By Geoff Curtis
Here is a list of twenty critical environmental issues that are of major concern to those who understand the changes that are affecting our planet. The invitation is intended for readers who may also be interested in joining in and may not be fully familiar with the transformations mentioned below.
LOSS OF WILDLIFE HABITAT, GLOBAL WARMING, DEFORESTATION, EXTINCTION OF SPECIES OF ANIMALS AND BIRDS, CHANGES OF WEATHER PATTERNS, RISING SEA LEVELS, SOIL EROSION, AIR POLLUTION, WATER CONTAMINATION, REDUCTION IN BIODIVERSITY, INADEQUATE WASTE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS, WATER QUALITY, PLASTIC POLLUTION, LOSS OF ECOSYSTEMS, INCREASING DROUGHT, GLOBAL FOSSIL FUEL EMISSIONS, OVER FISHING, MELTING POLAR ICE CAPS, RESOURCES DEPLETION and THE SCALE OF HUMAN POPULATION.
While other issues could be added to the list, for now, let’s see what unfolds in terms of levels of importance. Here is the question. Which of the twenty selected issues is the most important for our planet?
Take your time and think about it, and in doing so, think of reasons why this is so. For some of you, this might have been far more difficult, which I will allude to in a moment. Those who selected a particular environmental issue may have reasons, such as having a scientific background in this subject, having been involved in some action, or reading and being sensitive to the issue. If you did select one issue, congratulations on your thoughtfulness. To those of you who say you can’t necessarily pick a single issue, you are on the right track. The question was concerning our planet, not necessarily about one issue on its own. How does this manifest itself? While there are twenty individual environmental issues, many in their own way are interrelated. One example has been the result of the destruction of native forests on an immense scale in Tasmania, simply to reach mineral resources, developing monoculture plantations, and the construction of dams.
Thus, mining has in the past leached poisonous minerals that are still embedded in sediments in our waterways. Wildlife with no avenue to escape has little choice but to try and flee into other territories or die, while native flora, once decimated, may never return.
Fossil fuels (coal and gas) warm up the atmosphere along with other pollutants, which leads to the greenhouse effect. Once the natural water cycle is affected, we will witness more unpredictable weather patterns. Recent flooding of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales is testimony. In Tasmania, 95m2 of natural forests and open scrublands were destroyed by lightning early in 2025. Another contributing factor is increasing unremittent winds, both more likely linked to climate change.
This is not a healthy report card to leave succeeding generations after all, we are part of nature. The question is, how can any of us make some kind of impact, small as it may be, but collectively huge?
We can reduce our daily carbon footprint by conserving water, using energy efficiently by turning off lights, the TV, and the computer when not required. Making sustainable choices in our consumption of goods and services, including transportation. Re-use, reduce, and recycle where you can. Wash clothes in cold or warm water, plant native trees for shade, buy fewer plastic items, and rug up with warm clothing instead of continually using the heat pump. Where possible, walk to the local store, put solar panels on your roof, and make sure your house is well insulated in the roof, walls, and windows. For those who can afford it, double or even triple-glazing is increasing in many homes around the country.
Finally, educate yourself and the family in ways described and much more. Not forgetting, of course, your vote counts for those who offer practical, long-term solutions to help save our precious planet.