Sustainable Systems Assignment - Environmental Issues in Australia

This report addresses key environmental issues in Australia, focusing on deforestation and overgrazing, and their connections to climate change. It explores the drawbacks of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system in New South Wales (NSW) and compares it to EIA processes in other Australian states, specifically South Australia (SA), Victoria (VIC), Queensland (QLD), Western Australia (WA), and Tasmania (TAS). The report includes a case study assessing environmental and social impacts of a proposed urea manufacturing plant in Western Australia, utilizing screening level assessments and baseline settings. It also analyzes social impacts during different project phases and concludes with strategies to promote renewable energy adoption, discussing both 'soft' tools like pricing adjustments and technological advancements. The assignment uses Harvard WesternSydU referencing style.

SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
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Table of Contents
Answer to question 1..................................................................................................................3
Answer to Question 2.................................................................................................................4
Answer to question 3..................................................................................................................6
Answer to question 4..................................................................................................................9
Reference list............................................................................................................................10
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Answer to question 1
● Two most severe environmental, issues in Australia and connection of these
issues to climate change
1. Deforestation
This is the harshest issue that Australia is facing currently and it has a direct impact on
climate change. Australia has lost about 40% of its forests and remaining forests are
fragmented (Deforestation 2019). The forests in Australia are in coastal areas and the rest of
the continent is generally covered by dry land and deserts. As opined by Evans (2016),
clearing of forests has impacted on local temperature and pattern of precipitation. Trees
maintain soil moisture and it also helps in maintaining the water cycle. Deforestation has
resulted in an increase of temperature of the country by 1-degree centigrade.
2. Overgrazing and agricultural clearing
Due to overgrazing and agricultural clearing, it can be seen that 13% of Australia’s original
vegetation has been cleared. Overgrazing is considered as a main of pressure on biodiversity
in this country (Lindenmayer, 2016). Grazing and different other agricultural improvement
strategies have destroyed grasslands and open grassy woodlands. This has caused a rise in
temperature and at present less than 2% of grasslands have remained. Apart from climate
change, overgrazing has also resulted in soil erosion and the spread of invasive plants.
Moreover, the soil is also losing its nutrition level.
● Dealing with identified environmental issue
The Australian government is concerned about these identified environmental issues and
already many initiations have been taken by the government of this country. More initiatives
must be taken by the government to encourage people to plant more trees and go paperless.
Lambin et al. (2018) have suggested that recycling of products are required and people must
be encouraged to buy recycled products for dealing with the issue of deforestation.
Campaigns must be arranged to increase awareness about the negative impact of
deforestation. It must be compulsory to purchase wood and wooden products from certified
resources. Monitoring process must be strengthened for reducing the rate of deforestation in
Australia. Cooperation of public can help Australia to tackle this issue properly.
Australians can identify bare soil areas that are fertile and they can remove livestock from
those areas. As suggested by Simmons et al. (2018), government authorities must inform
Australians about the negative impact of overgrazing and agricultural clearings. Growth of
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plants on grazing sites must be known by owners of livestock. This approach may help them
to reduce the negative impact of grazing on the climate. On the other hand, available lands
must be processed and reused to reduce the rate of agricultural clearing in Australia.
Answer to Question 2
Drawbacks of conducting EIA in Australia
EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) has been introduced by the Environmental
Protection Authority (EPA). However, the existing EIA system has some drawbacks that can
prevent from understanding the impact of a proposal on environment clearly. These
drawbacks are discussed below,
● Cumulative impacts are not considered properly in the present EIA system
● Lack of confidence regarding the entire EIA process is leading to failure of the
assessments. As a result, negative impacts of projects on environments are increasing
day by day.
● Lack of engagement of community people in the EIA process is preventing an
accurate assessment of environmental impacts.
● Poor quality and inconsistent documents are one of the drawbacks of this system.
Related stakeholders are facing difficulties in understanding the main aspects of this
process mentioned in the documents (Pope, 2016).
● Verification of compliance with legal guidelines during the construction and
operations of projects are uncertain. Due to this reason, the present EIA system needs
to be revised.
● Uncertainty of approved projects is also a major concern that is affecting the EIA
system.
● Some of the projects change after getting approved. Verification of this kind of
process cannot be done effectively with the help of the present EIA system.
Difference of EIA in NSW and other states
Difference in the EIA process can be found in different states of Australia due to different
circumstances. Major differences are mentioned below,
SA: The environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is postulating that
a controlled action must be evaluated before approving a project. Five steps have been
included in the process of EIA and these processes are followed in the SA (Environmental
Impact Assessment, 2019). Firstly, and the accredited process is conducted under some
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relevant commonwealth law. After completing this process a report is prepared to mention
the environmental impact and the Minister will decide on approval. Evaluation of Preliminary
documentation is another way of conducting EIA. Environment impact statement and public
environment reports are prepared in SA for conducting EIA. For example, a public
environment report can be produced in SA to understand the perception of people towards
using o recycled water for drinking. On the other hand, Public inquiry under the EPBC Act
can be done. For example, public opinion can be undertaken to understand their views
towards composting of household waste.
