Thread by @David_Ritter

If Australia is serious about a commitment to halt and reverse global #deforestation at #COP26 some things are going to have to change.
The truth is, @ScottMorrisonMP and his predecessors have been running what is basically an undeclared war on nature.
This must end.
A thread:

In February 2018, according to the government's own data, “less than 40% of Australia’s nationally listed threatened species have recovery plans… and for the 10% of listed threatened species that require plans, supporting documentation was unfinished.”
theguardian.com/environment/20…

In 2018, the Darling River fish kills threw Australia’s environmental mismanagement into sharp relief:
smh.com.au/environment/su…

Australia was in the midst of an extinction crisis, even before the calamitous fires of 2019/20:
theguardian.com/environment/20…

In 2019, a study by leading Australian ecologists found that from 2000 to 2017 about 8 million hectares of threatened species habitat was cleared, and 93% of it was not assessed under the EPBC legislation.
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.111…

The devastating bushfires of the 2019/20 summer affected almost 3 billion animals and burned 35 million hectares. Extreme weather events like bushfires are made worse by the climate crisis.
theguardian.com/environment/20…

After the fires, leading ecologists noted that the decades of underspending on environmental funding would certainly hinder fire recovery plans:
smh.com.au/environment/co…

The Morrison government’s obsession with ‘cutting green tape’ is in truth nothing more than an active attack on healthy natural environments - made more perverse by the knowledge of our extinction crisis and context post-catastrophic bushfires.
theconversation.com/mr-morrison-yo…

In April 2020, new data showed that koala habitats in NSW and Queensland had been destroyed at a faster rate since the animal was declared vulnerable in 2012 than before:
smh.com.au/environment/co…

In May 2020, experts warned that the Morrison government is actively choosing not to use its legal powers to protect wildlife from bushfires - particularly biodiversity in World Heritage Areas and EPBC Act threatened species.
smh.com.au/politics/feder…

In June 2020, an Auditor-General review of Australia’s environmental laws (the EPBC Act) found severe deficiencies in process; almost 80% of the federal environmental approvals examined were non-compliant or contained errors:
abc.net.au/news/2020-06-2…

In July 2020, an independent report found that Australia’s environment laws (the EPBC Act) are failing to curb our loss of habitat and species, and the environment is actually getting worse under the laws designed to protect it:
abc.net.au/news/2020-07-2…

Instead of taking the concerns presented onboard and following recommendations, the Morrison government moved to introduce changes that commentators noted would only further weaken the already failing system:
theguardian.com/environment/20…

In August 2020, conservationists made clear critically endangered birds like the Swift Parrot are facing a ‘death by a thousand cuts’, as the EPBC Act does not effectively take cumulative impacts into consideration:
abc.net.au/news/2020-08-2…

In September 2020, the koala was noted as ‘sliding towards extinction’ due to ongoing habitat destruction and bushfires. It was one of 28 animals being assessed for a potential upgrade to their threat status:
theguardian.com/environment/20…

Also in September 2020, Australia was singled out for criticism in the United Nation’s Global Biodiversity Outlook Report - we are home to what is believed to be the world’s first mammal extinction due to climate change:
abc.net.au/news/science/2…

In October 2020, Environmental science degrees were hit with nearly 30% funding cuts, greatly impacting Australia’s ability to cope with the impacts of climate change; drought, bushfires, coral bleaching and global heating:
theguardian.com/australia-news…

In January 2021, the final report of the EPBC Act Review clearly showed Australia’s environmental laws require a complete overhaul to reverse the ‘decline of our iconic places.’
theguardian.com/australia-news…

As of February 2021, there are 19 iconic Australian ecosystems already collapsing, including the Great Barrier Reef, kelp forests, savannas, deserts, mangroves and more:
theconversation.com/existential-th…

These are but some examples of the many times the government’s War on Nature has been prosecuted through funding cuts, attempted law changes, support for disastrous projects and refusal to act on climate. I could go on, but Twitter has its length limits.

Australia is one of the only megadiverse countries - meaning most Australian species occur nowhere else (84% of plants, 83% of mammals & 89% of reptiles).
What we do to protect nature absolutely matters - we’re the only place these species call home.
awe.gov.au/agriculture-la…

Of course, Australia’s dismal climate efforts is a key part of this - including Morrison’s lacklustre showing at #COP26 and pitiful net-zero by 2050 plan.
Climate change is the greatest systemic threat to all wildlife and nature.
theconversation.com/australias-net…

At this moment, Australia has over 100 fossil fuel developments in the pipeline that could result in nearly 1.7bn tonnes of greenhouse gases a year – equivalent to about 5% of global industrial emissions:
theguardian.com/environment/20…

To protect the places we love, and ensure our kids can enjoy the beauty of Australia’s incredible natural environment, we desperately need @ScottMorrisonMP to end the war on nature. This must start with committing to more ambitious emissions cuts - this decade. #auspol #COP26