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Sem1 25 > ENV245 > Flashcards

ENV245 Flashcards

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1
Q

Sustainability definition

A

Meeting needs of present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

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2
Q

Open loop manufacturing systems

A
  • Most economic systems
  • Problematic assumptions
  • Assumes resources are infinite
  • Non-renewables
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3
Q

Closed loop manufacturing systems

A
  • Waste is assimilated
  • Product folded back into resource stream
  • Need for and use of ‘new’ resources limited
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4
Q

Ecological footprint definition

A

Quantifies intensity of human resource use and waste discharge activity in a specified area in relation to the area’s capacity to provide for that activity.

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5
Q

3 forms of true cost measures

A
  • Environmental life cycle assessment
  • Social life cycle assessment
  • Life cycle costing
    All three = LCA (life cycle assessment)
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6
Q

4 phases of LCAs

A
  1. goal and scope
  2. Life cycle inventory
  3. Life cycle impact assessment
  4. Life cycle interpretation
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7
Q

Example of closed loop manufacturer

A

Wine cork industry

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8
Q

Example of open loop manufacturer

A

Australia’s Iron ore mines

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9
Q

Description of the wheatbelt’s unsustainable farming practises

A
  • 10% of native vegetation remains
    Implications of this include:
  • Increase in water table (salinity)
  • Decreased rainfall
  • Increase Carbon in atmosphere
    Fertilizer use has increased soil acidification, and the soils will become unproductive without proper land-care
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10
Q

What is the green revolution?

A

A package of techniques that increased world food production (1900s-1982)

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11
Q

Green revolution techniques

A
  • Irrigation
  • Mechanisation
  • Research and development into improved crop varieties, disease resistance
  • Pesticides and fertilizers
  • Institutional arrangements
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12
Q

Issues for sustainable water use

A
  • Supply
  • Quality
  • Water as a hazard
  • Climate change
  • Loss of ecosystem services
  • Transborder conflicts
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13
Q

How much of the worlds water is used in agriculture

A

80%

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14
Q

Strategies of sustainable agriculture

A
  • Rotating crops and embracing diversity
  • Planting cover crops and perennials
  • Reducing or eliminating tillage
  • managing whole systems and landscapes
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15
Q

Importance of agriculture

A
  • Basic biological needs
  • National security
  • Risk avoidance strategies when food supply is insecure
  • Economic development
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16
Q

Sustainable agriculture must be:

A
  • Socially acceptable
  • Economically viable
  • Environmentally sustainable
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17
Q

How to increase sustainable water use (regional)

A

Use of existing infrastructure more efficiently
- Changing water storage techniques
- Making agricultural water use more efficient
Increasing supply: Bore fields, dams, desalination, groundwater.

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18
Q

International agreement of climate action

A
  • IPCC (International Paris Climate Change)
  • Paris Agreement
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19
Q

Cumulative effects of sea rise

A
  • Tides
  • Storm surges
  • Erosion
    These go onto cause harm to coastal cities and communities
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20
Q

What is the urban heat island effect

A

Cities are on average 3-10 degrees hotter than rural areas this is because of
- Heat absorption & retention (concrete)
- Less plant transpiration and water evaporation
- No water penetration

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21
Q

Fun fact about ecology and economics

A

Come from the same Greek word

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22
Q

Kuznets Curve

A

Hypothesised relationship between indicators or environmental degradation.
- Environmental degradation will increase with economic growth, but at some level of income it will lead to environmental improvement.

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23
Q

Mainstream economic assumptions

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Anthropocentric/ technocentric outlook
  • Nature as a mere factor of production
  • Market efficiency
24
Q

What is a wicked problem

Study These Flashcards
A

A problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize
- Sustainability issues are all wicked problems.

