation of environmental assets.


State of the Environment 2011 Committee

Chair

Tom Hatton (Director, CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country)

Members

Steven Cork (research ecologist and futurist)

Peter Harper (Deputy Australian Statistician)

Rob Joy (School of Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, RMIT)

Peter Kanowski (Fenner School of Environment & Society, ANU)

Richard Mackay (heritage specialist, Godden Mackay Logan)

Neil McKenzie (Chief, CSIRO Land and Water)

Trevor Ward (marine and fisheries ecologist)

Barbara Wienecke – ex officio (Australian Antarctic Division, DSEWPAC)


What’s new in 2011?

Improved relevance to decision makers

Transparent approach to assessments

More detailed information

Discussion of the major drivers of change

Wide range of credible resources used in the analyses

Report-card style assessments of condition, pressures and management effectiveness

Discussions of current resilience and future risks

Outlooks


Quality and credibility

Independence – written by an independent committee with relevant expertise, tasked with advocating for ‘accurate, robust and meaningful environmental reporting and identification of policy issues, but not for any particular policy position’

Authors sought best available evidence from credible sources

Extensive consultation

Workshops to determine consensus in expert opinion where evidence low

Transparency about quality of evidence and level of consensus

Peer reviewed (47+ reviewers of chapters and supplementary materials)


SoE 2011 Products

Full report – hard copy and online

Summary with 17 headlines Nine theme chapters – each with key findings Report cards

In-Brief – hard copy and online

50 page summary of full report

Additional online materials

Commissioned reports Workshop reports Additional tables and figures Peer review information


Assessment summaries


Drivers chapter – context for rest of SoE

How are a changing climate, population growth and economic growth creating pressures on our environment?


Headlines (in Summary chapter)

17 headlines in

summary chapter

give a high level

overview of the

big issues


Key Findings (in Theme chapters)

‘key findings’

give an

overview of

more specific

conclusions

for each

theme


What is the general state of the environment? Some past decisions have an ongoing legacy impact

Much of Australia is in good condition or improving Wind erosion has decreased Some major threats to vegetation cover are lessening Water consumption has fallen considerably in recent years Many urban air pollutants are on the decline Use of public transport is on the rise

Other parts are in poor condition or deteriorating The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing billions of tonnes of ice a year Soil acidification and pests and weeds are affecting large areas of the continent Our natural and cultural heritage continues to be threatened

Our changing climate and growing population and economy are now confronting us with new challenges


Drivers of environmental change

The principal drivers of pressures on Australia’s environment—and its future condition—are climate variability and change, population growth and economic growth

It is likely that we are already seeing the effects of climate change in Australia

The Australian economy is projected to grow by 2.7% per year until 2050

Under the base scenario, Australia’s population of 22.2 million people in 2010 is projected to grow to 35.9 million by 2050

There are opportunities to decouple population and economic growth from pressure on our environment


Pressures on our environment

Past decisions and practices have left ongoing impacts on our environment

Introduction of feral animals and weeds

Land clearing

Unsustainable water resource management

Intense harvest of fish stocks

Lack of integrated management

Our changing climate, and growing population and economy, are now confronting us with new challenges


Some key issues – atmosphere

It is likely that we are already seeing the effects of climate change in Australia

As the driest inhabitable continent, Australia is particularly vulnerable to climate change

Early action by Australia to reduce emissions and to deploy targeted adaptation strategies will be less costly than delayed action


Rainfall deficiencies 1 April 1997 – 31 March 2010


Australian rainfall 2010


Vulnerability to climate change - Australia and NZ


Risk watch for climate

Almost certain Continuing spatially variable rise in temperatures across the

continent (MAJOR)

Likely Reduced rainfall in southern areas, especially in winter, and in

southern and eastern areas in spring (MAJOR)

Increased evaporation and reduced soil moisture (MAJOR)

Increased frequency and severity of wildfires (MAJOR)

Increased frequency of heatwaves (MODERATE)

Increased geographic range of disease vectors (e.g. mosquitoes) (MODERATE)


Some key issues – inland water

Most inland water systems in Australia are permanently or seasonally limited by a shortage of water

Ongoing impacts from historical land use practices, introduction of pests and weeds, and unsustainable water resource development

