December also saw a raft of announcements in Australia pertaining to biodiversity management, legislation and accounting. It’s abundantly clear that companies must consider both their initial reliance and subsequent impact on biodiversity as seriously as they do carbon emissions.
7th December: New Biodiversity Council formed
Australia now has its own Biodiversity Council! Hosted by Melbourne University and supported by partners and philanthropy, the council will bring together experts from eleven leading Australian universities, including indigenous knowledge holders. Their aim is to synthesise biodiversity research, advise and comment on policy, and promote new solutions and opportunities to business, government and individuals. Inaugural Chief Councillor and former Queensland Chief Scientist Professor Hugh Possingham stated at the Council launch that:
‘There is currently no specialist biodiversity think-tank providing commentary on the adequacy of current policy, bringing together expertise to support all levels of government and industry to enact solutions, halt extinctions and reverse biodiversity loss. The Council will be Australia’s voice on biodiversity.’
The Council is actively contributing communications pieces on their website and platforms like LinkedIn, providing insightful and readily understood insights into biodiversity science and policy. We recommend checking it out!
8th December: Plibersek announces Nature Positive Plan
Australia’s Minister for Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek MP, has announced sweeping reforms to Australia’s environmental protection laws. The Nature Positive Plan: better for the environment, better for business is the governments formal response to the 2020 Samuelson review into the efficacy of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) – Australia’s cornerstone piece of environmental legislation. The review was, in a word, scathing, noting that as it stood, the Act was outdated, ineffective and in by virtue of its piecemeal approach to decision making actually resulted in “net environmental decline, rather than protection and conservation.”
In alignment with the reviews recommendation that an independent regulator should monitor and enforce compliance with the law, part of the Nature Positive Plan is the establishment of a federal Environmental Protection Authority. This will be an independent statutory body, and a ‘tough “cop on the beat”’. The Plan also provides for the development of National Environmental Standards which will define the outcomes that our environmental laws are seeking to achieve. A new Data Division will also be established in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to provide authoritative sources of high-quality environmental information to the EPA, the minister and the public.
It’s expected that the new legislation will be prepared in the first half of next year, with the draft exposed for public feedback before a final version being presented to Parliament before the end of 2023.
15th December: AUS and US agree to work together on natural capital
During COP15, the Australian and United States government announced a formal bilateral effort to create and coordinate a high-ambition group of prosperous countries to work on developing natural capital accounting and ‘aligning environmental and economic data into national environmental-economic statistics’. The work will be guided by the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework and is motivated by the recognition that such accounts support economic planning and decision-making, especially as it relates to financial sustainability. A technical working group will meet every 6 months, with senior dialogues being held once a year.
To find out how Zooss Consulting can support your organisation to integrate environmental sustainability reporting and planning into your traditional business planning process, contact us.
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