Environmental issues in Australia describe a number of environmental issues affecting the Australian environment. There are various such problems, some of which are related to conservation in Australia while others, such as the deteriorating condition of Murray-Darling Basin, have a direct and serious impact on human and economic land use.
Many human activities including the use of natural resources have a direct impact on the Australian environment.
These issues are the main concern of the environmental movement in Australia.
Video Environmental issues in Australia
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Climate change is now the main political talking point in Australia in the last two decades. The ongoing drought, resulting in water restrictions during the first decade of the 21st century, is an example of the real effects of natural events on economic and political realities.
Australia ranks among the top ten countries globally with respect to greenhouse gas emissions per capital.
The federal and state governments are currently openly expressing their belief that climate change is caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The vocal minority groups in the population campaign against mining and coal-fired power plants in Australia, and such demonstrations are widely reported by the mainstream media. Similarly, vocal minority groups simultaneously oppose the wind energy scheme, albeit 'carbon neutral', on the basis of local visual and sound impacts and concern for the currently expensive and low cost of wind energy.
Despite the publication of Garnaut and Green Paper reports on the proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, public confidence in anthropogenic climate change has clearly eroded after leaking e-mail from the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit.
It is claimed to be a net benefit for Australia in stabilizing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at 450ppm CO 2 eq in line with prevailing political attitudes. Public disapproval with this opinion is generally regarded as an expression of interest, for example from the coal industry.
Energy usage
Australia is a major exporter and consumer of coal, the liberating combustion of CO 2 . Therefore, in 2003 Australia is the world's largest CO 2 2 emitting gas country in the world that releases 16.5 tons per capital. Australia is claimed to be one of the countries most at risk from climate change according to the Stern report.
Most of Australia's demand for electricity depends on coal-fired steam power plants, due to abundant supply of native coal, limited potential for hydroelectricity and political aversion to exploiting indigenous uranium resources (although Australia is responsible for the second highest uranium production at the world in 2005 to drive a 'carbon neutral' nuclear energy program.
Maps Environmental issues in Australia
Preservation
Conservation in Australia is a matter of state and federal policy. Australia is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world, with most endemic species in Australia. Preserving the richness of biodiversity is important for future generations.
The main conservation issue is the preservation of biodiversity, especially by protecting the remaining rainforests. Habitat destruction by human activity, including land clearing, remains a major cause of loss of biodiversity in Australia. The importance of Australian rainforests for conservation movements is very high. Australia is the only western country that has a large, intact rain forest area. Forests provide wood, medicines, and food and should be managed to maximize possible use. Currently, there are a number of environmental movements and campaigners advocating for environmental rescue actions, one of which is the Big Switch.
Land management issues include the clearance of indigenous vegetation, reforestation of previously drained areas, exotic weed and pest control, expansion of dryland salinity, and alteration of fire regimes. Intensification of resource use in sectors such as forestry, fisheries, and agriculture is widely reported to contribute to the loss of biodiversity in Australia. Coastal and marine environments have also reduced the biodiversity of reduced water quality caused by pollution and sediment arising from human settlements and agriculture. In the center of New South Wales where there is a vast prairie plain, problems have increased - unusual to say - lack of land clearance.
The Daintree Rainforest, a tropical rain forest near Daintree, Queensland that covers some 1200 square kilometers, is threatened by logging, construction, mining and the effects of high tourist numbers.
Original fauna
More than a hundred species of fauna are currently under serious threat of extinction. The fate of some of these species received more attention than others and recently the focus of many conservation organizations has become an endangered closed-nosed wombat in the northern, endangered Tasmanian devils, northern quolls, black-tailed blacks , black cassowary, Tasmanian wedge tailed eagle, possum matchstick and southern korrobore frog.
Australia has a poor record of preserving native fauna. The extinction of the Australian megafauna is associated with human arrival and since European settlement, 23 birds, 4 frogs, and 27 species of mammals are also known to have become extinct.
Sea conservation
One of the most important issues with marine conservation in Australia is the protection of the Great Barrier Reef. Great Barrier Reef environmental pressures include water quality from runoff, climate change and mass coral bleaching, cyclic outbreaks of crown-of-thorns sea stars, overfishing, and shipping accidents.
