Unit 3 AOS 2 - Sustainable Development

The concepts of sustainability and ecologically sustainable development (ESD) are different because (VCAA 2020)

• sustainability is the goal and ESD is a process to achieve the goal.

• sustainability values anthropocentrism and ESD values biocentrism.

• sustainability considers only social factors, whereas ESD considers social, environmental and economic factors.

• ESD emphasises intragenerational equity, whereas sustainability emphasises intergenerational equity

Scientists are unsure if the wetland fed by the river contains any endangered species. Environmentalists have argued for maintaining an adequate water flow into the wetland. Which process should be applied based on this information? (VCAA 2017)

• bioremediation

• the user pays principle

• the precautionary principle

• efficiency of resource usage

During the construction phase of the dam and pipeline, the principle of ‘ecological sustainability’ requires that (VCAA 2017)

• the cost of the project be minimised.

• the environment of the construction sites be restored.

• there is no disturbance to the environment during construction.

• no residents or businesses be required to relocate away from the site.

A mining company is planning to extract tin from old mine waste left in tailings dumps 45 years ago. To carry out this plan, the company is required to follow strict government guidelines that limit pollutants being released and minimise harmful impacts on the local ecology. These government guidelines would be described as (VCAA 2019)

• a key feature of the user pays principle.

• regulatory frameworks that limit and control management plans for the site.

• an unnecessary limit on the plans to recycle waste material from an old mining site.

• an efficient way to collect relevant data related to the extraction of tin by recycling waste material.

Water-sensitive urban design is an approach to planning and designing new urban developments that makes better use of run-off and manages impacts on creeks, rivers and other waterbodies. Discussions with local government agencies and environmental interest groups about a specific water-sensitive urban design would be regarded as (VCAA 2020)

•  part of the user-pays principle.

• useful stakeholder involvement.

• a minor step in the planning process.

• important when the development is completed.

Instead of allowing run-off to flow directly into a local creek, planners develop a strategy to store the water in a nearby pond ecosystem. This will help to clean the water and filter out any pollutants, and then divert it for use by local strawberry farms.

This strategy would be regarded as (VCAA 2020)

• designing for resource use efficiency.

• having a negative impact on the strawberry farms.

• a way of sequestering carbon in the environment.

• decreasing the ecological sustainability of the local creek.

When preparing a management plan for an environmental project, methods should be developed to reduce the occurrence of negative outcomes. This focus could be described as (VCAA 2021)

• a risk assessment.

• impact minimisation.

• a regulatory framework.

• following the precautionary principle.

The concept of intergenerational equity is best illustrated by which one of the following scenarios? (VCAA 2018)

• providing veterinary care in a zoo

• protecting World Heritage areas from deforestation

• donating an equal sum of money to all citizens of a country

• consulting community business owners before approving the creation of an open-cut mine