Heard Island, CC 4.0. BY-SA, Tristannew
Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network.
Huge environmental win’: Australia to Protect 52% of its Oceans, More Than Any Other Country
Over 10,000 square miles of protected area will be added to the Heard and McDonald Islands in Australia’s far southern territorial waters.
Coupled with other expansions of existing marine sanctuaries. By the end of the current administration’s term, Australia is on course to have 52% of its ocean territory protected, more than any other nation.
“This is not just a huge environmental win for Australia, it’s a huge environmental win for the world,” said Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek. “This is a unique and extraordinary part of our planet. We are doing everything we can to protect it.”
Located over 2,000 miles south of the Australian continent, the Heard and McDonald Islands are about 144 square miles of volcanic terrain and represent one of the most remote places on Earth.
They are important breeding grounds for 19 bird species, including 4 species of penguins, and dozens of other bird species take refuge there. The area is a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site, a RAMSAR Wetland, and an Australian national marine sanctuary.
The quadrupling of the sanctuary borders amounts to 11.5 thousand square miles (30,000 sq km) of additional protection but represents one-tenth of the total proposed expansions of marine protected areas.
Under the current guidance, prepared by nationally sanctioned scientific surveys, the total marine protected areas will make up an area the size of Italy.
The current administration of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is seeking to establish a new environmental protection agency, as well as set a high bar for the country’s commitments to an international philosophy of conservation governance known shorthand as “30×30” or “30 by 30,” which states that to prevent the worst effects of general environmental degradation worldwide, 30% of land and waters should be under protections. Often, the second thirty refers to a hypothetical 2030 deadline.
The good news in this article is that Australia’s leadership is taking serious steps to protect precious resources. Today’s JohnKu talks about serious environmental measures. I hope you have a terrific weekend.
The Environment by John W. Howell © 2024
Serious efforts,
Must be made to bring the world . . .
Into compliance.
Fiction Favorites 
The earth has given humankind so much and it only makes sense that yanno, humankind reciprocates. Given our situation, it’s of the essence, actually. Another great Friday ride, Sheriff.
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Thank you, Pilgrim.
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Another winnah
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😊
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Great news, especially after reading that the Great Barrier Reef might not be salvageable.
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I hadn’t read that. Sounds grim.
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Good for Australia!!
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They take this stuff seriously.
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Rightfully so.
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I agree. I wish China would get on board.
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Fantastic! Taking care of this planet means only the best for Nature and humans.
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I agree, GP. Thanks.
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Dear John
GREAT news.
Thanks for sharing
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thank you, F4oC
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Good news! Now the rest of the world needs to get moving!
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Especially China.
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Sounds like a great first step. I hope some of the rest of us will join in.
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I have China on my list.
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Yes, great news, John! Now more countries need to step up. The ocean is so important.
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China is the biggest on carbon emmissions
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This is very good news. Now it needs to happen worldwide. It’s essential. Thank you for the post. Very interesting.
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I wish China had a sense of world citizenship. Thanks, Esther.
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Thanks for passing along such good news, John — now, if others can get on board ….
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I agree, Debbie.
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It’s good to hear that a country is making moves to protect the environment from the harm brought by humankind.
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I agree, Tim. Folks have to step up.
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Role models!
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Yup.
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Heartening news, John. Thank you for sharing signs of hope. Have a great weekend!
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Always good to have hope, Gwen. Thank you.
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Doing the right thing shouldn’t be so uncommon.
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You are so right, Pam
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That is awesome news! Sounds like the land down under is aiming to be tops on protecting the environment.
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They have a lot to protect.
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That is indeed great news. Great initiative by Australia. I have to admit I had to look up where these islands are. It is a pretty desolate far away place but I imagine that only makes it more important to birds.
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I think so too, Thomas. Thank you.
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I think you’ve hit on a key element of conservation, John. When governments around the world see more countries participating in environmental causes, they’re more likely to get involved.
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Except for China. They haven’t done a thing. They are responsible for 30% of the carbon emissions in the world today.
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Nice to hear something positive. Hugs for the weekend.
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Thank you, Teagan. Hugs for your weekend.
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That is good news John and certainly an example to other countries on how to protect the land and seas we are privileged to inhabit. hugsx
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I would hope all countries would get serious about the issue. Hello China. You listening?
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Yup…hugs
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😊
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Excellent news!! Thanks for sharing, John.
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Thanks, Jan. It is great news.
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This is great news, John, and your words are timely!
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😁
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This is good news, John.
Your JohnKu tells the truth. Thank you!
Unbelievably, I have chatted with a few people who say they believe climate change is real, that species are disappearing and that pollution is at a critical point…but they don’t care!
We are not just fighting all the planet’s ills, we are also fighting the sickness of minds and hearts.
💔X ❤️🩹X 🖤X 💙X
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I am on a campaign to shine a light on China, India, Russia and Japan as well as ourselves China is the biggest and they contribute 30% to the total carbon emissions and have no desire to do anything. We can’t hope to have an impact on solving the climate situation as long as China, India, and Russia, and Japan don’t give a damn.💔X ❤️🩹X 🖤X 💙X
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That is true! You go!
💔X ❤️🩹X 🖤X 💙X
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Yup
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I hope other countries take notice and jump on Australia’s bandwagon. Great news!
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Yeah like China, Russia, India, and Japan.
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Yup!
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Hi John, this is a fantastic environmental good news story. Thanks for sharing it.
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Yes it is. Thanks Robbie
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That’s very good news John. I hope other countries will follow suit. 🙂
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I do too, Debby.
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