Looking for that flash of hope, a spot of bright light to illuminate the shadowed surrounds, can feel interminable. Around the planet there are dreadful things happening, and it is difficult to see how they can ever coalesce into any kind of happy ending.
Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are plenty of things to celebrate, people doing amazing and inspiring activities in their communities and across the country.
Some of those efforts have made our heavy environmental footprint slightly lighter than it would otherwise have been, which is excellent news.
The Our Environment 2025 three-yearly update on the state of our water, flora and fauna, and air, released yesterday, acknowledges there is a soupcon of optimism to be found in some places.
The report highlights how the lifestyles New Zealanders continue to want to lead are impinging on the quality of the environment, which then will ultimately rebound and affect their health, qualify of life, homes and livelihoods.
For example, people still want to live next to rivers, even if they are building on known floodplains and damaging floods are becoming more frequent. It’s the same along the coast. Homes and subdivisions are sprouting up which allow for awesome views of the waves crashing on the beach. But sometimes now these houses are not merely next to the sea, but actually in it. Who is going to want to insure dwellings or other assets in such places?
In the report, Secretary for the Environment James Palmer says assaults on the environment raise "very real risks" for people and their communities, particularly in the face of a changing climate.
"The message here is that the changes we make don’t need to have a negative impact and we can turn around past damage," he says. So, clearly, while there is so much work to be done in many areas, we can take solace that some things may be on the right track.
However, that is certainly not the case across the bigger picture. Putting aside the marginally upbeat moments, there are the usual grim pictures of degradation and damage.
As well as ongoing pollution to waterways from agriculture and chemicals, forest harvesting, urban development and leaky wastewater infrastructure, severe weather is disrupting access to affordable, nutritious food. The creep of housing across the peri-urban fringe is also reducing the amount of high-productivity land for fruit and vegetable growing.
The report says 84% of New Zealanders now live in urban areas and many are on or near the coast. Around 750,000 people and 500,000 buildings worth more than $145 billion are near rivers and in coastal areas already exposed to extreme flooding, and those in the latter are also jeopardised by extreme waves and storm surges, erosion and sea-level rise.
A 60cm rise in sea level will also make at least 2270km of roads, 5570km of pipes and buildings worth $26.2b vulnerable to inundation. As well, 191 marae are closer than 1km from the coast, as are 420 archaeological sites on public conservation land.
The warming atmosphere lifts the risk of forest and bush fires, and will continue to increase incursion of subtropical pests and diseases. Five years ago, the total cost of pest control was $9.2b, along with primary-sector losses that year of $4.3b.
The latest report, while offering us a trickle of optimism from already changed behaviours and others now transforming, mainly presents a sobering view of how many aggressors are nibbling away at all corners of our unique environment.
While there is some good news to report, we have to accept that the pressures from everywhere will continue to increase and massive steps need to be taken to mitigate their damage to our beautiful country.
