Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
sprawl, pollution of rivers, lakes and seas, were described by the
Resource Assessment Commission as the two most important
problems faced by the coastal zone.
Given the limitations on inland rivers to support large conurbations of
people, further population growth is likely to be on the coast which, without
dramatic improvement in management, is likely to see further deterioration
of coastal habitats and marine ecosystems.
Energy
The State of the Environment Report (SOE 2001) notes that Australia's
energy use is very high by world standards and continues to grow rapidly. It
reports that with the associated emissions in greenhouse gases, energy use is
'increasingly at an unsustainable level'. Sustainable energy sources are having
an effect in reducing emissions 'but are not enough to offset the impact of
increasing demand'.
Between 1990-91 and 1998-99, Australia's total energy consumption
rose 23 per cent while population rose by just under 10 per cent (ABS 2003).
While the rise in consumption exceeded population growth, the latter is a
significant contributor to demand and often negates any gains in energy effi-
ciency.
It is important to look at where the energy is used. In 1996-97, 56 per
cent of Australia's energy-related greenhouse gases were emitted in the pro-
duction and consumption of goods and services for households, mainly
through electricity use and motor vehicles (ABS 2003). The combination of
population growth (increasing) and the number of people per household
(declining) means the number of households is climbing inexorably and
consequently so is energy use (Liu
et al.
2003).
Andrew Blakers (Chapter 8) argues that we can move to a solar economy
by mid-century provided funds for research and development are directed
appropriately. But while so much of Australia's energy comes from fossil
fuels and more than half goes to households, a brake on population growth
appears warranted.
Economic systems
Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss (Chapter 4) argue that instead of
pursuing economic growth, we now need to seek a balance between the
