Sustainable Systems: EIA, Social Impacts & Development in Australia

This report identifies deforestation and pollution as the two most severe environmental issues facing Australia, linking them to climate change. It proposes solutions such as reforestation and stricter vehicle emission policies. The report critiques the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process in New South Wales, highlighting drawbacks like the lack of explicit arrangements for public participation and project expansion assessments, contrasting it with Tasmania's implementation issues where EIA recommendations are often overlooked due to bureaucratic influence and economic considerations. Furthermore, it outlines a screening-level assessment for a hypothetical development activity, focusing on social impacts, public participation, and the integration of soft tools to promote sustainable behavior and manage COHESION POLICY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

Running head: SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM PLAN
SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM PLAN
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Answer to Question 1
Part [a] Severe Environmental issues and its connection with climate change
Environmental issue has become a global concern in the contemporary world and
Australia is no exception. At present, the country is experiencing a numbers of environmental
issues; two most important of them are issues with Deforestation and issues related to
pollution (Wwf.panda.org, 2019).
Deforestation Issue:
According to Jared Diamond, Deforestation is the leading cause of Land Degradation
in Australia (Wwf.panda.org, 2019).The country is facing a situation of Deforestation, due to
a number of reasons. One of the prime reason is that making pace for the multinational
companies and or the growing population of the country. Queensland clears more land every
year than the remainder of Australia set up together, and the rate at which it is pulverizing its
vegetation is similar with the scandalous deforestation that happens in the Brazilian Amazon.
Brazil bulldozes about 0.25% of its piece of the Amazon every year; Queensland clears about
0.45% of its staying lush zones. The following data is showing the amount of forest is being
cleared each and every year:

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Figure: Deforestation in Queensland
This is resulting into decreasing salinity of the soil which is further affecting the water
quality. The decreased salinity of the water, affects the quality of the water, and is affecting
the downslope of the water quality. The decreasing salinity of the water is also impacting
upon the agriculture of the country. 13% of the land vegetation of the county is removed from
the country, which is impacting upon the food habits of the country (Slezak. 2019). As per
the social planners the overgrazing of the animals is another reason for the country to be
faced with a decreasing land for vegetation and an increasing level of deforestation. All these
are leading to three factors which are affecting the country (Yearly. 2014). First, is that, the

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country is now faced with a climatic change. Because of the reduced numberer of plants, the
climate of the country is getting affected, the rainfall count or rate of the country is
increasingly getting decreased. Which is further affecting the country in two folds, first it is
affecting the vegetation and the agriculture of the country.
The reduced number of rainfall is resulting into a decreased amount of production and
a low amount of production. Second, it is impacting upon vegetation quality. Due to the
reduced amount of rainfall and the increased salinity of the water the soil nutrients are getting
exhausted, which is affecting the quality of the food. A second impact is upon the soil quality
of the country (Prăvălie. 2016). Due to deforestation, the soil quality of the country is getting
affected which is resulting into soil erosion. Soil erosion is affecting the country the lives of
the country, and this is much true for the natives of the country, who stay in a land afar from
the main land. A third impact is draughts. The deforestation and the climate change is paving
the ways for man- made draughts in the country. The March 2017 was a drier season for the
country, when some of the important habitats of the country like, South Wales, eastern and
central Victoria, Queensland and all of the places of Tasmania was faced with severe
draughts.
Pollution Issue:
Another major environmental issue that the country is faced with, is pollution, and
this also is contributing to climate change within the country. Australia is one of the countries
that contribute the highest in the per capita carbon emissions in the world. As according to a
recent report, the country holds a 0.3% population of the world and which contribute in the
1.3% of the green- house gas emissions of the world. Australia mainly uses the cola power
for electricity, and the country has no nuclear power house. It has a very low level of hydro
and wave power, and a very limited solar power (Turner et al. 2016). The country is
surrounded by water bodies on three sides. This huge contribution of the country to the

