Page 269 - Week 01 - Thursday, 10 February 2022
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In the environmental context, communities and individuals that may face structural disadvantage include, for example, people with disabilities, the elderly and young people, who may be facing higher risk from the impacts of heat and other extreme weather exacerbated by climate change. One concrete example—the pun is intended—of an environmental injustice is the issue of heat islands in western Sydney suburbs. They are caused by rising global temperatures and poor development choices—that is, too much concrete. These are in stark contrast to the more affluent, leafy and less diverse suburbs in Sydney’s east. This demonstrates how important the work of our government is in ensuring that Canberra reaches 30 per cent canopy of trees across the city, that residential blocks have trees and cooling green spaces, and that they are designed for our changing climate and deliver a healthy environment for all.
As Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage, Minister for Homelessness and Housing Services and Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction, I am in a privileged position to see how a right to a healthy environment includes fundamental requirements such as ensuring that the homes for the most vulnerable in our community are cool enough in summer and warm enough in winter. This is why we have introduced the vulnerable household scheme, to support everyone to have access to a healthy and comfortable indoor environment, and why we continue to strengthen renters’ rights to ensure that they are able to live in an insulated and comfortable rental home.
I thank the EDO for its thought leadership on how our governments can embed the right to a healthy environment into our systems and our practices. Their work has reinforced the importance of the action this government is already undertaking and shows us new directions that we can take to strengthen environmental justice for all Canberrans. Rightly, there will be a focus on the right to a healthy environment in terms of exposure to pollution or environmental harms as this work progresses. However, I would now like to think about some of the positives and the therapeutic benefits that access to nature can provide, as has been touched on already.
Overall, the evidence connecting our nature reserves and health is substantial, offering strong justification for the promotion of, and the investment in, parks and reserves and settings that enhance the health and the wellbeing of our community. And then there are the health and wellbeing benefits of environmental volunteering. A Victorian study, Feel Blue, Touch Green, found that participation in nature-based groups improved mental and physical health and the general wellbeing of people living with anxiety, depression, postnatal depression or mental health problems related to social isolation. Given the pandemic, this could not be more important.
In the bush capital we have an abundance of nature, with no Canberran living more than 3.5 kilometres from a nature reserve. While this is a great opportunity to tap into improved outcomes for the community and government, we need to keep coming back to equality and, through this, develop approaches that are welcoming and accessible to diverse audiences. This includes people from different backgrounds, ages, mobility and accessibility needs.
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