VIC: In Victoria, the process of EIA is different from other states of Australia. EIA is done
under the Environmental Effects Act 1978 in Victoria. This act has to set any guidance for
the ministry regarding requirement of the EIA process. If the Ministry orders for assessment,
the proponent is bound by the law to produce the Environment Effects Statement (EES).
Before completion of EES, no one can make any decision. The EE Act is providing the full
authority of approving or rejecting projects to the minister (Environmental Impact
Assessment in Victoria, 2019). For example, Ministry of Victoria can approve or reject
environmental projects concerned with reduction of plastic packaging and developing
technologies to generate renewable energy. This approach is causing build-in uncertainty in
the EIA process. Due to this reason, political interest can override the concern for the
environment.
QLD: EIA process is done through preparing Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). this
statement includes several facts including the proposed development project, its impact on
relevant environment, strategies for mitigating impacts and available alternatives to current
proposal (Major environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes in Queensland, 2019).
Two types of EIS are prepared in QLD. One type is developed by the Department of
Environment and Science under the Environment Protection Act 1994. Another type of EIS is
documented Coordinator general from the department of development, manufacturing,
infrastructure, and planning (About the EIS process, 2019). For example, in the case of the
project of reducing plastic packages, the appropriate process of making the EIS needs to be
identified first.
WA: EIA is conducted as per the guidelines of part IV of the Environmental Protection Act
1986 in WA. EIA can be considered as a systematic evaluation process of a proposal and its
impact on nature (The EIA process, 2019). Town planning is assessed under part IV, division
3 and the development proposals are part IV, Division 3 of the EP Act. for example, closed-
loop manufacturing projects can be assessed under part IV, Division 3 of the EP Act in WA.
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TAS: In Tasmania, EIA is performed under the Environment Management and Pollution
Control Act 1994 (Guide to Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by the EPA Board,
2019). In this state, the Board evaluates the environmental impact of a proposal based on the
objectives mentioned in the Resource Management and Planning System. For example,
projects of reducing the use of fossil fuels in Tasmania can be assessed with the help of this
process of EIA.
Answer to question 3
For conducting the assessment, develop the project in Karratha region of Western Australia is
chosen. This project is about building a domestic gas-fired urea manufacturing plant, which
can improve the quality of agricultural products and reduce carbon footprints.
Figure 1: Google map of the proposed area in Karratha, Burrup region
Study goal
The main goal of this study is to assess the hazards associated with this development project.
Moreover, another essential goal of this study is to measure the social impacts of this
development project. This project will be commenced in the coastline area of Western
Australia. This project will create job opportunities for 2000 people.
Screening level assessment
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This assessment can be done through the help of a simple pathway that can help to identify
contaminant sources and exposure routes.
Figure 2: Screening level assessment for measuring risks
Site background information: The site is 20 km northeast of Karratha in Western Australia,
which is in the Burrup peninsula. This is a designated industrial area but different residential
areas are situated nearby.
Contaminant source: Source of contaminants includes constructional operation procedure
that can release dust. This can contaminate surface water flows. Moreover, the discharge
from the site is another source of contaminants. This discharge can impact the salinity of
groundwater. Air emissions from the proposed plant are another source of contaminants that
can source CO2 and other harmful gases, which can impact on climate change.
Release mechanisms: Contaminants like dust can be released during the construction process
of the plant. Different harmful materials like cement can be released that can cause lung
disease. Moreover, during production process of urea, wastewater and harmful gas can be
released.
Transport medium: contaminants like dust, harmful gases can be transported through air
and contaminants from discharge will be transported through water.
Exposure route: Route of exposure of contaminants like dust and harmful gases is through
breathing and eating for humans. In addition, Route of exposure of contaminants from
wastewater discharge is drinking and contact with water.
Receptors: Humans of that region is the primary receptors of the contaminants and
vulnerable to those risks.
Setting up baseline for the site
The baseline of the site can be done in such a way that can eliminate the contaminant sources
and increases the sustainability of the development project. For solving the issue of air
contaminants potential air pollutants need to be identified and preventive steps like filters can
be installed. Besides, a barrier can be made between potential receptors and harmful water
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contaminants. This can be done by building a treatment plant before discharging the
wastewater into the sea.
Figure 3: A proposed baseline for the site
Social impact of development
During the initiation phase, social impacts like the disruption of daily living and movement
can occur. As stated by Kerzner (2017), disruption in daily living due to a development
project can give rise to resistance among local inhabitants. This can decrease participation
from local communities. During design and development phase impacts like relocation of
local inhabitants can occur. While in construction phase impact on health and safety can be
seen, which also directly linked with public participation because conflicts can occur between
inhabitants and project organizers. During the phase of commissioning and handover,
conflicts can occur between newcomer workers and local workers, which can be identified as
a social impact of this project. Health impacts can also be seen in this phase. In addition, in
the last phase of project closing, social impacts like economic inequalities can be seen.
