By Professor Euan Ritchie
Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Deakin University

“It takes two to speak the truth: one to speak, and another to hear” – Henry David Thoreau

If we are to have any hope of protecting and restoring Australia’s wildlife and the ecosystems they call home – with which our own survival and wellbeing are inextricably linked – what’s needed more than anything is honesty.¹ Like the child stating the obvious about the Emperor’s lack of clothes, collectively we must stop accepting, settling for and perpetuating the patently absurd regarding the conservation of nature. We need honesty from our governments and political leaders, institutions, industry, and ourselves.

Let’s dispel some of the most common and oft perpetuated dis- and mis-information relating to the environment and biodiversity.

Lie 1. Australia’s government can’t afford to fund the majority of environmental protection and repair

Australia is a sovereign nation, and can therefore fund whatever it deems an important priority.² There are currently more than 2,000 threatened species and ecological communities in Australia, and this number is rapidly rising.³ The federal government has classified 110 species and 20 places as priorities.⁴ Funding that supports the environment does not come at the cost of other priorities, in fact it benefits them.⁵

For perspective, the federal government is planning to spend a minimum of > $360 billion on AUKUS (the security partnership between Australia, the UK, and the USA), and the Biodiversity Council estimates government also spends more than $26 billion annually on subsidies likely to harm biodiversity.⁶

The Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists has calculated that for ~$7.3 billion per year over 30 years ($219 billion total) we could take massive strides towards achieving far greater environmental protection and recovery.⁷

It is therefore frankly nonsensical that the federal government suggests we need a much-criticised and highly dubious nature repair market to finance conservation.⁸ Are we really to believe that capitalism and markets – that created the very issues we confront – will also now be our saviours and the solution? This obfuscation and absolution of responsibility by government is truly shameful, especially when we consider what’s at stake and how little time we have to turn things around.

We are fortunate to have many world-leading environmental and climate experts and more than enough knowledge and expertise in Australia to address the problems we face. What we continue to lack, and severely so, is sufficient government ambition and financial support.

Lie 2. We can continue harmful actions and simultaneously sustain a biodiverse, nature positive world

Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, claimed at the Global Nature Positive Summit ‘We’re doing everything we can to protect our extraordinary oceans and marine life’.⁹ This statement is quite hollow, given that the very same Minister has:

1. Recently approved the expansion of three coal mines which will contribute further greenhouse gas emissions, driving increased warming and negative impacts on the Great Southern and Great Barrier reefs, which are already under severe pressure.^10,11
2. Permitted industrial fishing to continue within deep waters of a marine sanctuary in the vicinity of Heard and McDonald Islands,¹² placing marine biodiversity at risk.
3. Failed to rapidly and sufficiently curtail the impacts of the salmon industry and other threats, driving the Maugean skate to the very brink of extinction in the wild.¹³

On land, the picture is no brighter. Forest homes of threatened greater gliders were destroyed during the nature ‘positive’ summit.¹⁴ Endangered koala habitat was recently cleared, allegedly unlawfully, for coal mining.¹⁵ The Victorian government has chosen to extend and geographically expand the Unprotection Order and killing of dingoes in eastern Victoria,¹⁶ despite dingoes being a listed threatened species and this decision being deemed culturally harmful and strongly against the concerns of many First Nations peoples.¹⁷ 

Likewise, First Nations peoples and local communities have had their concerns ignored on Larrakia Country (Darwin), where the development of a defence housing project has already destroyed habitat at Lee Point (Binybara), home to several threatened species and an extraordinarily rich diversity of other wildlife.¹⁸ Further works have been paused as there are allegations some of the habitat destruction that occurred was unlawful.¹⁹

We live on a finite planet, where life has evolve d to exist within certain conditions and boundaries. No amount of politics, greenwashing, and sleight of hand (see carbon and biodiversity offsetting)^20,21 can escape from the fact that habitat destruction, in all its forms, inevitably drives biodiversity decline and extinction.

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” – Rachel Carson

Lie 3. Increased environmental protection risks jobs and economic growth

One of the most well-worn and defeatist tropes is ‘it’s jobs and economic growth versus environmental protection and sustainability’. Such a deception is regularly perpetuated by many media outlets, and manifests in multiple ways. Minister Plibersek’s ministerial appointment was labelled a ‘demotion’ by many,²² but how can this be so? The environment literally keep us alive, it brings us great joy and is essential for our wellbeing, it drives our economy,²³ and has enormous cultural and social values. Sounds important to me!

The great tragedy here is that many politicians, industry and organisation leaders, journalists, and others lack ambition, imagination, and fail to see Australia has an enormous opportunity,²⁴ one that is the envy of others across the globe. Environmental protections and repairs are not a cost, they are a very shrewd investment.²⁵ We only need look at Costa Rica to see what’s possible when government and society truly seize a bold, sustainable future with nature at its core in their commitment to decarbonise their economy.²⁶ By investing in the conservation and repair of nature, Australia could reap benefits across society.²⁷

Lie 4. We can achieve and sustain a biodiverse world without far stronger environmental laws and enforcement

Following the arrival of Europeans, Australia’s environmental demise has been rapid and severe.²⁸ It’s not merely an historical tragedy – our environment is continuing to deteriorate at an alarming rate. The harms inflicted are well documented and have occurred under local, state, territory and federal governments of varied political persuasions.²⁹ Despite attempts to make this a partisan issue, it’s very much a shared failure.³⁰

Let’s not forget, both the current and previous federal Environment Ministers (Labor and Liberal, respectively) have argued that they do not have to consider the environmental harm that emissions from fossil fuel projects may cause.³¹ Perhaps this is why the current government is also refusing to install a “climate trigger” that would consider the impacts of development proposals on emissions.³²³ Political expediency cannot defeat fundamental laws of physics and chemistry. If we continue to fill the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, the world will continue to warm, extreme weather and fire events will disturbingly become increasingly normal, and humans and other life will suffer, greatly.^33,34,35

Despite the scathing independent review of the performance of Australia’s environmental laws (EPBC Act),³⁶ led by Professor Graeme Samuel AC, and a commitment by the current government to end ten years of neglect,³⁷ the full reform package has not been delivered, and no time has been set for when this will occur,³⁸ if this occurs. There is now a genuine risk of environmental laws and the associated Environment Protection Australia agency being watered down,³⁹ and hence rendered inadequate and ineffective, against the comprehensive recommendations of the Samuel review and scores of environmental experts. Environmental laws and protections are also under severe pressure at state and territory levels, including in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.^40,41

There are many key ingredients for progress towards achieving genuine social and environmental justice and better outcomes for the conservation of nature. Media diversity and ownership, and laws related to political donations, whistleblowing, and anti-corruption are vital. But I will leave these to be discussed by others far more expert on these topics than I.

Importantly, we must own our individual choices and impacts. What we eat, wear, how often and by what means we travel, and whom we vote for…all of these things matter. The privileged minority causing the vast majority of environmental harm must be accountable.⁴² It is all too easy to fall back on another trope, that environmental decline is largely a function of too many people. Yes, population size is an issue that must be addressed in a thoughtful way, but wildly contrasting rates of consumption and social and cultural equity must also be central to discussions.⁴³ None of this will be easy, but it is vital.

More than ever, we need to summon, support, and celebrate courage, the courage to speak truth to power, out loud, and wherever possible, in public. We must be honest with ourselves and others, and stop perpetuating lies.

“There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.” – Cornel West

Euan Ritchie is a Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Deakin University. He was recently awarded the 2024 Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting an Understanding of Science and 2024 Australian Natural History Medallion.

References:

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