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Historic Content you are reading content from a previous reporting year.

Showing 30 of 654 results

Effects of increased greenhouse gases

2016
Climate
Pressures
Report Content

2016 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...

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Effectiveness of climate change management

2016, 2011
Climate
Effectiveness of management
Assessment summary

Climate Effectiveness of management Planning and strategyManagement outputs and outcomesUnderstanding and researchRole and coordination of different levels of government...

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Effectiveness of management 2016

2016
Climate
Effectiveness of management
At a glance

At 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-...

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Effectiveness of management for specific pressures and drivers

2016
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 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...

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Overview of effectiveness of management of the atmosphere

2016
Atmosphere
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 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,...

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Increases in greenhouse gases

2016
Climate
Pressures
Report Content
... in positive radiative forcing, which has a warming effect on the climate ( Figure ATM2 ). ...
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Pressures affecting Australia’s climate

2016, 2011
Climate
Pressures
Assessment summary

Climate 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...

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Overview of effectiveness of management of the marine environment

2016
Marine environment
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 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...

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Overview of state and trends of the atmosphere

2016
Atmosphere
State and trends
Report Content

2016 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...

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Effectiveness of biodiversity management

2016, 2011
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Assessment summary

Biodiversity Effectiveness of management Management statusNew technologies, solutions and innovationsAssessing the effectiveness of biodiversity managementManagement initiatives and investmentsManagement capacityManagement...

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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
Antarctic environment
Key Finding

2016During 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...

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Climate change

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content
Climate change may also have a significant effect on air pollution. Warming and drying of the climate is ...
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Outlook for Australia’s climate 2016

2016
Climate
Outlook
At a glance

At 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...

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Planning and strategy

2016
Climate
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Climate Effectiveness of management South Coast An important role of government is to develop effective policies, implemented through supporting strategies and plans. Emissions...

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Pressures affecting Australia’s climate 2016

2016
Climate
Pressures
At a glance

At 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...

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Effectiveness of land management

2016, 2011
Land
Effectiveness of management
Assessment summary

Land Effectiveness of management Human capitalManagement contextResources and capacity for managementHuman capital...

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Outlook under an 'improved future' scenario

2016
Outlook
Report Content

2016 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...

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Effectiveness of atmospheric management

2016, 2011
Ambient air quality
Effectiveness of management
Assessment summary

Ambient air quality Effectiveness of management Management of sources of pollutionManagement frameworkIndoor air quality...

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Risks

2016
Risks
At a glance

Even 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...

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Economic activity as a driver of environmental change

2016 Report Content

2016 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...

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Figure ATM1 (synthetic greenhouse) Annual mean concentrations of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and synthetic greenhouse gases) observed at Cape Grim, Tasmania, and from air extracted from Antarctic firn and ice cores, 1500–2015

2016
Atmosphere
Graph
Synthetic greenhouse gases ...
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Figure ATM3 Radiative forcing in 2011 relative to 1750, and aggregated uncertainties for the main drivers of climate change

2016
Climate
Pressures
Graph

Radiative 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...

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Executive Summary - Antarctic environment

2016
Antarctic environment
Executive Summary

Antarctic 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)...

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Box LAN3 Bees—pressures and impacts

2016
Land
Pressures
Case Study
... in commercial use of the buff-tailed bumblebee for greenhouse pollination, which could increase the likelihood ...
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Risks to Australia’s air quality 2016

2016
Ambient air quality
Risks
At a glance

At 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...

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Climate change–induced pressures

2016
Land
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Land Pressures South East Coast Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania Lake Eyre Our...

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Figure ATM11 Greenhouse gas emissions by gas and sector, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change accounting, 2015

2016
Climate
Graph

Greenhouse 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...

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Land–water interface

2016
Coasts
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Coasts Pressures South West Coast South Australian Gulf Greater Adelaide Great Barrier Reef Greater Melbourne...

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Soil

2016
Land
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Land Introduction Soils form at the interface between land, the hydrosphere and the atmosphere. Their formation and placement are the result of complex interactions between differential weathering of primary...

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In this report

2016
Land
Introduction
Report Content

2016 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...

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Australia State of the Environment 2016 has been prepared by independent experts using the best available information to support assessments of environmental condition, pressures, management effectiveness, resilience, risks and outlook.

This site is a major undertaking to improve the usability of SoE information. We are grateful for the support of users in our ongoing efforts to improve SoE reporting.  Please report problems with the site via our feedback page.

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Acknowledgment of Country

We, the authors, acknowledge the traditional owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community; we pay respect to them and their cultures and to their elders both past and present.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2017-2018

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