EIA can help to solve the social issue like health impact that can occur during the
construction and commissioning phase. Assessment of environmental impacts helps in taking
preventive measures for mitigating different environmental issues (Liu et al. 2018). Hence,
this can help to increase satisfaction rate of local communities thus increasing their
participation level.
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Answer to question 4
● Strategies to control the behavior towards developing renewable energy
technologies
For this strategy, soft tools like increasing price of non-renewable energy such as
petroleum and coal and decreasing price of renewable energy can be done. However,
modifications like development of renewable technology need to be done. In countries like
the USA, the price retail electricity produced from non-renewable sources is hiked.
Moreover, the cost of renewable energy is lower (The Paradox of Declining Renewable Costs
and Rising Electricity Prices, 2017). As opined by Bhattacharya et al. (2016), stress from
system can increase the penetration of renewable energy in the communities. However, the
Australian government needs to make a greater investment in developing infrastructure of
renewable sources of energy like wind and hydro.
● Strategies to control the behavior towards reducing the use of plastic for
packaging
In this strategy, soft tools like imposing a higher tax on plastic packages can be adopted.
Modifications such as starting campaigning to reduce plastic use and reducing tax on
paper bags need to be done. Developed countries like the USA have banned plastic bags in
many cities and impose higher taxes on these in many cities. Besides, a campaign can be
conducted by Australia for six months adopting various channels like social media,
magazines, and others to grow awareness among communities regarding plastic bags. As
stated by Wagner (2017), growing awareness and creating alternatives can help to reduce the
use of harmful substances.
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Reference list
About the EIS process. Viewed 10th September 2019,
<https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/pollution/management/eis-process/about-the-eis-
process/types-of-eis>
Bhattacharya, M., Paramati, S.R., Ozturk, I. & Bhattacharya, S 2016, ‘The effect of
renewable energy consumption on economic growth: Evidence from top 38 countries’.
Applied Energy, vol 162, pp.733-741.
Deforestation 2019, viewed 13th September 2019,
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_offices/australia/environmental_problems_in_australia/
Environmental Impact Assessment in Victoria. Viewed 10th September 2019,
<https://envirojustice.org.au/sites/default/files/files/Submissions%20and%20reports/
enrc_recommendations_briefing.pdf>
Environmental Impact Assessment. Viewed 10th September 2019,
<https://lawhandbook.sa.gov.au/ch19s06s01.php>
Evans, M.C 2016, ‘Deforestation in Australia: drivers, trends and policy responses’. Pacific
Conservation Biology, vol 22 no 2, pp.130-150.
Guide to Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by the EPA Board. Viewed 10th
September 2019, <https://epa.tas.gov.au/Documents/Guide%20to%20Environmental
%20Impact%20Assessment%20(%20EIA%20).pdf>
Kerzner, H., 2017, Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. USA: John Wiley & Sons.
Lambin, E.F., Gibbs, H.K., Heilmayr, R., Carlson, K.M., Fleck, L.C., Garrett, R.D., de
Waroux, Y.L.P., McDermott, C.L., McLaughlin, D., Newton, P. & Nolte, C 2018, ‘The role
of supply-chain initiatives in reducing deforestation’. Nature Climate Change, vol 8 no 2,
p.109.
Lindenmayer, D 2016, ‘Australia: Short-sighted to cut environment posts’. Nature, vol 531
no 7594, p.305.
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Liu, T.K., Weng, T.H. & Sheu, H.Y 2018, ‘Exploring the environmental impact assessment
commissioners' perspectives on the development of the seawater desalination project’.
Desalination, vol 428, pp.108-115.
Major environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes in Queensland. Viewed 10th
September 2019, <http://envlaw.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Handout-for-lecture-5-EIA-
processes-1.pdf>
Pope, J 2016, ‘The sustainability assessment of the South West Yarragadee Water Supply
Development in Western Australia’. In Sustainability Assessment pp. 110-123
Simmons, B.A., Wilson, K.A., Marcos-Martinez, R., Bryan, B.A., Holland, O. & Law, E.A
2018, ‘Effectiveness of regulatory policy in curbing deforestation in a biodiversity hotspot’.
Environmental Research Letters, vol 13 no 12, p.124003.
The EIA process. Viewed 10th September 2019, <http://www.epa.wa.gov.au/eia-process>
The Paradox of Declining Renewable Costs and Rising Electricity Prices 2017, viewed 13th
September 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianmurray1/2019/06/17/the-paradox-of-
declining-renewable-costs-and-rising-electricity-prices/
Wagner, T.P 2017, ‘Reducing single-use plastic shopping bags in the USA’. Waste
Management, vol 70, pp.3-12.
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