05/06/2026
World Environment Day is June 5 every year. This year the theme focuses on action for climate change by individuals, communities and governments. On Phillip Island Milawul many folks are doing a great job with their own lifestyles and projects, and joining in on working bees with groups like ours to work towards mitigating the worst effects of climate change.
Make no mistake, climate change is very real and with us right now. Hotter than normal springs are weakening plant's stamens at a time they are trying to flower to be pollinated for the next season. Now we have plants flowering completely out of season to try to compensate - such as this Moonah, normally flowering in summer, but this one has been flowering since April on the island's western side.
We have trees pumping out glucose to keep their canopy going, because under the soil is so dry their sap systems are massively stressed. The glucose in the leaves then attracts the browsing animals, such as possums, which then contribute further to the decline of the trees.
We have the biggest carbon sponges - mangrove forests and saltmarsh - struggling to maintain a foothold, or trying to migrate inland to avoid rising seas, and warmer seas. And no doubt, more polluted seas. All sorts of experiments have been undertaken to reintroduce mangroves. PICS Life Member John Eddy invented a method which has shown promise, but which now is up against so many climate change induced variables, that it may not be viable after all. Pictured is another experiment, growing mangroves in buckets to force pneumatophore (breathing root) growth to aid in establishing young plants. Worth a try - but if we don't take climate change seriously and fund these attempts sufficiently, we won't succeed in re-establishing mangroves to protect our shores around much of Western Port.
We have koalas requiring water to drink for much of the year, which was unheard of in the past.
We have wallabies coming to bird baths all summer to soak their big feet to try to cool their heat-stressed bodies which are under huge pressure due to the lack of moisture in the plants they feed on.
Who knows how long we will be able to keep growing vegetables we have traditionally relied on? Mould increase, reduced pollinating insects, and invasive species thriving in the hotter climate are now making both home gardens and broad-scale horticulture problematic.
Huge, historic trees are struggling to keep their structures strong with the many challenges our dryer, hotter climate presents. If trees such as these on Churchill Island start to respond to stress by dropping limbs, they will need to be removed for public safety. What a tragedy that would be.
If you don't believe climate change is real, stop and look around you. Even with the rainfall we have had in the last month or so, the ground is still dry not that far below the surface, our farm dams and creeks are still low because there has been no real runoff, and our reservoir still sits at 50%.
Human behaviour is the key to calming down the warming planet. Can individuals or community groups like ours do it alone? Definitely not! Can governments work together to implement solutions we already have? Not while we are so focused on 3-4 year election cycles it would seem. Can transnational fossil fuel corporations make a difference - yes, but only if the will to do so is there. At present, with business carrying on basically as usual, there is little evidence of enough concern to change the status quo.
Much to think about climate change on World Environment Day 2026, and on every day.
