EIA And Soft Tools In Use To Control Pollution In Australia

This document discusses the use of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and soft tools to control pollution in Australia. It explores the steps for obtaining approval for a project that requires EIA in different states and highlights the importance of public participation in EIA. The document also includes a case study on conducting an environmental impact assessment for a development activity in Australia. Additionally, it discusses the use of soft tools to reduce carbon emissions from motor vehicles.

EIA And Soft Tools In Use To Control Pollution In Australia
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Table of Contents
Q1. Using the article “Revisiting the Limits to Growth after Peak Oil” provided in the class
summarise key learnings in terms of limit to growth. What are the means by which your country
is now tackling these issues?...........................................................................................................2
Q2. Compare the steps one needs to follow to obtain approval for a project that requires EIA in
two of your chosen state. Please choose the state as per the guide below. Specify the
commonalities or differences?.........................................................................................................4
Q3. Depending on the last digit of your ID answer the following questions..................................6
0-4. Pitfalls and overcoming them in South Australia and Victoria................................................6
6-9. Public Participation in EIA.......................................................................................................6
Q4. Consider a development activity (other than that is considered in the workshop) in a square
kilometre area (pick up any site using Google map, except the one used in the workshop) within
Australia and conduct environmental impact assessment...............................................................7
Q5. Reduction of carbon emission in the environment through motor vehicles- use of soft tools in
changing public behaviour.............................................................................................................10
Another tool designed by the WHO can be used to raise public awareness in stopping carbon
emissions from the vehicles. The tool is named as Integrated Transport and Health Impact
Modelling Tool (ITHIM). The tool tried and tested and developed by the University of
Cambridge, does a national level assessment on health impacts of transport emissions and the
related health hazards. It also provides with solutions like physical activities, changes in road
traffic, road traffic injury risks in order to change the public’s behaviour. Such tools have been
used in UK widely and also in the other European states. References:.........................................11
References:....................................................................................................................................12
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Q1. Using the article “Revisiting the Limits to Growth after Peak Oil” provided in the class
summarise key learnings in terms of limit to growth. What are the means by which your
country is now tackling these issues?
The environmental impact of overpopulation is a constant shadow of the times modern, no
matter whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. Billions of people simply living out their
lives consume energy and natural resources directly or indirectly. The newest addition to the
problem is waste management. The environmentalists of the ’60s and the ’70s predicted these
population related standard problems but it was impossible for them to predict everything
accurately (Gharehbaghi, Macmanus and Robson,2019).
‘Peak Oil’ as we know is the peaking of fossil fuel production and consumption for all purposes,
be it food production, energy production, Industrial and economic growth or Medical
discoveries. Admittedly this is the peak of human civilisation as far as science and technology
go, but the population growing exponentially is presenting us with unforeseen environmental
problems. Our consumption of resources to stay alive was sustainable initially, but now we have
lifestyle choices as a consumer (which keeps the economy on track and stable) we need energy
for Air-Conditioning, we need energy for computers, phone, Central Heating, GPS, Car
Navigation and so on and so forth. It is great for the economy, but this energy consumption
comes with its own set of after effects...negative mostly. That after effect is carbon, left after
burning of fuel in, in CO2 or CO form, both as automobile exhaust or industrial by-products.
Thus, as of today, we are well aware that the problem is directly related to population
overgrowth, depletion of finite natural resources including fossil fuel and other consumables and
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it also involves our carbon footprint, the amount of carbon that goes back to the environment as a
result of our existence.
The main solution as stated by David Meadows is equal distribution of the energy and one
should be worried about the future and thereby go for alternative modes f energy formation
which cannot be depleted easily and the values and practices of the ordinary people from the
grass root level. Otherwise nothing can be done.
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Q2. Compare the steps one needs to follow to obtain approval for a project that requires
EIA in two of your chosen state. Please choose the state as per the guide below. Specify the
commonalities or differences?
