Oceans cover over 70% of the Earth's surface and contain a diverse array of species, habitats and ecosystems. As many as 100 million species, ranging from from the world's biggest animal (blue whale), to the tiniest of bacteria, live in our oceans, contributing to a rich biodiversity far exceeding that found on land. Marine extinction risk has ramped up rapidly in the past 50 years, to converge upon the level of risk seen on land. People use and benefit from oceans and coasts in a number of important ways - through recreational activities, coastal living, tourism, fishing, shipping, and exploiting reserves of oil, gas and minerals found beneath the sea floor in many parts of the world. What are the human and climate change-related impacts on Australia's fragile ocean ecology and marine habitats? Which species are most at risk? How is Australia conserving its rich marine environment, including the unique Great Barrier Reef? This book presents the latest key information on Australia's ocean conservation and management approaches, fisheries management and seafood sustainability, and reef management and marine pollution. Are our current efforts to save the treasures of our aquatic planet amounting to a drop in the ocean?
Australians dispose of about 21 million tonnes of household waste per year. Although we have made general improvements in our waste disposal habits over recent years, there is always more we can do to reduce, reuse and recycle. And in an agewhen avoiding rising energy consumption (and costs) is integral to reducing emissions-related impacts on climate change, many Australians are becoming more interested in exploring how to conserve their energy use. What are the best ways we can avoid creating excess waste and at the same time become more efficient with our power consumption? This book is a handy guide on how we can all live more sustainably by applying the most effective approaches to better manage our household waste and energy use. Learn how to become a sustainable consumer and reduce your carbon footprint
Worldwide displacement from wars, conflict, and persecution is at the highest level ever recorded by the UNHCR, and it continues to accelerate. Almost 60 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2014; alarmingly, over half of theworld's refugees are children. One in every 122 humans worldwide is now either a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum - if this were a nation's population, it would be the world's 24th most populous. The war in Syria, currently the world's single largest driver of displacement, has forced millions into neighbouring countries and throughout Europe, in the process challenging border security and nations' capacity and willingness to help. What is a refugee, and why are their numbers increasing? What are better-off countries doing to respond to this growing global crisis? What are Australia's human rights obligations to asylum seekers in relation to immigration detention and 'stopping the boats'? This book explores global refugee trends, and discusses Australia's response to the plight of asylum seekers and refugees. In our practically borderless global society, how should Australia play its part in dealing with this unprecedented humanitarian crisis?
Bushfires and grassfires are common events throughout Australia, a land with a hot, dry climate. Every year bushfires occur across Australia, often taking human life and damaging property. Major firestorms such as Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday have left scars on the national psyche and are stark reminders of the destructive power of bushfires. The impacts of climate change are clear with the emergence of more extreme fire weather in recent years; increasingly, many Australians are exposed to potentially catastrophic bushfires. Understanding bushfires and the risks they pose to whole communities is critical if we are to be resilient to these most common and destructive of natural disasters. This book explores the basics of bushfires, how and where they occur, the threats they pose and the hazards they bring. The book also explains in detail how to effectively prepare your home for a bushfire, and when to safely leave. Future bush fires are expected to get worse. Learn now how to prepare, act and survive.
Nuclear arms are the most destructive weapons on the planet, capable of destroying cities, killing millions and leaving behind catastrophic, long-term humanitarian and environmental consequences. The recent friction on the Korean peninsula involving provocative North Korean missile tests and antagonistic responses by the US has driven home the need for a total prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. Which nations currently possess these weapons of mass destruction, and what countermeasures are being taken by the international community, such as the implementation of treaties, negotiations, sanctions and inspections? What is Australia's current nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament policy; are we doing enough to contain and control the global threat of mutually assured destruction?
As the largest coral reef system on the globe and home to 1,500 species of fish and other diverse marine life, Australia's Great Barrier Reef is unquestionably one of the great wonders of the natural world. Unfortunately, it is also in gravedanger of dying. Recent annual back-to-back coral bleaching events have drastically accelerated the already existing damage to the Great Barrier Reef and its rich biodiversity. The reef is under threat from numerous other pressures, both natural and man-made. These threats include over-fishing, coastal development, agriculture, mining, tourism, and the ravaging ecological impacts of climate change. How is Australia sustainably managing the reef and the land-based and sea life it supports? What conservation threats are being effectively addressed, before it is too late to save the Great Barrier Reef?