Largest future threat comes from combination of drying and warming conditions, due to climate change

Meeting our water needs will remain a critical challenge


Expanse of Australia’s waterways


Water consumption by sector and jurisdiction


Ecosystem health in the Murray-Darling Basin


Declines in freshwater-dependent species


Presence of aquatic weed species


Some key issues – land

Australia’s land environment is threatened by widespread pressures

invasive species

inappropriate fire patterns

grazing

Threats to our soil, including acidification, erosion and the loss of soil carbon, will increasingly affect Australia’s agriculture unless carefully managed


Percentage of native vegetation remaining


Soil acidification in Australia


Some key issues – marine environment

Legacy impacts and habitat degradation continue to affect nearshore areas particularly in the east, south-east and south-west

Increased likelihoods of risks to biodiversity and productivity in nearshore waters due to climate change

sea-level rise

frequency of extreme weather events

altered current patterns and acidity

Integrated management will be key to the future conservation of our ocean resources


Harvesting intensity of Cwlth managed fisheries


Declining value of fisheries


Some key issues – Antarctic environment

The Antarctic environment is showing clear signs of climate change

The pressure of human activities on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean is increasing


Ice mass changes for the entire Antarctic ice sheet


Some key issues – biodiversity

Our unique biodiversity is in decline, and the trends might be worse than previously expected.

Most pressures on biodiversity that arise directly or indirectly from human activities appear to still be strong.

We depend on biodiversity for our survival and wellbeing.


Number of threatened species


Percent of known mammal taxa listed as threatened


Percent of known bird taxa listed as threatened


Clearing and fragmentation of native ecosystems


Pressures affecting threatened species


Biodiversity knowledge at national scale


Some key issues – heritage

Our natural and cultural heritage is threatened by natural and human processes, and a lack of public sector resourcing


Additions to National Heritage List 05-06 to 10-11


Number of heritage places listed per hundred people

(by local government area)


Some key issues – built environment

Main pressures on liveability of communities are driven by population and economic growth

Increasing need for space

Traffic congestion

Air quality concerns

New risks posed increased likelihood of extreme weather events

Challenges with maintaining positive trends in energy and water efficiency, coordinated urban planning


Motorised transport modes in capital cities


Costs of traffic congestion


Percentage using public transport

City 1996 2000 2003 2006Change between 1996 and 2006c

Sydney 23.4 25.0 25.9 26.3 12.4

Melbourne 13.1 15.9 15.3 17.7 35.1

Brisbane 14.3 11.6 15.7 17.5 22.4

Adelaide 12.2 10.6 13.4 14.4 18.0

Perth 10.5 11.3 10.5 10.7 1.9

Hobart 12.8 5.2 6.9 10.3 –19.5

Canberra 11.4 8.2 8.1 7.9 –30.7

Total capital citiesa 16.3 17.2 17.9 19.1 17.2

Other areasb 2.7 1.9 2.4 1.7 –37.0

Australia 11.9 12.2 13.0 13.5 13.4

a Excludes Darwinb Includes Darwin and all other places outside capital citiesc Represents the change in the proportion of adults using public transport for their usual trip to work or studySource: Australian Bureau of Statistics


Exceedences for particulate air pollutants


Household energy usage


Some key issues – coasts

Coastal regions are under pressure and bring together many of the issues affecting other parts of the environment

Major emerging risks for Australia’s coasts

Climate change (especially sea level rise)

Demographic change

Coordinated management will be needed to mitigate pressures


Sea level rise (mm/year) - early 1990s to June 2010


Threatened species within 100km of the coast


Estimate of residential buildings at risk of inundation


Intentions and impacts of SoE 2011...

Based on available information and expert opinio,n drawn from sources that are referenced in the report

Was designed to raise awareness and assist decision-makers

Highlights current issues that will require management responses to influence projected trends

Provides critical information, but can support change only if decision-makers consider it and use it

www.environment.gov.au/soePhoto: Aerial view of the Pilbara, by Andrew Griffiths, Lensaloft

For more information email: [email protected]

To order copiesemail: [email protected]

phone: 1800 803 772 or read it online: www.environment.gov.au/soe