Updated projections of climate change in Australia were released in 2015, and are explored in the Drivers and Atmosphere reports.

Anthropogenic ocean warming and ocean acidification, superimposed on natural climate variations—in particular, ENSO and decadal variability (Holbrook et al.

Climate change is an increasingly important and pervasive pressure on all aspects of the Australian environment. Although our climate and its high natural variability from year to year have always been a major influence on the state of the Australian environment, strong evidence shows that the cl

As reported in SoE 2011, climate change continues to be a global problem.

The condition of Australian estuaries and bays, and coastal freshwater lakes and lagoons is covered in detail in the Coasts report.

The section should be read in conjunction with the Heritage report. Much of the data in the Heritage report include the coastal zone, so it is summarised here and readers are directed to the Heritage report for detail.

Australia’s native vegetation and habitats have been severely affected since European colonisation. Almost 40 per cent of forest (Bradshaw 2012) and more than 90 per cent of grasslands have been lost or heavily degraded.

Australia has a wide variety of coastal waterways.

Emissions from commercial and domestic sources (domestic wood heaters are considered separately) exert pressure on local air quality and on airshed quality. Domestic sources, for example, can affect photochemical smog by releasing VOCs.

Australia’s commercial wild-caught marine fisheries are highly diverse and contribute significantly to the economy.

This section examines the condition and integrity of Australian heritage places according to both jurisdiction and type.

The impact of harvesting is considered a potential threat to 30 per cent of listed threatened species across a wide range of taxa.

Ecosystem-based management aims to balance human activities with environmental stewardship to maintain ecosystem properties, functions and services.

Our growing cities require careful planning and management to ensure that they remain attractive and livable, and that ecosystem services are maintained.