Plastic products and packaging are integral to modern daily life. Plastic is durable, cheap, light and can be flexible or rigid, with multiple uses - however plastic is also making the planet a victim of its own success. Plastic pollution has become an epidemic, afflicting land, waterways, coastlines and oceans. More than 8 million tonnes of plastic go into the world's oceans each year, killing marine life as it breaks down into billions of microplastic pieces, without decomposing. Consumption of plastic has increased exponentially, but while plastic and packaging recycling in Australia is well established, currently only 14% of plastic is recovered for recycling or energy recovery. How can we reduce the amount of plastic waste, increase recycling and minimise impacts on the environment? What are governments, industry, retailers and consumers doing to eliminate the use of plastic packaging including bags, bottles and containers to reduce landfill waste and ocean pollution? This book offers confronting facts on plastic use, but also features strategies aimed at tackling plastic pollution. Now is the time to save our planet from the growing perils of plastic.
Time is running out for the world's forests, whose total land area is shrinking daily. Humans depend on forests for shelter, the food we eat, the air we breathe and the wood products we use. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for people, forests also protect biodiversity, prevent soil erosion and help to mitigate climate change. Global deforestation and forest degradation is a great problem requiring greater action. This book looks at the current state of the world's forests and progress towards more sustainable forest conservation globally. It also focuses on how Australia is managing and conserving its own native forests, with topics including forestry protection policies; tree-clearing and logging practices; the debate over native forest logging, including old growth forests; sustainable forestry practices, plantations and certification; and addressing habitat destruction and species loss. What are the sustainable solutions to deforestation and forest management - how do we see the forests for the trees?
Australia's energy system is undergoing major transformation, driven by economic, environmental and engineering factors. Consumer preferences are also changing as we seek greater independence and control over our electricity supply through smart meters, solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicles. Most of Australia's energy supply still heavily relies on its traditional, non-renewable resources of coal, oil and gas - yet Australia has plentiful clean energy renewable resources including solar, wind, geothermal, bioenergy, wave and tidal power. We also have the world's largest reserves of uranium to rely on - should we ever decide to choose controversial nuclear power as part of our energy mix. A secure supply of affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable energy is essential to the nation's future growth and prosperity. What are the pros and cons of Australia's various energy options? Are we adapting quickly enough to renewables or clinging too long to fossil fuels, at a time when other advanced economies are leaving non-renewables behind to counter the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions on climate change? Australia's energy policy debate is far from settled - so how should we power into the future?
The Earth is currently experiencing an extinction crisis due to the exploitation of the planet by humans. According to the IUCN Red List, more than 31,000 species are threatened with extinction - 27% of all assessed species. Are we in the midst of a global mass extinction event? Australia has one of the worst recent extinction records of any continent, with more than 100 species of vertebrates becoming extinct since the first people arrived over 50 thousand years ago; more than 300 animal and 1,000 plant species are now threatened with imminent extinction. Most of Australia's wildlife is found nowhere else in the world, making its conservation even more important. This book explores the state of the world's wildlife and examines the factors which are threatening their survival in Australia and globally, including habitat destruction, overexploitation, wildlife trading and poaching, pollution, and the devastating impacts of climate change in the form of droughts and bushfires. What about wildlife conservation? How can humankind better protect the planet's biodiversity - including wildlife and their habitats - to prevent more species from becoming extinct?
Australia's variable climate, geography and environment frequently places communities, infrastructure, ecosystems and cultural and heritage sites in the path of natural hazard events. Natural hazards are driven primarily by weather and geology. Weather-driven natural hazards include bushfires, floods, heatwaves, cyclones, landslides and thunderstorms, while geological-driven hazards include earthquakes and tsunami. The climate change-fuelled bushfire chaos of the past year alone has shown how exposed the nation is to natural hazards, causing distressing losses of life and property, and devastating the environment. A recent royal commission has exposed gaping holes in Australia's readiness for natural disasters. How should we better prepare for natural hazards and mitigate their impacts from becoming disasters; and how can we cope during and after they have occurred? What could we do at a government, emergency services, community and personal level to protect ourselves, develop resilience, and recover from the next major natural disaster?
Fresh water is our most precious resource; its scarcity is one of our greatest threats. The recent drought in Eastern Australia, where Sydney experienced severe drought, while towns across New South Wales and Queensland ran out of drinking water, demonstrates our exposure to water scarcity. A recent Productivity Commission report found Australia's blueprint for water reform, the National Water Initiative, is not fit for the challenges of climate change and our growing population. How can Australia achieve greater progress in water reform and improve the allocation of water resources through fairer water trading and rights and new infrastructure projects, as well as preserve the Murray-Darling Basin for food security, address advancing climate change, acknowledge Indigenous rights to water, deliver decent drinking water to all Australians, and ensure adequate drought management plans are in place around the country? We need to manage our water well into the future, before we are down to the last drop.
State and Territory fire agencies