How are we reporting?

In the latter half of the 20th century, as environmental damage such as pollution became increasingly obvious, the United Nations hosted international conferences where communities, scientists and governments discussed ways to prevent, limit or reverse environmental harms.

Regular state of the environment (SoE) reporting was one of many responses to these problems and today, most states and territories of Australia and some local councils, produce detailed SoE reports.

At a national level, reporting is conducted every five years by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The Global Reporting Initiative, set up in 1997, established reporting frameworks, guidelines and sustainability standards to help communities, industries and governments better communicate and demonstrate accountability for impacts on the environment, economy and people.

The Pressure-State-Response model was also developed and standardised in the latter half of the 20th century.

See the page for more information about the models and the page to learn how the 2024 report has been structured across themes and within each topic.

The SoE report aligns to global models including the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and Planetary boundaries.

See the page for more information about the models.

Many of our environmental concerns are shared by other Australian states and countries around the world. By aligning the SoE report to these models, we are using a common, global language, allowing comparison of our report with existing data and target outcomes.

See the and pages for more information

The SoE report uses environmental indicators to assess the status and trends of environmental factors. These indicators help to understand the impact of human activities and natural processes on the environment, guiding government policy and management decisions, as well as action by industry and the community.

See the page for more information.

In 2021, the NSW EPA was directed by the state Minister for Environment to report on the state's progress towards achieve the NSW Net Zero Plan. This is reported in the State of the Environment reports under the page.

The SoE report is a useful resource for schools, universities and the community. We are currently developing links with the NSW Curriculum and will continue to build on links to other education opportunities. These may include stories, videos, audio or links to specific case studies. Look out for our resource icons across the report to learn more.