Unlike the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at Biodiversity COP15, the Nature Positive Summit proved to have substantial greenwash from the Australian and NSW state Governments, as they continue to approve and subsidise new coal and gas or logging of native forests.
The Federal Labor Government had been elected in May 2022 with a commitment to take strong climate action and to revamp and overhaul Australia's ineffective national environment laws.
A report on State of the Australian Environment had its publication delayed by the previous Coalition Government. This report showed most ecosystems are declining or in a dire state which needs to be addressed, and is already impacting human society and economics. This expert report summaried at The Conversation, argued that:
- Australia’s environment is generally deteriorating
- Climate change threatens every ecosystem
- The importance of Indigenous knowledge and management to deliver on-ground change
- Environmental management isn’t well coordinated
- Environmental decline and destruction is harming our well-being
Since Labor came to power in May 2022 we have seen some changes made such as a Water Trigger and Nature Repair Market, further changes to establish an Environment Protection Agency and Data Information Agency at a standstill in the Senate with the Government unwilling to compromise with the Greens and crossbench. Most substantive changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act have now been pushed out to beyond the next election. A fundamental fail by this Labor Government.
The Coalition has refused to bargain on a bipartisan basis and has signaled its support for business as usual regarding land clearing, forestry and mining. They too refused to act on the Samuel Review to upgrade ther EPBC Act. Ambition to address biodiversity crisis and species extinction is failing from both major parties.
The Nature Positive Summit seems to be more talkfest as Government policy ambition fails to address the nature negative policies already in place and driving biodiversity loss. The conference was held a week after three new thermal coal mine projects approved by the Federal Government that will result in up to 1.5 billion tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.
The Labor NSW government can't stand high either as Forests NSW is about to log native forests 400km north of Sydney in the Bulga State Forest, which includes habitat for ther endangered Greater Glider. The Federal Government Regional Forestry Agreements with the states exclude application of the present ineffective national environment laws to protect endangered species.
Even the headline announcement of increased marine protected areas around Heard and Maquarie Islands we find that Marine scientists have identifierd that key areas for biodiversity were not protected.
Some fiery words for @tanya_plibersek from First Nations custodians, elders, community leaders and more, calling out the ‘Nature Positive Summit’ hypocrisy today! 💥#NoMoreCoal #NoMoreGas #ClimateJustice #AusPol #NaturePositiveSummit pic.twitter.com/eK3d33o4uk
— MoveBeyondCoal (@MoveBeyondCoal) October 8, 2024
The Australia Institute highlighted the Labor Government hypocrisy in ads in the Sydney Morning Herald and Canberra Times;
Polly Hemming, Director of The Australia Institute’s Climate and Energy Program said:
“Halting nature loss is fundamental to the entire concept of ‘nature positive’. No government that is actively approving habitat destruction can claim they are making good progress on a nature positive economy,” .
“Minister Plibersek has stated that ‘transitioning from nature destruction to nature repair will require a mighty global effort’ but her government is still actively causing that destruction.
“The Australian Government is also hoping to host a UN climate conference in 2026 in partnership with Pacific Island nations. It is unfortunate that our governments appear to be spending far more time organising conferences to talk about climate and biodiversity than actually doing anything about them.
“The first steps to demonstrating a genuine commitment to a nature positive economy and protecting Australia’s extraordinary and fragile ecosystems is for the Australian Government to stop subsidising and approving harm.”
Australians support increased nature protection
On 8th October new YouGov polling commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation and WWF Australia revealed nature protection and restoration is a top priority among Australians:
- A whopping 99% of Australians say it is important that future generations can enjoy Australia’s natural wonders.
- 4 in 5 Australians are concerned that more Australian species will go extinct. And that concern is high no matter age or political allegiance.
- 7 in 10 voters say the Federal government needs to do more to protect and restore nature.
- A majority of Australians (86%) support Australia having stronger national nature laws.
- 9 out of 10 Australians think businesses need to do more to protect nature.
“The reforms of Australia’s national nature laws currently hang in the balance,” ACF CEO Kelly O’Shanassy said. “All eyes are on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to do the right thing for nature and not cave to a fossil fuel driven campaign to derail nature law reform.
Reporting on the Nature Positive summit
8-10 October 2024 - Inaugural Global Nature Positive Summit.
