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

Showing 30 of 98 results

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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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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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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Figure ATM2 Radiative forcing as a result of long-lived greenhouse gases measured by CSIRO in the Southern Hemisphere

2016
Climate
Graph

Radiative forcing due to long-lived greenhouse gases, Antarctic firn and Cape Grim, 1950–2015 Radiative forcing due to long-lived greenhouse gases, Antarctic firn and Cape Grim, 1950–2015 Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol synthetic greenhouse gasesNitrous...

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Increases in greenhouse gases

2016
Climate
Pressures
Report Content
... ). This has resulted in significant increases in positive radiative forcing, which has a warming effect on the climate ( ...
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Increased sea levels

2016
Built environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Built environment Pressures South West Coast South Australian Gulf North East Coast Greater Brisbane Greater...

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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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Human influences on Antarctica

2016
Antarctic environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Pressures Antarctica As detailed in the Drivers report, the key drivers of environmental change are population and economic growth. Antarctica, as the only continent...

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Increased extreme weather events

2016
Built environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Built environment Pressures Murray Darling North East Coast Timor Sea Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin...

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Pressures affecting Antarctic marine species

2016, 2011
Antarctic environment
Pressures
Assessment summary

Antarctic environment Pressures Pressures on the marine environment Antarctica Year...

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Pressures on the marine environment

2016
Antarctic environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Pressures Antarctica The water chemistry of the Southern Ocean appears to be changing at a faster rate than previously estimated, particularly in the deep ocean...

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Risks to the Antarctic environment 2016

2016
Antarctic environment
Risks
At a glance

At a glanceAs for other regions, distant human activities can contribute to the key risks to the Antarctic environment, including global population, economic pressures and the effects of climate change. Management can mitigate many of the population and economic impacts, and climate change...

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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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Introduction

2016
Introduction
At a glance

Drivers are the underlying natural and human-caused forces that generate the pressures on the environment. Natural drivers of environmental change include changes in Earth’s orbit, and variation in the amount of solar energy and volcanic eruptions. The human-caused drivers of change to the...

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Governance

2016
Antarctic environment
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Effectiveness of management Marine South East Antarctica The Antarctic Treaty System is the primary international governance framework for the...

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Soil: Understanding

2016
Land
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Land State and trends South Australian Gulf Tasmania Understanding the current state and condition of Australian soils requires an appreciation of their diversity...

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Nonregulated diesel engines, including shipping and nonroad transport

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Murray Darling Greater Sydney Nonroad diesel engines and equipment are used in a wide variety of applications, including rail...

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Box HER32 World Parks Congress 2014

2016
Heritage
Effectiveness of management
Case Study

In 2014, the Australian and New South Wales governments joined forces with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to bring the World Parks Congress to Sydney. This was a significant investment in effort and resources to give Australia a major voice in...

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Antarctic governance

2016
Antarctic environment
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Introduction Antarctica The Antarctic Treaty and a set of related international agreements, known collectively as the Antarctic Treaty System, provide the framework...

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Atmosphere

2016
Coasts
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Coasts Pressures Greater Brisbane Great Barrier Reef Greater Sydney Indian Ocean Airborne emissions Australia’s...

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Introduction

2016
Introduction
At a glance

A healthy environment sustains our economy and wellbeing The environment provides significant intrinsic values to society, and many consider that the natural world has innate worth regardless of whether or not it has values that benefit humans. At a more practical level, the...

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Resilience of the Antarctic environment 2016

2016
Antarctic environment
Resilience
At a glance

At a glanceAlthough organisms living in Antarctica have evolved to cope with severe events, it is challenging to measure their level of resilience and to predict how future climate change will affect Antarctic ecosystems. This is largely because our understanding of key parameters is still...

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Pressures on Antarctic historic heritage

2016
Antarctic environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Pressures Antarctica The Mawson’s Huts Historic Site at Cape Denison in the AAT is Australia’s oldest and arguably most significant historic heritage site in...

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Box HER31 Innovative management of local heritage—the City of Ballarat

2016
Heritage
Effectiveness of management
Case Study

The City of Ballarat is a ‘goldfields’ town with many heritage places that reflect different phases of Ballarat’s development, set within a historic urban landscape and protected using the ‘heritage overlay’ provisions of the planning scheme (City of Ballarat 2016). In 2013,...

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Australia’s emissions in context

2016
Climate
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Climate Pressures Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin Greater Hobart Greater Melbourne Although Australia’s emissions in...

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Temperature

2016
Climate
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Climate State and trends Australia’s climate has warmed since national temperature records began in 1910, with mean surface air temperature showing around a 1 °C warming since then (Figure ATM18). Concurrent with...

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Outlook for the Antarctic environment 2016

2016
Antarctic environment
Outlook
At a glance

At a glanceCurrently, the Antarctic environment is still in a comparatively good condition. However, the pressures on the continent and the surrounding ocean will increase. For example, the extraction of marine resources is not only going to continue but will intensify in the future. Most...

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Global importance of Antarctica

2016
Antarctic environment
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment Introduction Marine South West Marine South East Antarctica Although isolated from other continents, Antarctica is...

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Heritage listings

2016
Heritage
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Heritage Introduction Antarctica Identifying and protecting heritage places is fundamental to ensuring that they are appropriately conserved, celebrated and passed on to future generations...

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The physical environment: The atmosphere—climate and weather patterns

2016
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Antarctic environment State and trends Antarctica The physical environment includes both the nonliving factors that characterise an ecosystem (e.g. weather patterns, ice coverage, the...

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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.

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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.

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