Hard truths

WHO CAN resist a cute kitten? I can’t.They make me go weak at the knees, and even the grown-up versions can melt my heart if they’re the affectionate, purring type. But cats are by far the most destructive of all the animal species introduced into Australia post-European settlement. Along with climate change and habitat destruction, feral invaders such as cats and foxes complete that unholy trinity of impacts that threaten so much of what we love about Australia. Urgent environmental challenges demand equally urgent and often unpalatable responses. Former AG editor John Pickrell tackles the emotive and often polarising topic in this issue (see page 80). He describes the true extent of the feline threat to native species biodiversity and explores some of the innovative solutions currently being trialled, alongside more traditional methods of pest control.The adorable cats that share our homes can be every bit as predatory as their country cousins, and if we really profess to love and care for nature, we need to ask ourselves the hard questions about how we manage our much-loved moggies and whether or not we engage in responsible pet ownership.

There are other hard decisions ahead if Australia is to meet its commitments to the 2015 Paris Agreement. How we get there is a matter of heated debate at all levels, and it’s possible to feel powerless to make inroads as individuals. Sustainability expert Geoff Ebbs offers a personal road map to reducing your domestic carbon footprint in practical and achievable ways during the next few issues (see page 30). Some changes won’t be easy. Others are no brainers, such as turning off your lights for an hour at 8.30pm local time on Saturday 26 March as part of the global Earth Hour movement. But it’s better to be part of the solution, and, who knows, you might even save some money along the way!