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The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Science
- The Advertiser
Australia's environment is in decline and so is the tool needed to protect it
Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected. Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected. Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected. Australia is changing - we know this from decades of careful, detailed observation. However, the systems that provide this environmental intelligence are now under severe strain. Satellites, weather and water stations, and field surveys are the window to our environment, but these systems are under threat just when we need them most. The latest Australia's Environment special report on 25 years of change makes this clear. Since 2000, our population has grown by 44 per cent, adding immense pressure on land, water and biodiversity. Over the same period, Australia's average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees each year. Ocean temperatures have also warmed, by around 0.43 degrees, fuelling more marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef. The number of listed threatened species has risen by 741, from 1397 to 2138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants show dramatic declines, by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. There are a few hopeful signs. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, with increased leaf area, woody growth, and plant cover, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and CO2 fertilisation. River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions. The hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action. All of these insights come from long-term environmental monitoring. Our report draws on data from the Bureau of Meteorology, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA's MODIS satellite program, now in operation for 25 years. The consistency and breadth of these records allow us to detect trends, understand drivers and make informed decisions. Australia does not operate its own Earth observation satellites. It relies entirely on other countries, particularly the United States, for critical data. Agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supply the satellite imagery and climate records that underpin almost all aspects of environmental monitoring in Australia, tracking weather, water, fires, vegetation and greenhouse gases. Now that access is becoming uncertain. The Trump administration's 2026 budget blueprint proposes dramatic cuts to environmental science: NASA's Earthscience funding could be halved, while NOAA's climate and weather programs face deep reductions. These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure. Australia has no backup. If these data streams are disrupted or discontinued, no domestic system can replace them. At the same time, our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded. Weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired. Groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts. Field-based surveys of plants and animals are even more fragile. Many threatened species receive no dedicated monitoring. Long-term ecological studies are rare and often rely on individual researchers or one-off grants. Volunteer groups and citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining and long-term support is thin. This slow erosion of Australia's environmental intelligence may go unnoticed until it's too late. Gaps in monitoring make it harder to detect emerging threats or assess the impact of policies and interventions. As long-term records are interrupted, their value diminishes, and when international access is uncertain, we may end up flying blind. A future national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), currently in the works, must play a broader role than just regulation. It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what's happening, where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure of environmental observation, from satellites to sensors to surveys. It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers, and providing sustained support for the data they collect. The Australia's Environment: 25-Year Trends report shows what's possible when we invest in data: we gain a clearer picture of what's changing, what's improving, what still needs attention. But it also shows how easily that picture can blur or disappear altogether. You can't protect what you can't measure and right now, our ability to measure itself needs to be protected.
Washington Post
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The NASA science missions that would be axed in Trump's 2026 budget
President Donald Trump's fiscal 2026 budget request, if approved by Congress, would kill many of NASA's plans for robotic exploration of the solar system. Gone, too, would be multiple space-based missions to study Earth, the sun and the rest of the universe. Among the planets that would get less attention are Venus, Mars and Jupiter. But the planet facing the biggest drop in scrutiny from space is our own. The Trump budget proposal calls for reducing Earth science funding by 53 percent.