Holding this summit was an undertaking Australia made at CBD COP15 in Montreal. Frtom reading sdome of the feedback tyhe summit proved to be primarily a talkfest withn a focus on financialising nature and biodiversity ratherb than stopping its decline and stopping existing harm.
- DCCEEW Global Nature Positive Summit website
- 7 October - SMH Opinion - Nature positive? How about we stop being nature negative first
- 8 October - Australia Institute - “Nature Positive” summit can’t conceal nature negative policies
- 8 October - Greenleft - Protesters outside Nature Positive Summit demand Plibersek take real action
- 8 October - Australian Conservation Foundation - Staying positive about the state of nature is getting very hard
- 9 October - First Dog on the Moon, Guardian - A delegation of Maugean skates are listening to the keynote speaker at the global nature-positive summit
- 10 October - ClimateWorks - The Global Nature Positive Summit was the first of its kind. Here are Climateworks Centre CEO Anna Skarbek’s key takeaways
- 11 October - Corrs Chambers Westgarth - Takeaways from the Global Nature Positive Summit
- 14 October - Independent Australia - Labor turns nature summit into blatant act of hypocrisy
- 17 October - The Mandarin - Nature conservation is a public good, not a market
- 18 October - Cosmos - Experts agree, the Global Nature Positive Summit was “disappointing” (This included it being more talkfest and less policy ambition by Australian governments)
8 October 2024 - Environment Minister announces ‘Huge environmental win’: Australia to protect 52% of its oceans, more than any other country, Plibersek says. Sub-Antarctic marine park expansion welcomed but scientists say some areas important to penguins and seals missed out on sanctuary-level protection (Guardian), and under the Biodiversity convention definition only about 25% is now adequately protected according to Dr Ian Cresswell.(Guardian). Marine scientists say Australia has squandered the chance to show global leadership failing to protect important areas for marine biodiversity. (The Conversation) Meanwhile 400km from the Nature Positive Summit The NSW Forestry Corporation has started logging in Bulga state forest, inland from Port Macquarie,in habitat of threatened species including endangered koalas and the endangered greater glider. (Guardian)
7 October 2024 - Australian Government spends around 50 times more on subsidising activities that harm the environment than it spends on helping biodiversity each year argues the Biodiversity Council. The assessment found that around 4% of the federal budget goes to subsidising activities that are likely to have a medium to high adverse impact on biodiversity; a total of $26.3 billion per year. (Biodiversity Council)
9 October - Nature Positive Summit Explainer from the Guardian
Background to the Nature Positive summit
30 September 2024 - Nature Positive market? Economics editor Ross Gittins nails the problem of nature market offsets and credits and the solution: "how else can we pursue nature positive? Well, here’s a radical thought: governments could stop logging native forests, stop further land clearing, stop subsidising fossil fuels, stop permitting new mines and gas fields, and start spending a lot of money restoring land and habitat." (The Age)
17 September 2024 - The big Labor fail in updating Australia's Nature laws to include climate impacts and beefed compliance. Adam Morton on The environment was meant to be ‘back on the priority list’ under Labor. Instead we’ve seen a familiar story (Guardian) "Every year since the act came into force in 2000, Austalia’s threatened species populations have actually fallen 2-3%. When development, agriculture and infrastructure projects do get assessed under these laws, about 99% are approved. Experts have found the laws permit ongoing destruction of critical habitat for threatened species.... our government is showing worrying signs of letting industry and developers control their environmental agenda." (The Conversation) Biodiversity Council has urged Labor Government to establish a robust EPA and EIA (Biodiversity Council).
3 September 2024 - 20 more species added to Australia’s threatened wildlife and flora list, including a species of Waratah. One ecological community – the King Island scrub complex, was also added.The fresh listings bring the total number of endangered plants, animals and ecosystems to 2,245. This listing comes days after the Albanese Government suggested watering down new EPA legislation. (Guardian)
20 August - New report: Koalas or coal mines, how the federal government can save Australia’s most iconic species’ - national report launched by alliance of climate and nature conservation groups focussed on mining threat to endangered Koala habitat (Mackay Conservation Group PDF)
7 August 2024 - More species added to Australia's endangered list. Australia’s government now recognises 2,224 species as being under threat of extinction. (Australian Conservation Foundaton)
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