Whaling
Whale hunting in Australia occurred from colonization in 1788. In 1979, Australia halted whaling and committed to the protection of whales. The main varieties being hunted are humpback, blue, right and sperm whales.
Shark Destruction
Western Australia wiped out sharks in 2014, killing dozens of tiger sharks and causing public protests. Later that year was abandoned, but the Western Australian government continued to shoot and kill sharks believed to be an "immediate threat" to humans; this policy was criticized by senator Rachel Siewart for damaging the environment. From 1962 until now, Queensland has destroyed sharks on drum lines and shark nets, a process that also kills other animals such as dolphins and dugongs. New South Wales has a shark net program that kills sharks and other marine life.
Oil spill
Although there is no oil spill due to the Exxon Valdez-scale environmental disaster in this country, Australia has a large oil industry and there are some major oil spills [1]. Spills remain a serious threat to Australia's marine environment and coastline. The biggest spill to date is the Kirki tanker in 1991 that dropped 17,280 tons of oil off the coast of Western Australia.
In March 2009, the southeastern Queensland oil spill of 2009 occurred, where 200,000 liters spilled from the MV Pacific Adventurer spilling over 250 tonnes of oil, 30 tonnes of fuel and other toxic chemicals on the outskirts of the city Brisbane. Premier Anna Bligh described the spill as "the worst environmental disaster ever experienced by Queensland".
Ocean dumping
A serious problem for Australia's marine environment is the disposal of garbage from ships. There are a number of cases, especially those involving Australian navies and other countries that contaminate Australian waters including dumping of chemical war agents. Recent cases documented include the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in 2006 that was found dumping trash off the coast of Moreton Island. In Victoria, a large number of toxic drums contain 1,2-Dichlorobenzene xylenol, a substance highly toxic to aquatic creatures stranded on the beach during May 2009 that may fall from a passing container vessel.
Invasive Species
Australia's geographical isolation has resulted in the evolution of many delicate ecological relationships that are sensitive to foreign invaders and in many instances does not provide a natural predator for many species that were later introduced. Introduced crops that have caused widespread problems are lantana and thorny bushes. The introduction and distribution of animals such as cane frogs or rabbits can disrupt the balance that exists between the population and develop into environmental problems. The introduction of livestock to Australia and to a lesser extent dingo, is another example of a species that has changed the landscape. In some cases the introduction of new species can cause the catastrophe and extinction of endemic species.
The species introduced by the red fox have caused the extinction of some species. Tasmania takes the threat of red fox introduction so seriously that it has a government-sponsored task force to prevent fox populations from taking over the island.
Land degradation
According to Jared Diamond, "Australia's number one environmental problem is land degradation". Land degradation results from nine types of devastating environmental impacts:
- Native vegetation cleansing
- Shepherding excessively by sheep
- Rabbit
- Soil nutrient waste
- Soil erosion
- Man-made drought
- Weed
- Misguided government policy
- Copy
Logging and woodchopping
Old logging continues in parts of Australia. This often involves the destruction of natural ecosystems and replacements with monoculture plantations.
Land clearing
In Australian prehistory, Indigenous Australians use a fire-stick farm that is the initial form of land clearing that causes long-term changes in ecology. With the opening of European colonization land continues on a larger scale for agriculture - especially for livestock, cotton and wheat production. Since the European settlement a total of 13% of the original vegetation cover has been lost. The extinction of 20 species of mammals, 9 birds and 97 partially plant species have been linked to land clearing. Land clearing is a major source of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, and contributes about 12 percent of Australia's total emissions in 1998.
Consequences of land clearing include salinity of dry land and soil erosion. This is a major concern for the land-building movement in Australia.
The cleansing of indigenous vegetation is controlled by Federal (indirect) law, State law and local planning instruments. The exact details of the vegetation opening rules differ according to the location at which land clearing is proposed.
Soil salinity
The salinity of the soil affects 50,000Ã, kmÃ,² Australia and largely due to land clearing.
Health of waterways
Water channel protection in Australia is a major concern for many reasons including habitat and biodiversity, but also because of the use of waterways by humans.
The Murray-Darling Basin is under threat due to irrigation in Australia, causing a high salinity rate that affects agriculture and biodiversity in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. These rivers are also affected by pesticide runoff and drought.
