Key Sustainability Issues and Management Options

BSBSUS401
Quiz – Written questions
Part 1 – Key sustainability issues
1. The following table provides a summary of key sustainability issues. They are related to
changes to the physical and cultural (being the way we live) environments, which in turn
relate to the economic environment.
Complete the following table showing at least one valid management option that could be
implemented in your workplace for each of the key sustainability issues shown.
Key Sustainability Issues – Table 1
Key sustainability
issue
Implications – globally and in
Australia
Management options
1. Change in climate
due to an increase in
greenhouse gases
Rising sea levels due to
accelerated ice cap melting,
agricultural losses, drought,
flooding.
Reduction of greenhouse gas by
using the renewable energy, by
completing the analysis of cost
benefit that will increase the supply
of renewable energy percentage.
2. Reduction in air
quality
Increase in air pollution affecting
health, vegetation loss.
Reduce and manage the causes
that are creating more air pollution,
by implementing emission
monitoring, enforcement and
modelling programs. This measures
must prevent all the sources that
are leading to air pollution.
3. Reduction in water
quality and quantity
Less water available for
agriculture, natural environments
(leading to loss of biodiversity)
and human consumption and
recreation, increase in soil
erosion, increase in illness due to
unclean water consumption.
Reduction of the sources that are
reducing the quality and also
quantity of water. In case of gaining
this perspectives some options that
must be maintained are prevention,
interception and also treatment.
Also by implementing stubble
farming systems may help in
protecting the quality and also
quantity of water.
4. Loss of biodiversity Loss of species, land clearing
leading to erosion (which reduces
water quality), changes to the
food chain and ecosystems.
Biodiversity loss leads to the loss of
habitat. There are certain causes
that lead to this loss. Thus my
implementation of conservation
resources, controlling of invasive
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BSBSUS401
Key sustainability
issue
Implications – globally and in
Australia
Management options
species, restoring the degraded
ecosystems and also by
translocating of endangered
species the problems can be
solved.
5. Finite resources Limited supplies of fossil fuels
(e.g., oil, gas coal), changes to
transport modes, price increases
for fuels and other resources,
damage to the environment
through resource extraction
activities.
This are the non-renewable energy
which cannot be recycled. By
continuous usage of this energy will
lead to scarcity of the energy
source, which will cause certain
consequences. One and only way to
avoid this problem is to use
renewable energy.
6. Loss of heritage Reduction in heritage vales and
historical reference, cultural
losses – stories, traditions and
values, loss of cultural diversity.
As per the change of time there
cause a loss of the heritage and
culture in society. The only way to
hold this heritage is by
implementing of certain acts and
events which will change the
mindset of the people in the society
to hold their heritage and culture.
7. Generation of waste Increase in pollution risks due to
uncontrolled landfill disposal and
liquid waste disposal to rivers and
oceans. Health hazards
associated with uncontrolled
waste disposal.
Increase of pollution, and by
disposal in land and water cause
the generation of waste products.
Thus the random disposal in land
and water must be restricted and
certain ways must be implemented
to recycle the waste products.
8. Increase in noise Effects on community and worker
wellbeing, hearing damage.
The increase in population and
increasing of more technologies
lead to more increase of noise in
the society. To reduce the problem
the sources of noises must be
removed, or reduced as much as
possible. Certain engineering,
administrative controls must be
implemented to reduce the noise.
PPE that stands for personal
hearing protectors must be used by
the people who are facing the
problems.
9. Genetically modified
foods
Loss of species diversity, loss of
local traditions and small scale
methods of food production,
potential for larger scale
disease/pest epidemics due to
reduced crop diversity.
The GM foods lead to the reduction
of traditional foods and various
diversity of food. To avoid GM foods
the growing of GM crops must be
stopped, the importation should
also be stopped. Detection tools
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BSBSUS401
Key sustainability
issue
Implications – globally and in
Australia
Management options
should be introduced for detecting
the GM contained in food. Even
various policies should be imposed
in the practise of making GM foods.
10. Loss of
community and
social values
Increase in crime, reduction in
family support and reliance on
external financial support
mechanisms, loss of links to the
natural environment through
traditional values (see Loss of
heritage), and isolation from the
community.
Reduction in social, community and
family factor caused to the increase
of crimes, risks, isolation etc., thus
high quality and easy access
services must be provided in the
community so that people do not
lose their community values.
Besides unemployment is leading
to lose the social values among
people. So, people must be
employed.
2. Read about Plan2go a fictitious corporate travel and event company. Use their sustainability
policy to complete the following tasks:
a. Are all of the key issues listed in Table 1 relevant to the Plan2go business? Y/ N?
N.
b. List the key sustainability issues that are relevant to Plan2go.
 Reduction in air quality
 Reduction in water quality and quantity
 Finite resources
 Generation of waste
 Loss of community and social values
c. For each sustainability issue identified in (b) list two actions that Plan2go takes to
address each one.
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