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pollution level, is essentially impacting upon the climate of the country. The statistics show
that the total contribution of the country in the green- house gases is three times than the total
population of the country.
Part [b] Solutions to these environmental issues
Solution to Deforestation:
Danger and opportunity—this is the thing that characterizes the eventual fate of
Australia's backwoods and bush lands, our local natural life and our reaction to quickening
environmental change.
From one perspective, people are amidst a raising deforestation and land clearing
emergency, with a MCG sized territory of timberlands and bush lands annihilated at regular
intervals. This is executing a huge number of local creatures every year including the
notorious koala while hurting the land, dirtying streams and harming the Great Barrier Reef.
Subsequent to declining in the course of the most recent decade, carbon contamination from
deforestation and land clearing is by and by soaring presently equalling 33% of outflows
from the majority of the coal-terminated power stations in Australia. At the point when local
backwoods logging discharges are incorporated, this is equivalent to in any event a large
portion of the carbon contamination of all coal-terminated power stations.
Be that as it may, then again, we are on the cusp of an energizing chance to change
and re-establish corrupted scenes, while making new income streams for landholders driven
by activity on environmental change. The science is clear. So as to arrive at the objectives set
out under the Paris Climate Agreement, we need to quit dirtying the air with ozone depleting
substances what's more, draw down however much carbon as could reasonably be expected
out of the climate by growing and re-establishing woods and bush lands. Australia is
outstanding amongst other put countries worldwide to prevail in such an enormous scale

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environmental reclamation motivation. Whenever done right and pair with solid assurances
for our staying unblemished timberlands and bush lands, this will ensure and expand on our
common carbon stocks just as make a completely new industry and salary stream for
landholders. It will guarantee more prominent venture is spilling out of the urban areas to the
bramble.
The following are the three key things Australia needs to do to part of the
arrangement our timberlands and bush lands, spare untamed life, bolster the rising natural
reclamation industry and landholders, and fundamentally decrease our carbon contamination
impression.
Figure: Solutions towards deforestation
Source:

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Solutions to pollutions:
The choices being made for the current year on Australia's eco-friendliness and
vehicle discharge strategies can improve the strength of our urban air. This is an
extraordinary opportunity to at the same time improve eco-friendliness, request higher-
quality fills, and actualize discharge testing for vehicles to improve the air in our urban areas.
For the time being, we would all be able to attempt to utilize autos less frequently and
not sit our vehicles when being used. Bringing issues to light helps; an ongoing report
demonstrated a great many dollars could be spared in fuel costs by uncovering drivers of
armadas to hostile to sitting activities.
Obtaining a vehicle with programmed inactive stop innovation will help cut vehicle
emanations. This innovation, famous in top of the line European vehicle models,
consequently switches off the vehicle when it is still and enables the driver to restart the
vehicle when their foot presses the quickening agent.
To accomplish a populace level profit by such innovation, in any case, would expect
policymakers to incorporate it in the Australian Design Rules, the national models for vehicle
security, hostile to robbery measures and emanations. That procedure can take numerous
years.
A progressively feasible way to deal with air contamination is overhaul Australian
processing plants to supply low-sulphur fuel. Albeit exorbitant, the option the heightening
wellbeing weight related with vehicle emanations is a cost unreasonably high for society to
pay.

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Answer to question 2:
Part [a] Main drawbacks of how EIA is conducted in NSW, Australia
The environmental impact assessment, or the EIA, is used as a planning tool for the
assessment and forecasting the environmental impacts that can be perceived within the
society. The EIA, takes into account the cultural and the human health impacts, and the socio-
economic impacts. The EIA, as defined by the UNEP, is an assessment tool, that is included
in the environmental projects, as a tool that will influence and help in the decision making
process for the environmental projects. The EIA aims to predict and state the environmental
impacts of the environmental changes and the environmental issues, and it is also used to
make predictions from the decisions of the environmentalists. The country includes an EIA
system and program into its conducts, and in each of the state it deals differently. Therefore,
if the conducts of the EIA is observed, then it can be assessed that the conducts of the
organization has certain drawbacks, of the way it is conducted across the states. The conducts
and the practices of the organization, at the New South Wales are much different than the
conducts of the Organization at Tasmania. Therefore the drawbacks that can be perceived in
the conducts of the organization, as can be observed in the country, it can be stated that there
are many of drawbacks of conducting EIA in NSW can be summarized as mentioned below:
 No unequivocal arrangement is made for undertaking all phases of EIA;
 No express arrangement for open interest in EIA process;
 No arrangement of EIA for extension of new task and redesign of old venture;
 Provision of site freedom undermine the compelling survey of EIA report;
 ECC should be recharged each year;
 No arrangement for influenced network to straightforwardly go to court country,
starting from the implementation of the rules.

