From ABC News (19/3/24)…
Australia’s environmental scorecard went down in the ‘roller-coaster’ that was 2023
Australia’s environmental scorecard worsened in 2023, but the country fared better than much of the rest of the globe, according to a report from the Australian National University (ANU).
Conducted annually, Australia’s Environment Report compiles detailed scientific data to give the country a score out of 10.
In 2023 the score was 7.5, down from 8.7 in 2022.
Professor Albert Van Dijk, from the ANU’s Fenner School of Environment, said that was mostly to do with rainfall.
“The main reason for that [is] to do with the fact that it basically rained less than the year before,” Professor Van Dijk said.
The average national rainfall was 511mm, roughly on par with the long term average though significantly less than the 2022 average of 663mm.
Weather data is combined with satellite data on water flows, vegetation growth, threatened species and biodiversity to calculate the annual score.
State and territory scores are also calculated, with the Northern Territory having the highest score and Western Australia the lowest.