To analyse the environmental condition of the territories chosen by the study and thereby imply
the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) tools and steps and develop a project will need
certain prior studies. The unique environment attributes needs to be studied and the procedures
should take into account the implications on the environment. The projects are brought before
the public only after proper evaluation of the pros and cons of the steps to be taken and the
results it may bring about (Bowatte, et al., 2018)
In our study, we will be taking the Australian south zone, Tasmania and the Victoria islands.
These states of the Australian continent are protected by three main laws:
 The Environment Protection Act 1993 (South Australia).
 The Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (Tasmania).
 The Environment Protection Act 1970 (Victoria)
Before taking and formulating any project, rather before analyzing the conditions on the basis of
EIA, there are certain rules that have to be maintained and thought upon. They are:
 The actual project its size and the durability, the time it will need to be completed.
 The cooperation that can be received from the residents of the particular area, the
administrative bodies and the cultural bodies
 The interests of the community
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 The team strength and the tenacity that they can maintain while performing the
assessment.
 The techniques that can be employed to carry on the assessment.
To go for a comparative study of the two states of Victoria and South Australia we need to the
conditions of both the states air pollution conditions (Shaddick, et al., 2018).
Victoria’s environment quality has enhanced considerably over current decades and is measured,
well by world standards. However, air pollution continues to be an important environmental and
individual wellbeing matter. Victoria’s most widespread air contaminants are sulphur dioxide
particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. Of these, residual matter
(PM2.5 and PM10) and ground-level ozone are of utmost worry and is the centre of attention of
this report. This is due to their fragmentary occurrence in the ambient air, the number of supply
that chip into these contaminants and their probability to increase in the future, as well as their
potential environmental and human health impacts(Butler and Whelan.,2018).
The sources of such pollutants are mainly motor vehicles smoke from bush fires and pollutants
from industrial wastes.
Even in South Australia, the air quality is better than the rest of the world. Both the states are
running high risks of air pollution due to industrial emissions, vehicle emissions and some of it
being the natural bushfires and forest fires. The environmental protection acts per the years have
been concerned about both the states and have laid certain guidelines like:
 Reducing emissions of gases that may cause the greenhouse effects
 Increase in the use of renewable energies
 Directing the states and the people in using renewable energies(Ameen , Stagner and
Sting.,2018)
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Q3. Depending on the last digit of your ID answer the following questions
0-4: How did practitioners overcome the pitfalls of EIA? Select two pitfalls to answer your
question.
6-9: Write the importance of public participation in EIA and state where public opinion
should be sought with reasons? Identify and use literature from the Journal articles to
strengthen your argument.
0-4. Pitfalls and overcoming them in South Australia and Victoria
As the environmental impact assessment shows that the air pollutants are mainly from the
emission from vehicles, smokes from bush fires and planned burns. In cool conditions the
wood fire heaters and other industrial emissions. The health hazards are mainly
considered to be from the air pollutants. But what has not been seen is that such health
hazards could be the reason for the general health conditions of the public too. So, the
demographic condition s needed to be studied and the age e group the resides in the areas
of South Australia and Victoria islands need to be studied too. In most cases old age and
physical acute conditions like asthma, allergies and susceptibility to cold weather can be
the reasons for health hazards(Chen et al.,2018).
Second, the EIA has listed the motor vehicle emission of carbon monoxides to be one of
the main reasons for air pollution. But the increase n population, the climatic changes
also pose an important challenge in EIA predictions and the probable health hazards. It is
the role of the EPA (environmental protection act) to provide these states and its people
the knowledge and how to manage the impacts. To do this, the EPA has to fill up the
gaps in knowledge through innovative technologies and newer research methods. They
should also increase the source of their data. The knowledge base is responsible for the
safeguarding of the environment of Victoria and South Australia.
Q4. Consider a development activity (other than that is considered in the workshop) in a
square kilometre area (pick up any site using Google map, except the one used in the
workshop) within Australia and conduct an environmental impact assessment.