25
Telecoupling?
- Trade interaction that occur between distant regions - Product or resource is consumed in location X but impacts are felt in location Y
26
Positive & negative effects of telecoupling
Negative- Palm oil (exploiting of other countries Positive- Fair trade
27
Luxembourg example
- Has massive footprint per capita - Mainly because neighbouring countries crossing boarder to fuel up and consume because it's cheaper
28
What country has the highest carbon emissions per capita
Australia
29
mechanisms for improving sustainability at local level
- Diet - Transport - Consumer choices - Family planning - Doing extra (carbon offsets)
30
Biodiversity?
Biological Diversity
31
Importance of biodiversity
- Ecosystems with high biodiversity are more resistant/resilient to environmental change - Provides materials for continuing evolution - Essential for sustaining ecosystem services
32
Ecosystem services?
- Filtration of carbon from air - Human health and wellbeing - Reduction of temperatures - Research - Fresh water - Minerals, nutrition
33
Why is restoration of ecosystems important
- Ecosystem services
34
Case studies of biodiversity
Rewild Perth: Improvement of biodiversity and access to habitats across our city while creating a beautiful, sustainable garden for your own home. Woody Meadows: Method to increase plant diversity, high density and diversity of woody plants, on roadsides and verges. Community gardens: provides habitat for insects, supplement usual sources of fresh food. Blue Banded beee: "buzzes to a certain frequency which will open up flowers for pollination".
35
Biodiversity in an urban environment
- Water sensitive urban design: Sponge cities, Permeable pavement, vegetation to soak rain. - Biodiversity sensitive urban design: Create habitat for target species, Facilitate dispersal, natural interactions.
36
Issues of demersal fisheries management in Western Australia
- over 12000km of coast - 50 commercial fisheries - Previous disregard of fishery management has caused a major problem of overfishing - Management must now prioritise fish health & breeding and aims to return to full prosperity in 2030.
37
How do we measure biodiversity?
Number of species Diversity of traits Taxonomic diversity Functional diversity Genetic diversity
38
Four services that biodiversity provides
- Provisioning services; Food production - Supporting services; Nutrient cycling - Cultural services; Educational - regulating services; Climate
39
Why is redundancy important in future proofing ecosystems?
- Provides adaptive alternatives for most types of environmental change - Different species undertake ecosystem functions in different environmental conditions - Faster recovery time after extreme events - Ecosystem engineer species play a disproportional role in biodiversity and recovery.
40
What is governance?
Governance encompasses the system by which an organisation is controlled and operates, and the mechanisms by which it, and it’s people, are held accountable.
41
Four step process to stakeholder engagement
1. Identify and record all stakeholders (priority order). 2. Plan how you will engage with each stakeholder (priority order). 3. Mobilise and engagement and record and understand their perspectives. 4. Monitor and evaluate the engagement process and outcomes.
42
Elements of good governance:
- transparency - accountability - participation - rule of law - effectiveness and efficiency
43
Example of governance at local scale
- city council - WA government association - local business
44
Example of governance at state scale
- public services - non- public service (organisations)
45
Governance at national scale
- federal government - business sector - state governments
46
Governance at the global scale
-UN - world trade organization - IMF
47
Power interest matrix being flipped example in WA:
Extension of the roe highway through urban bush land was approved by federal government. However, major local backlash resulted in the reversal of their decision.
48
Power interest matrix?
- power vs interest - keep satisfied vs keep informed - monitor vs manage closely
49
Projected population increase
7b to 9b in 40 years time.
50
True cost of market failure
Social and environmental negatives (Pollution, crime) are often treated as economic gains Environmental services often have no market value and are treated as if they are 'free' Social and environmental impacts are treated as transient and expected to lessen with ongoing economic growth and development Improvements in social wellbeing are only registered when we have to pay for them.
51
Socially acceptable agriculture:
Food quality and traceability GMOs Soil additives
52
Environmentally acceptable agriculture:
Hydrological balance Energy flow Nutrient cycling Biodiversity
53
Order of SDG's from outside to core
Biosphere-> Society-> Economy-> (partnership for the goals)
54
Example of local sustainability action:
The city of Rockingham run's a native plant give away. With the aim to promote residents in changing their gardens to water-wise plants: encouraging native pollinators and saving water.
55
Example of State sustainability action:
- Western Australian Climate Policy - Western Australian Climate Change Bill - Sectoral Emissions Reduction Strategy - Emissions Reduction Framework (draft) (As WA has many major mining operations, we have aimed our sustainability actions on reducing emissions)
56
Example of Regional sustainability action:
- Government of Australia Climate Change Act - Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings
57
Example of International sustainability action:
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - Conference of the Parties 21 Paris 2015 - Conference of the Parties 15 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Sem1 25 (3 decks)

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