---
title: Buried enviro report card paints a shocking picture of crisis and govt inaction
description: The environment is in bad shape and worsening because of factors including climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, mining and pollution, a report reveals.
---
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The Canopy is a weekday morning email newsletter provided by the team at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
# Buried enviro report card paints a shocking picture of crisis and govt inaction
Tuesday, 19 July 2022
Our new federal environment minister will today release a sweeping report on the state of the environment that will show it is in bad shape and getting worse because of factors including climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, mining and pollution. No wonder the previous government didn’t want this published ahead of the last election.
In more positive news, members of the Pacific Islands Forum, including Australia and New Zealand, have thrown their support behind Vanuatu’s bid to have the world’s highest court consider the vexed issue of climate change as a human rights issue.
And the ACT is set to become the first Australian state or territory to phase out fossil fuel-powered cars with the government announcing plans to put the brakes on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035.
[State of the Environment: Major report reveals extent of species decline](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lithgowmercury.com.au%2Fstory%2F7823298%2Fa-story-of-crisis-major-report-reveals-australias-environmental-decline%2F&uId=5a778e7a00aa2026a265262c&cId=5a71496272d9dc241933e61d&contextId=62d5bc246b90954ccb049901&dId=9qs8y6SaPcu1aliL2ZSVgrYnOW4&op=open&sentiment=V&isHosted=false&id=18347420&name=Federal%20Election%202022&type=search&s=mail-digest)
Australia's environment is in poor and deteriorating health, and the level of spending to fight the numerous threats it faces has been inadequate, according to a major report described as "shocking" by the Labor government.
[Australia more willing to catalogue destruction of natural heritage than to preserve it](https://www.theage.com.au/environment/conservation/australia-more-willing-to-catalogue-destruction-of-natural-heritage-than-to-preserve-it-20220718-p5b2id.html)
When Jess Abrahams was a boy he used to see koalas on his grandfather’s farm in the Yarra Valley on Melbourne’s fringe. About 10 years ago the koala was first listed as vulnerable. Today, it is listed as endangered in much of the country under the federal government’s key environmental protection law, the EPBC Act.
[Why the Coalition hid major report from voters](https://app.meltwater.com/mwTransition/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.easternriverinachronicle.com.au%2Fstory%2F7824224%2Fthe-coalition-hid-a-major-environment-report-now-we-know-why%2F&uId=5a778e7a00aa2026a265262c&cId=5a71496272d9dc241933e61d&contextId=62d5bc246b90954ccb049901&dId=hATVn1o0-nAogQlA6poTt-8xVS0&op=open&sentiment=N&isHosted=false&id=18347420&name=Federal%20Election%202022&type=search&s=mail-digest)
Of all the Morrison Government’s cynical moves perhaps none was more cynical than its decision to withhold the release of the latest five-yearly State of the Environment report. It's confirmation - if more was needed - that the planet is warming, our animals are dying, land is degrading and the Great Barrier Reef, or at least parts of it, is on the brink.
[Pacific Island Nations Are Bringing Their Climate Justice Fight to the World's Highest Court](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pacific-island-nations-bringing-climate-123412967.html)
For nearly a year now, Vanuatu has been trying to build a coalition to get the world’s highest court to issue a legal statement, or an advisory opinion, on climate change. And on Monday, the climate justice movement made important headway when Pacific Island nations threw their weight behind Vanuatu’s efforts.
[Green groups in last-ditch bid to block UK’s Australia trade deal](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/18/green-groups-in-last-ditch-bid-to-block-uk-australia-trade-deal-brexit)
Environmental campaigners have launched a last-ditch legal bid to prevent or delay the UK’s trade deal with Australia, owing to concerns over its impacts on the climate and the natural world.
[ACT accelerates move to EVs with plan to ban new petrol cars from 2035](https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2022/07/18/act-accelerates-move-to-evs-with-plan-to-ban-new-petrol-cars-from-2035/)
The Australian Capital Territory is set to become the first Australian state or territory to phase out fossil fuel-powered vehicles with the government announcing plans to put the brakes on the sale of new petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles from 2035.
[London airport forced to suspend flights after extreme heat leaves 'defects' in runway](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-19/london-airport-suspends-flights-as-uk-heatwave-melts-runway/101249174)
Two British airports, including the UK's largest air force base, have been forced to suspend flights after extreme temperatures caused issues with their runways. The shutdowns come as Europe experiences an extreme heatwave, which has seen Britain endure its hottest day of the year on Monday, with temperatures topping 38C.
[Reef](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/reef), [Coal](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/coal), [climate change](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/climate-change), [Pacific](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/pacific), [Electric vehicles](https://blog.greenpeace.org.au/the-canopy/tag/electric-vehicles)
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