Australian waters face environmental problems
Rivers and tributaries in urban areas also face environmental problems, especially pollution.
Victoria
- Port Phillip (contamination - sediment, poison, household chemicals, garden chemicals E. coli, litter, flotsam and jetsam)
- Yarra River (contamination - E. coli; litter - 13 traps, logging, erosion, salinity)
- Maribyrnong River (contamination - arsenic and heavy metal, litter - 1 trap)
- Mullum Mullum Creek (contamination - E. coli; litter)
- Murray River (salinity, erosion)
New South Wales
- Parramatta River (contamination - dioxin, arsenic, coal ter, chromium, lead and phthalate)
- Darling River (salinity, erosion)
- Murray River (salinity, erosion)
- Cooks River (pollution, algal bloom)
Queensland
- The Bremer River (F water content - as low as possible)
- Brisbane River
- Oxley Creek (water grading D)
- Bulimba Creek (species threatened by soil degradation, pollution, waste)
South Australia
- River Torrens (contaminants - E. coli; algal bloom)
Water usage
Water use is a major sustainability problem in Australia. Durin Water becomes a huge problem for not only Australia but around the world as where there are more frequent droughts and only have limited water usage and then there are even places that have no water at all like Africa etc, we need save our water for the future and get more access to water because we only have about 5% access to it
Urbanization
Australia is one of the most urban countries in the world. Many cities in Australia have large urban footprints and are characterized by an inhospitable low-density urban density. It places demand on infrastructure and services that contribute to land clearing, pollution, transport related emissions, energy consumption, invasive species, car dependence and urban hot islands.
The urban sprawl continues to rise rapidly in most Australian cities, especially the state capital, all of which (except Hobart) are metropoleis. In some centers, such as Sydney and Greater Western Sydney, Greater Melbourne and South East Queensland, large metropolitan conurbations threaten to extend hundreds of kilometers and based on population growth rates are now expected to become big cities in the 21st century. Much of the population growth of Australian cities is the result of different migrations with birth rates and fertility rates in Australia, which contributes to the ongoing urbanization trend.
In recent years, several cities have implemented transit-oriented development strategies to curb urbanization. Important examples include Melbourne 2030, South East Queensland Regional Plan and Sydney Metropolitan Strategy. There are also state and federal population decentralization programs aimed at diverting populations from major centers and stopping drivers for rapid urbanization. Albury-Wodonga is part of a federal government decentralization program that began in the 1970s, which sometimes has a relocation policy for immigration. The Victorian Government has been running a decentralized program since the 1960s, has a position of appointed minister and an ongoing promotion and investment program to stimulate growth in Regional Victoria. But the policy has swung for decades, mainly because of local development priorities and agendas and lack of federal coordination for this issue.
sued including large amounts of electronic waste and toxic waste into the landfill. Australia has no restrictions on the disposal of toxic materials that are common in other countries, such as removing Cathode Cathode Tubes that run over heavy metals into water catchments. Due to the lack of adequate space for toxic waste disposal, large amounts of toxic waste are transported by interstate truck to landfill or exported abroad by ship.
Mining issues
Australia has the largest uranium reserves in the world and there have been a number of questions about uranium mining. The anti-nuclear movement in Australia is actively opposing mining and preventing the construction of nuclear power plants.
At least 150 leaks, spills, and license violations occurred at the Ranger uranium mine between 1981 and 2009.
Controversial land use project
The following is a list of controversial development projects due to environmental concerns. This list includes the projects required to submit the Environmental Impact Statement.
See also
- Conservation in Australia
- Flora of Australia
- Invasive species in Australia
- Land clearing in Australia
- List of environmental issues
- List of endangered flora of Australia
- Dirt in Australia
- Recycle in Australia
- Timbarra Gold Mine - a highly controversial gold mine
- World Uranium Hearing
Notes and references
Further reading
- Jared Diamond, Close: How People Choose Fail or Success , Penguin Books, 2005 and 2011 (ISBNÃ, 9780241958681). See chapter 13 titled Ã,  «Ã," Mining "AustraliaÃ,» (page 378-416).
External links
- Australian Environmental Portal
- Envirotalk - Australia's largest environmental discussion forum
- The Victorian Environment
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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