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Part [b] EIA in TAS
The implementation of EIA in TAS depends upon the governmental unit, as it is the
government of the country of the state which includes the EIA program into the governance
policies. Therefore, it is often seen that since it is the decision of the government to include
and implement the decisions and the policies provided by the EIA, it is often seen that the
requirements and the decision made by the EIA are not implemented by the state government
of Tasmania (Iron, and Mining. 2013).
It has often been noticed that the requirements that are made or proposed by the EIA, are
often not integrated into the environmental planning system properly. According to the
environmentalists, the planning systems and the planning processes are more influenced by
the bureaucrats involved in the planning committee. Therefore, the planning committees
include the proposals and the propositions made by the bureaucrats and the proposals and the
propositions made and given by the EIA are not well integrated in the conducts or the
practices. They are distorted and often, in the paper it is shown that the requirements are met
and followed, while in reality, the propositions are neither practiced nor included. Also, it is
often seen that the propositions made by the EIA, could not be integrated into the planning
system, as the definitions and details of the issues that have been shared with the EIA, are not
properly shared and defined, and therefore, the EIA could not properly be made the
propositions or the guidelines (Therivel, and Paridario. 2013).
At the same time, it is also observed, while planning for the projects that are to be
conducted in Tasmania, the propositions made by the EIA, were not environmentally sound.
There is an economic aspect related to this. As per the environmentalists, the propositions
that are propounded by the EIA, are often not environmentally sound, because while planning
for a project, the organization is given a budget which the organization also has to consider in
order to make the planning and the propositions. Therefore, kit is often seen that in order to

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fit the proposed practices and the propositions into the budget, the organizations often come
up with propositions that are not completely environmentally sound. Therefore, the planning
committees cannot include these propositions into the planning system, and also, when they
are included into the planning system, they are not environmentally sound that it should have
been. It is important to mention here that the planning and the propositions made by the EIA
for New South Wales and Tasmania, the disparity in the propositions can be vividly
observed, and this is mostly because of the budget of the state. There are disparities in the
budget that the organization is presented with therefore, the proposals and the policies that re
provided by the EIA, are essentially done in order to fit within the budget, and this is another
reason for the state to not include the EIA within the planning and the policies that re made to
govern the environmental issues.
Again, the EIA planning are mostly included in the policies. The policies made and
practiced by the state government of the state include the EIA planning proposals. However,
as according to the environmentalists, if the propositions made by the EIA could be included
in the programs that are proposed and practiced by the government, then it would have been
more impactful and beneficial for the state (Morrison-Saunders et al. 2014).
Finally, there is an increasing problem regarding and related to the influence of EIA
proposal on the common and international environmental issues. The increasing common
problems, such as, the problems regarding the depletion of the Ozone layer, the loss of
biological diversity, the climate change, and other intentional problems, are being the major
concern for the EIA, therefore it is seen that the organization is finding it difficult in order to
approach to the problems in a more domestic sense. The organization is approaching to the
issues with a more global approach, therefore, it is being difficult for the organization to
approach to the issues with a more domestic approach.

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Lastly, one of the major problem regarding the proposal and the policies of the
organizations, and the implementation of the same, are related to the legal approaches. It is
often seen that the organization, does not include the legal approaches. Therefore, it is often
seen that in case of Tasmania, the policies and the proposals that have been made or given by
the organization, do not follow the state laws or the legal system of the country, and
therefore, cannot be put into use or rather cannot be integrated in the planning system
(Macintosh. 2010).
Answer to Question 3:
In order to gain awareness and consciousness among the people of Tasmania, as the place is
observed with increased level of pollution and degradation of land. Tasmania has been
recently observed with a situation of Draught. Also, Dove Lake, one of the famous Tasmania
Lakes, which is an attractive tourist place, is now contaminated with lead, copper and arsenic
by the historic mining activities, that had been taken place around the lake, for a long time
now. Also, the increased level of pollution and the increasing deforestation around the place
have also impacted upon the wilderness of the area.
The Tasmania World Heritage Area has reported that the area is perceived with
increased level of pollution, which is also impacting upon the lives of the population of the
state. The area is los facing increasing issues related to the deforestation as according to a
recent report, there are illegal activities involved in the place related to the illegal poaching
and illegal cutting of the trees. As mentioned before, thee area is also faced with man- made
droughts. The effects of climate change has potentially impacted upon the area, and as a
result, for the past few years the area is facing situation of Draughts which is, as according to
the environmentalists, are man- made. There is also a reduction in the alpine communities

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due to the factors of deforestation and draught. Therefore, as found by the environmentalists,
it is essential that the people of the place must be aware of the situations.
As understood, by the reports, a campaigning program can be proved beneficial. The
campaign program will include the aspects of the impacts that are being made because of the
environmental issues.
Part [a] Chosen site
The selected area is Ridgley city. The campaigning program will also aim to find out
or to point out the reasons that are contributing to the increased environmental issues that the
areas is faced with.
Figure: Study area Ridgely City
Source: Google Map