This year, perhaps more than ever before, decision-makers, emergency services, health providers and threatened communities have needed fast, reliable information to understand what’s happening. And beyond that, they have needed high-powered modelling to get a sense of what is yet to come.
Late last week, the federal Auditor-General Grant Hehir tabled a damning report on federal authorities’ handling of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Incredibly, he found Australia’s premier environmental law is administered neither efficiently or effectively.
Lessons should be learned from what’s happening in New Zealand, where the government is funding projects that revive the environment. Unfortunately, Australia seems to be going the other way.
We know feral cats are an enormous problem for wildlife – across Australia, feral cats collectively kill more than three billion animals per year. Cats have played a leading role in most of Australia’s 34 mammal extinctions since 1788, and are a big reason populations of at least 123 other threatened native species are dropping.
With so many wanting to be outdoors instead of indoors, and then wondering what to do to 'keep moving' while there, an opportune time to rid our gardens of the weeds that spread into our bush reserves and playfields presents itself, especially in the case of those like lantana or cassia senna, currently easy to spot with those bright yellow flowers. Weeds such as this, imported from other places prior to Australia working out they don't suit here, spread into areas they shouldn't be, displacing the native vegetation and this as a food source for native animals.
It was a stunning example of “bioluminescence”. The phenomenon is the result of a chemical reaction in billions of single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates congregating at the sea surface.
Generally, white materials reflect more light than dark ones, and this is also true for buildings and infrastructure. The outside and roof of a building soak up the heat from the sun, but if they are made of materials and finishes in lighter or white colours, this can minimise this solar absorption.
Australia’s environment is in terrible shape. A major report released by the Australian National University this week assessed our weather, oceans, fire, water, soils, vegetation, population pressure and biodiversity – and gave an overall score of 0.8 out of 10. Environmental conditions are now the worst seen in many decades, if not centuries.
You’re probably inundated with news and messages about coronavirus at the moment. But how do you know if you’re consuming evidence-based information or just speculation and myth?
Elvina Bay Local, Michelle Ball, is one of the featured artists in Michael Reid and Country Style Magazines exhibition "The Country Interior". The exhibition is open from march 6-29th.
