Lessons, Learning From Down Under

Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom have roughly the same per capita income and the same broad cultures, so perhaps they ought to be equally able to maintain good environmental governance. Australia and the United States have equivalent environmental performance, but below that of the United Kingdom. Perhaps this can be understood once geography and demographics are considered. The United Kingdom has less than half a hectare per person, with a GDP of more than $8,000 per hectare. The United States has around six times the per capita landmass, and around one sixth the per hectare GDP. Australia has around 70 times the per capita landmass and one 83rd of the GDP for each hectare. Whilst our three countries rank as virtually equivalent in World Bank rule of law measures, sustainability performance is clearly a function of far more than legal, institutional, and political integrity. In Australia's case, our challenge is further compounded by the fact that it was only 200 years ago that biodiversity began to experience agricultural or industrial impacts, creating harmful trajectories that are unstoppable without far more investment.