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1. We take a small square kilometre of the area of the most polluted part in Australia i.e.,
mapped by postcode 4825, called MT. Isa. The air pollution levels have been called The
Dirty Truth, where it has been seen that most of the pollutants and the problems are borne
by the lower middle-income groups of the area. The facilities to fight pollution are given
to the higher income areas which consist of only 0.1% of the total population of the area.
Such has been found out from the EIA done by the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Here the population are mainly min workers who live around the mines and the refineries
emitting poisonous gases(Hanigan et al.,2018).
Figure1: suburbs with most polluted tags in Australia
Source: SBS
This can be the baseline condition of the area and it can be worked upon to formulate an EIA.
2. The various types of impacts are to be studied next. In formulating an EIA the types of
impacts should be studied. Here in, we shall study the impacts of the air pollutants and
the particles from the coal mines, and the poisonous gases from the refineries. The most
affected with these are the low middle-income families that stay in and around the mines
and refineries (Knibbs et al.,2018).
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3. The short term and the long term impacts in these areas are that immediate calls for
limiting the pollution level as this may harm and make the health conditions severe for
the entire population in the long run. According to the Australian Conservation
Foundation.
4. The most impacted and significant impacts will be coming on the elder population and
the children of the area. It is the most Essential IN EIA to be focused on.
The activity that has to be implemented immediately is legal standards to the mines and the
refineries to set up a limitation on the emissions of the finer particles and the gases. They have to
seek alternative technologies to manage the pollution(Morley, and Gulliver,2018.)
Apart from this more agro-based industries, planting of trees, building water bodies and
more facilities to fight pollution that only 0.1 % of the high-income group gets should be
distributed equally to the whole of the population residing(Label, et al.,2018).
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Figure2: Steps to follow EIA
Source: Class Lectures
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Q5. Reduction of carbon emission in the environment through motor vehicles- use of soft
tools in changing public behaviour
Behavioural economics has studied the various ways and techniques and developed several soft
and hard tools to change the behaviour of the population towards certain issues and the decisions
to be taken. In order to successfully implement EIA, the requirements include assessment
several monitoring techniques and methods and most importantly involvement of the
communities present in the area. EIA can be implemented in the regions of the study that is
South Australia and Victoria, through various tools that are available through the world health
organization (WHO), to raise public awareness. WHO develops various tools that can be
implemented and that has been proven successful in other countries with the same socio-
economic structure as Australia. These are a combination of various soft tools and techniques
that can be implemented (Laidlaw, Gordon and Ball.,2018).
EIA can use the tool called the Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) to calculate the
various health and economic benefits against the air pollution caused by air pollution exposures.
This particular tool can be used for health-based assessments and thereby analyse the benefits of
walking and cycling. To motivate the public to follow this programme the EPA can further help
in enforcing legislative laws alike the
 The Environment Protection Act 1993 (South Australia).
 The Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 (Tasmania).
 The Environment Protection Act 1970 (Victoria) (MacKinnon, Duinker, and Walke.,2018).
The laws can be enforced through the soft tools developed by in 2008, Richard Thaler and Cass
Sunstein. Their tool was named Nudge tool, which could be used for improving decisions about
health, wealth and happiness. The tool gained success and importance in the US and the UK
both in the private as well as the public sector issues. The tool helps in changing public
behaviour without forbidding them from any options that they prefer or their economic
limitations. Nudge is used to influence public behaviour like the example of the use of urinals in
the School airport of Amsterdam in the men’s toilet. Nudge tool makes a person alter his
cognitive behaviour in a process that will favour the desirable outcome(McManus2018).
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Another tool designed by the WHO can be used to raise public awareness in stopping carbon
emissions from the vehicles. The tool is named as Integrated Transport and Health Impact
Modelling Tool (ITHIM). The tool tried and tested and developed by the University of
Cambridge, does a national level assessment on health impacts of transport emissions and the
related health hazards. It also provides with solutions like physical activities, changes in road
traffic, road traffic injury risks in order to change the public’s behaviour. Such tools have been
used in the UK widely and also in the other European states.
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