³ÉÈË´óƬ

World Environment Day is a United Nations initiative to promote discussion and actions on environmental issues. It highlights how all living things are interdependently connected in the web of life and how we can act #ForNature.

Every year I say, 'this year has been crazy' but I swear this year really has been. The summer bushfire crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and now the Black Lives Matter movement sweeping the globe. These events may even mark a turning point in our history. As another World Environment Day comes and goes I'm reflecting on what the future might hold. The terrible events we have witnessed in the past few months may at face-value seem just that, terrible. But they also provide great promise for a better tomorrow.

The Bushfire crisis brought climate change into the national spotlight and in my opinion completely changed the debate from 'is climate change real?' to 'we have a problem, how are we going to fix it?' and there have been some really promising outcomes. Consulting with First Nations Australians on bushfire management techniques and an acknowledgment from federal government that the changing climate is posing an existential threat and must be addressed. Unfortunately, it is just talk and whether this amounts to any real action is yet to be seen.

Then, the coronavirus pandemic reached Australia and sent the country into a complete lockdown. From this catastrophic event the future of Australia was brought into the national discussion. For the first time in a long-time we got to ask ourselves, 'where are we at right now and what do we want the future of Australia to look like?' This has brought the debate around renewable energy and greater social equality to the forefront as we look at the future we want to live in. 

And finally, the Black Lives Matter Protests have swept across the United States of America and brought the discussion to Australia. How are we treating First Nations Peoples and how does this need to change? An issue that has long been controversial and continuously swept under the rug. A stain on the national identity that many have tried to ignore. However, from all these events comes great opportunity. A real focus on the challenges our environment is facing, the future we want to build and the disadvantage and discrimination First Nations Australians still face. People, place and the future.

Reflecting on the environment on World Environment Day, I don't see these problems as unrelated. We have a unique opportunity, a turning point in history that is shining a spotlight on these crucial, often forgotten elements of Australia; First Nations Peoples, environment and building a better future.