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Effects of increased greenhouse gases
2016 Report Content2016 Climate Pressures The growing concentrations of human-generated GHGs have resulted in an increased absorption, largely in the lower atmosphere, of the heat radiated from Earth’s surface, causing an increase in the...
Effectiveness of climate change management
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryClimate Effectiveness of management Planning and strategyManagement outputs and outcomesUnderstanding and researchRole and coordination of different levels of government...
Effectiveness of management 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceClimate change is a global problem that will require coordinated international action by all countries. The Paris Agreement, to which 195 countries (including Australia) have agreed, aims to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-...
Effectiveness of management for specific pressures and drivers
2016 Report Content2016 Effectiveness of management Earlier, we noted that the complex and dynamic relationships between drivers, pressures, ecosystems and humans call for policies and management actions that address both drivers and pressures. In many cases, the most...
Overview of effectiveness of management of the atmosphere
2016 Report Content2016 Atmosphere Effectiveness of management Australian Capital Territory Climate There has been a major development in international cooperation to address the global issue of climate change,...
Increases in greenhouse gases
2016 Report ContentPressures affecting Australia’s climate
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryClimate Pressures Direct (primary) effects of pressures on climateTrends in emissionsKyoto Protocol targetsAustralia’s emissions in contextIncreases in greenhouse gasesIndirect (secondary and tertiary) effects of pressures on...
Overview of effectiveness of management of the marine environment
2016 Report Content2016 Marine environment Effectiveness of management Many improvements to management frameworks across Australian and state and territory governments introduced since 2011, including the implementation of new national...
Overview of state and trends of the atmosphere
2016 Report Content2016 Atmosphere State and trends Climate What has changed since 2011? Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions per person decreased from 24.1 tonnes in 2011 (DCCEE 2012) to 22.2 tonnes in 2015 (DoE 2016a), although they...
Effectiveness of biodiversity management
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryBiodiversity Effectiveness of management Management statusNew technologies, solutions and innovationsAssessing the effectiveness of biodiversity managementManagement initiatives and investmentsManagement capacityManagement...
Antarctica is warming, although changes in atmospheric circulation brought about by the Antarctic ozone hole have been a temporary mitigating factor that has reduced the overall amount of warming, primarily in summer
2016 Key Finding2016During the past half-century, western Antarctic surface temperatures have shown general warming trends, with significant regional patterns. Cooling of the lower stratosphere because of ozone depletion in spring and early summer has helped to mitigate the amount of warming during the...
Climate change
2016 Report ContentOutlook for Australia’s climate 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceThe outlook for Australia’s climate depends on the effectiveness of international and national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Without mitigation, surface temperature increases of 3.7–4.8 °C above 1850–1900 temperatures are projected. To remain below 2 °C warming above...
Planning and strategy
2016 Report Content2016 Climate Effectiveness of management South Coast An important role of government is to develop effective policies, implemented through supporting strategies and plans. Emissions...
Pressures affecting Australia’s climate 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceGreenhouse gases (GHGs)—carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, short-lived tropospheric and stratospheric ozone, nitrous oxide and synthetic GHGs—together with water vapour, and natural and industrial aerosols, influence Earth’s energy balance. Human activity, primarily the burning of...
Effectiveness of land management
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryLand Effectiveness of management Human capitalManagement contextResources and capacity for managementHuman capital...
Outlook under an 'improved future' scenario
2016 Report Content2016 Outlook An ‘improved future’ scenario for Australia’s environment would see innovation in policy, technical and associated management approaches to: halt and reverse the decline in the environment, and the ecological processes that maintain...
Effectiveness of atmospheric management
2016, 2011 Assessment summaryAmbient air quality Effectiveness of management Management of sources of pollutionManagement frameworkIndoor air quality...
Risks
2016 At a glanceEven after management actions and resilience are taken into consideration, some pressures can continue to pose a risk to the environment. Identifying and assessing the risk to the environment examines both the likelihood that the impact will take place and the severity of anticipated...
Economic activity as a driver of environmental change
2016 Report Content2016 The production of goods and services requires energy and materials—metals, minerals, water, food and fibre—all of which come from the environment. The impacts of resource extraction, production, transport, use and waste generation are central to how economic activity affects...
Figure ATM3 Radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750, and aggregated uncertainties for the main drivers of climate change
2016 GraphRadiative forcing for the main drivers of climate change, and total radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750 Radiative forcing for the main drivers of climate change, and total radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750 Radiative forcingaerosols positive upper...
Executive Summary - Antarctic environment
2016 Executive SummaryAntarctic environment 2016This report mainly focuses on the environment of areas administered by Australia (the Australian Antarctic Territory, and the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands), subantarctic Macquarie Island (which is part of Tasmania)...
Box LAN3 Bees—pressures and impacts
2016 Case StudyRisks to Australia’s air quality 2016
2016 At a glanceAt a glanceDuring the past 50 years or so since the first clean air Acts were introduced in Australian jurisdictions, state and territory environment protection agencies (often working together with local government) have successfully employed regulatory and nonregulatory measures to greatly...
Climate change–induced pressures
2016 Report Content2016 Land Pressures South East Coast Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania Lake Eyre Our...
Figure ATM11 Greenhouse gas emissions by gas and sector, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting, 2015
2016 GraphGreenhouse gas emissions by gas and sector, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting, 2014–15 Greenhouse gas emissions by gas and sector, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting, 2014–15 Carbon...
Land–water interface
2016 Report Content2016 Coasts Pressures South West Coast South Australian Gulf Greater Adelaide Great Barrier Reef Greater Melbourne...
In this report
2016 Report Content2016 Land Introduction This report provides an account of the most significant and recent human impacts on our land. It highlights improvements in land management over some parts of Australia, as well as several...