Sustainability Comparison: Australia vs. Germany Report

This report provides a comparative analysis of water and energy sustainability between Australia and Germany. It examines government regulations, scientific research, technological innovations, and the roles of non-government organizations and private sectors in both countries. The report highlights specific projects, such as Sustainable Sydney 2030 and the Green City of Freiburg, to illustrate sustainability initiatives. The analysis reveals that Germany's government regulations and water management practices are more effective than Australia's. The report covers various aspects of sustainability, including energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and water conservation techniques. It concludes with a comparison of the two countries' approaches and suggests areas where Australia could learn from Germany's more successful strategies.

Running head: COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Executive Summary
This report is based on the topic of water and energy sustainability of two countries. This is
mainly based on the different aspects of water and energy sustainability of Australia and
Germany, which include the government regulations of the countries, the research based on these
aspects and the effect of non-government and private sector of the countries on the sustainability.
Further there is a comparison between the government regulations of Australia and Germany. It
has derived from this report that the regulations implemented by the German government is more
fruitful as compared to those implemented by the Australian government.

2COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Government regulations regarding water and energy efficiency of Australia.............................3
Scientific research and technological innovations in Australia...................................................4
Role of non-government organizations and private sectors in Australia.....................................5
Exemplar project in this sector in Australia................................................................................5
Government regulations regarding water and energy efficiency of Germany............................6
Scientific research and technological innovations in Germany...................................................6
Role of non-government organizations and private sectors in Germany....................................7
Exemplar project in this sector in Germany................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

3COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Introduction
This report is based on the topic of sustainability. Sustainability is the process by which
the biological systems can remain productive and diverse. Sustainability can be defined as the
goal of the society to maintain the equilibrium between the humans and the ecosystem.
This report is based mainly on the comparison of energy and water sustainability between
two countries, namely, Australia and Germany. Further, the discussion in this report is based on
different aspects of the process of energy and water sustainability of Australia and Germany.
These aspects include, the government regulations of both the countries regarding energy and
water sustainability, the scientific research conducted and the technological innovations related
to energy and water sustainability in these two countries, the actions taken by non-government or
private sector organizations regarding this topic and the exemplary projects executed by these
two companies regarding this topic.
This topic is a holistic discussion about the energy and water sustainability issues and all
the aspects regarding this topic.
Discussion
Government regulations regarding water and energy efficiency of Australia
The Australian government has taken steps regarding energy efficiency. These policies
aim to support Australian households and businesses to work in a more sustainable environment.
Information is provided regarding domestic goods and appliances, so that they can be used
wisely. Information regarding energy that easily understood is provided. Different types of
information is provided to help designers and builders to build and reside in an environmentally
sustainable home. Energy rating applications are introduced by governments to compare the

4COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
energy usage by appliances. Energy efficiency is also taken into consideration in government
buildings. Industrial energy efficiency is also taken into consideration. Energy efficiency of non-
residential buildings is taken into consideration (Environment.gov.au, 2017).
Australia is a dry continent. It is important that the limited water resources are used
wisely. Common problems in Australia include droughts and floods. The amount of water used
in the rural areas is higher as compared to the urban areas. In the year 1992, the Australian
government had to introduce policies to stop the degradation of the natural resources of
Australia. National Water Initiative was taken by the Australian government to increase water
efficiency. Water Sensitive Urban Design is also a part of the government initiatives taken for
the protection, management and conservation of the urban water cycle (Twidell and Weir 2015).
Scientific research and technological innovations in Australia
There are some technologies that help in the conservation of water. These include, use of
nanotechnology in water filtration. Availability of clean is a major issue. Hence, water filtration
can easily solve this problem. Seawater desalination is another process of water conservation.
This is an expensive process. Monitoring the distribution of water from the supplies is another
important aspect. Modern instruments like pressure sensors and acoustic sensors are wirelessly
connected to monitor the water supply networks, so that the water is not wasted during supply.
Computer programs and models are used to control the water used for agricultural purposes
(Epstein and Buhovac 2014). This provides a lot of benefit to the farmers. New technologies are
used to transform waste waters into resource for generation of energy. A lot of investment is not
made in the energy sustainability of Australia. Technologically reliable supply of energy is not
available in the country. Improvement of education and extensive training is required to help the

5COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
country to be equipped with the required skills to adapt to the energy technologies from around
the world (Troy 2013).
Role of non-government organizations and private sectors in Australia
Private sectors in Australia play an important role in the energy and water sustainability.
The participation of private companies in the water sector in Australia helps to build or expand
the water and networks of sanitation. The most important achievements through private sector
participation includes, improving the quality of water service, improving the efficiency of water
production, decreasing loss of water and enhancing customer care. The private sector also plays
an important role in the efforts which are made in Australia to expand renewable energy. This
includes electricity, fuels and also thermal energy. The sector of renewable energy has
experienced a growth in the 21st century with the help of the investments made by the private
sector. The Private and Public Partnership has played an important role in the growth of this
sector (Colombo, Bologna and Masera 2013).
Exemplar project in this sector in Australia
One of the projects regarding energy and water sustainability was named Sustainable
Sydney 2030. This project has a set of objectives that have been set for Sydney to make it global
and green. This plan aims to transform the way the people in the city work, live and play. The
three main objectives of this project are Green, Global and Connected. The green objective aims
to make the city internationally recognized to be a leader with exceptionally good environmental
performance. The global objective aims to make Sydney a global city of Australia and make it a
gateway to various tourist attractions. The third and final objective of this project is to be
connected. This objective aims to make Central Sydney easy to travel with wide network of
walking and cycling. This will connect the rural and urban areas (Dincer and Rosen 2012).

6COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Government regulations regarding water and energy efficiency of Germany
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development aims at the
expansion of sustainable systems of energy in the whole world. The government of Germany
promotes projects of energy in 70 countries or more. The government has spent more than four
billion Euros on the development of sustainable and environment-friendly systems of energy in
the various parts of the world (Tester et al. 2012). German government aims at helping its partner
countries to create favorable conditions for sustainability of energy supply. The German
government also assists developing countries and newly industrializing countries. The water
services of Germany has a good record. The annual costs of water consumers at the same level is
much cheaper as compared to other countries (Roseland 2012).
Scientific research and technological innovations in Germany
Germany has developed modern technologies regarding wastewater treatment. These
technologies are tailor-made to adapt to the climate of Germany, quality if water and policies of
water management. These technologies also prove to be expensive. The modern wastewater
management innovations came into existence in the late 20th century. Developing the sewage
systems in a city is sometimes expensive. Germany has proved to be a leader in energy
technology (Weaver et al. 2017). The main aim of the technologies related to energy in Germany
is to ensure that by 2050, 80% of the production of electricity in the German market should be
generated from renewable energy. The main sources of renewable energy in Germany are
mainly, Wind Power, Bioenergy, Combined heat and power, Solar energy which includes solar
thermal energy and photovoltaic and environmental technologies (Lawrence, Lyons and
Wallington 2013).

7COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Role of non-government organizations and private sectors in Germany
The aim of the development cooperation of the German government is to ensure
sustainable development in the partner countries. The private sector engagement is seen as an
important way to use the strengths and potential of the private sector to help to achieve the
outcomes of development. The objectives of the German government regarding engagement of
private sector includes mobilization of the capital and expertise provided by private sector
(Colverson and Perera 2012).
Exemplar project in this sector in Germany
This case study project is about a city in Germany, namely Frieburg located in the
southwest corner. This city has a strong academic base and was a part of the Green Movement in
the year 1970. This city is known as the Green City of Germany. Frieburg was bombed heavily
during the World War II. The city was then again rebuilt. The energy policy of this city is
progressive. The three main objectives of the energy policy if this city are saving energy,
efficient technologies and renewable energy resources. The city has many policies to ensure
energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is the main factor in both residential and commercial
buildings. This city always stays as the leader of low-energy development. The most efficient
technology developed in Frieburg is Combined Heat and Power (CHP). CHP aims at producing
both electricity and heat with the help of capturing the waste heat from the electricity production
units. Renewable energy resources in the city include solar energy, wind energy, hydropower
energy and biomass energy (Ecotippingpoints.org, 2017).

8COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Conclusion
It can be derived from the above discussion that the regulations regarding energy and
water sustainability have been implemented by both the Australian government as well as the
German government. The Australian government has implemented different policies by which
the consumption of the energy and savings can be monitored by the government. On the other
hand, the German government aims at the sustainable development of not only Germany, but
also of its partner countries. In case of water efficiency also Australian government has
implemented policies only after the shortage of water resources have occurred. In spite of the
fact that Australia is a dry continent, the usage of water is not done wisely. On the other hand,
the water usage of Germany is economical as compared to other countries of the same level.
Hence, it can be rightly said that the Australian government has a lot to learn from the German
government, regarding the sustainability and efficiency issues.

9COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
References
Colombo, E., Bologna, S. and Masera, D. eds., 2013. Renewable energy for unleashing
sustainable development. Springer.
Colverson, S. and Perera, O., 2012. Harnessing the power of public-private partnerships: The
role of hybrid financing strategies in sustainable development. Winnipeg: International Institute
for Sustainable Development.
Dincer, I. and Rosen, M.A., 2012. Exergy: energy, environment and sustainable development.
Newnes.
Ecotippingpoints.org (2017). Germany - Freiburg - Green City | The EcoTipping Points Project.
[online] Ecotippingpoints.org. Available at:
http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/our-stories/indepth/germany-freiburg-sustainability-
transportation-energy-green-economy.html [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017].
Environment.gov.au (2017). Department of the Environment and Energy. [online] Department of
the Environment and Energy. Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/energy [Accessed 3
Oct. 2017].
Epstein, M.J. and Buhovac, A.R., 2014. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing
and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. Berrett-Koehler
Publishers.
Lawrence, G., Lyons, K. and Wallington, T., 2013. Food security, nutrition and sustainability.
Earthscan.

10COMPARING SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
Roseland, M., 2012. Toward sustainable communities: Solutions for citizens and their
governments (Vol. 6). New Society Publishers.
Tester, J.W., Drake, E.M., Driscoll, M.J., Golay, M.W. and Peters, W.A., 2012. Sustainable
energy: choosing among options. MIT press.
Troy, P., 2013. Troubled waters: Confronting the water crisis in Australia's cities (p. 217). ANU
Press.
Twidell, J. and Weir, T., 2015. Renewable energy resources. Routledge.
Weaver, P., Jansen, L., Van Grootveld, G., Van Spiegel, E. and Vergragt, P., 2017. Sustainable
technology development. Routledge.