Overview
- Australia’s environment scored 7.4 out of 10 for 2025 after heavy rain refilled Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre and produced the largest Channel Country inundation in 15 years.
- Marine heatwaves drove record sea temperatures, consistent with WMO findings that oceans absorb about 91% of excess heat, causing a sixth Great Barrier Reef bleaching and stress at 79% of monitored reefs.
- A toxic algal bloom linked to warm waters spread along nearly a third of South Australia’s coast, killing marine life and affecting the health of residents and beachgoers.
- Threat listings grew by 39 species in 2025, with climate change identified as a risk for roughly nine in ten newly listed species and with frogs and reptiles showing the steepest declines.
- Conditions varied by place, with Queensland leading at 8.38, South Australia lowest at 4.78, and inner suburbs in Sydney and Melbourne outperforming outer areas due to greater tree cover and fewer hot days.