Australia quietly released the national ecosystem account last week. Now we need to use them
Nature in Australia stored almost $60 billion worth of carbon in 2021–22! How do we know? Because this value was recorded in the country’s second set of ecosystem accounts just put out by the ABS. And they are open for everyone to see. You can look up your favourite ecosystem to see how it is doing in terms of its extent and condition, and the ecosystem services it provides. Here, Michael Vardon explains why these accounts are important and how we should be using them, and laments at how little attention they given.
A long time between drinks!
This is just a quick note to say that Sustainability Bites has been quiet now for several months. But that will change soon.
We’re still not measuring our reliance on nature as we rush to boost productivity
Human economies are made possible through natural capital – stocks of land, fresh water, oceans, biodiversity and soils, among others. Farming isn’t possible without soil or water. Manufacturing isn’t possible without raw materials to convert into products. Service industries aren’t possible without reliable food. This may seem like stating the obvious. But what’s obvious isn’t always acted upon. At last week’s high-profile Economic Reform Roundtable, natural capital was conspicuously absent. At the table were bankers, unionists, housing experts and business groups – but only one environmental advocate, former treasury secretary Ken Henry. The government’s goals were to make the economy more productive and resilient and the budget more sustainable. The health of our natural capital underpins all of these.
More need for speed: can we squeeze a little more out of the old EPBC Jalopy?
Last year I published a blog The Need for Speed, floating ideas for solving a long-standing problem, the need for quicker environmental approvals. In the lead-up to Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ economic roundtable this week, regulatory ‘streamlining’ is very much back at the top of the public policy, so it’s time for another look. AI is being held up as a panacea for speeding up the process but this overlooks the main issues causing the delay (lack of information and poor coordination between state and federal processes). However, the old EPBC Act has some unused potential that might change the game.
The perfect toolbox (doesn’t exist)
When building a toolbox, it pays not to put all your eggs in one basket. It’s a basic rule of complex systems science and a cautionary tale for every optimizing handyman (or woman). It’s also a good rule to keep in mind if you believe efficiency will solve the challenge of sustainability.
Let’s TOC – Less Theory, More Change, Better Democracy
Quentin Grafton responds to the question, what is your Theory of Change (TOC) in terms of shifting away from the current business-as-usual trajectory of ever rising greenhouse gas emissions? While acknowledging TOC has value at an individual or organizational level, he sees it as a distraction to the changes in how democracy is practiced if we are to effectively mitigate climate change.
Why Western economies, underpinned by the concept of scarcity, will fail to make significant environmental change for the environment
The catalyst for this article was the question I posed in a recent blog post on Sustainabity Bites (What’s your theory of change?). Dr Jennifer Andrew is a social scientist, writer, environmental educator and editor, and long-time friend of Sustainability Bites. If you have your own ideas on what brings about (or blocks) change, please consider putting down your thoughts ‘on paper’ and sending them to me.
What’s your theory of change? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours
Everyone has a ‘theory on change’ though, for most of us, it’s not something we explicitly articulate. That’s something that should change. Given the failure of society to engage with the existential issue of sustainability, maybe it’s about time we all started thinking and talking about what we think enables change.
Ready or not, big change is coming. What will we want from society after the shift?
When the status quo shifts, as it always does, uncertainty follows. Come what may, we’ll all be better off if society sustains high levels of trust, good leadership and cooperation.
Change is hard, it’s also remorseless and effects everyone including the government
We want change, but our governments keep doing the same thing. In many cases governments exert stronger control to ensure things stay the same. The irony here is that, over time, the more our leaders attempt to hold things the same, the more things change and slip out of their control. That’s the nature of complex systems. (Part 3 in our series on change.)
The Bite
Key messages from our featured blog –
Out on a Limb: Why Urban Forests Keep Losing the Argument and Our Children Pay the Price
Michael Vardon on why urban forests keep losing the argument — and how a bit of accounting could change the odds. And he begins by looking at the loss of a much loved 80-year-old raintree in Cairns.
