Importance of Sustainable Living for Growth

Life is divided into different aspects. Some of the life aspects include, the health aspect of life, wealth aspect of life and the literate aspect of life that mainly involves education. Human beings are always working to see that they get to improve in the different aspects of life. The change of operation levels is generally referred to as growth. For an extended period of time, growth has been seen as a normal trait in the society and each person is expected to grow as time goes. However, there is too a need to understand that there come times when one will experience stagnation in growth. The stagnation might lead to many being uncomfortable in their interaction or talking about the positivity of life (Tim Lomas, 2014, p. 110). Experiencing such effects is never a solution to the growth problem. The stagnation will be progressive and the world will end up being an uncomfortable place to exist. Analyzing the factors limiting the growth is one major step in finding a solution to dealing with the stagnation in growth menace (Clayton, 2013, p. 300). Many have attributed nature for being a great limitation of growth. Many assume that nature timing experiences diverse variation and there is a time when growth will be at the peak and a time when the growth will experience maximum interference. However human beings play an important role in controlling nature. A consequence of the same is that their activities lead to them exercising much control to the expected growth.

Human Beings are the primary factors to exercising growth. Their living will be of much importance in telling whether there is an increase in growth levels. Living calls for the providence of different factors that have major dependence to the fuel provision in the society (Barbara M. Newman, 2017, p. 417). In the case of an increase of fuel prices, attaining the life comforting factors will become a major problem. Many will develop a negative attitude to life which may at the end affect their growth. Food sustains the lives of many. Production of the same is always active to ensure that joy is sustained in the lives of many. However, an increase of the same will lead to hunger spreading all over the nation. The abundance of hunger leads to conflicts being the order of the day (Abbott, 2016, p. 25). Conflicts will lead to a lack of cooperation in handling the various aspects of life efficiently. The result will be that there will be a decrease in growth that has being the order of the day in the previous days (Rahim, 2010, p. 322). Working has to be made easy by the presence of different tools and materials to facilitate the same. Construction to be done will call for the presence of blocks to aid the same or rather bars. The extraction of such materials will call for energy and resources. However, with limited resources, there will be a significant shortage of materials. The result is that the general living will experience a decrease (Shah, 2014, p. 114).

Limitations of Growth within a Society

Australia has been a victim of such factors in the recent time and has greatly affected the rate of growth being experienced in the nation. The government had to ensure to come up with means that will provide a progressive increase through the years as a way of ensuring that stability is realized. The government directed significant resources to see to it that energy is generated from renewable sources in the society. Such a kind of production played a major role in ensuring that depletion of resources will not be an occurrence at any one time. Hence, the consistency of the prices will be experienced for an extended period allowing for growth to be realized. In the case of minor increases, the increase will be attributed to the need to enforce some environmental policies in the society. Apart from that, the changes in the regulatory and transmission network can also lead to minor changes being experienced. Presence of food is also associated with hugely affecting growth that has to be experienced in a nation, a challenge that Australia has proved to deal with effectively. The government ensured that oversea competition regarding food sales in the nation was cut down, the result is that the citizens realized significant profits through their working. The supermarkets were substantial buyers of such products from farmers. However, they have been in the forefront causing a war in prices. The government did set a pace in dealing with a such a challenge by determining the wholesale prices of some commodities. Such strategies led to growth being a continuous trait observed in the society (Rippe, 2016, p. 385). 

To attain approval for a project requiring Environment Impact Assessment, one will have to comply to specific set procedures. When setting the roles and responsibilities a clear report will have to be established telling who is the Lead Environment Advisor. The Environmental Manager in addition to the team that will be in charge of the environment review will have to be identified. Moreover, there will need to review the plan regarding the project management (John Glasson, 2013, p. 213).

Identifying the scope of reference is the next step to seeking the approval. One will too decide whether the recommendation will be displayed or not. Under the same stage, there will be a need for carrying out a briefing to the Aboriginal cultural heritage advise, the Environment Review Team and the Environment Manager. Comments from such officials will too be allowed to help in facilitating the approval step. Statutory consultation may be required. Determining its requirement is of much importance under the approval stage (Maite M. Aldaya, 2012, p. 213).

The next stage will be the initiation of the reference (Lawrence, 2013, p. 350). The process of initiation will be done through the preparation process. In the cases where complex projects will be needed, a consultation will be done with Environment Branch Specialists in addition to the Urban Design Team. An approach of the same will have to be staged. At the particular stage, there will too be the need to address the environmental impacts that may have been experienced at the first stage. The contractors have to receive a brief prior. The Lead Environment Advisor is in charge of reviewing and endorsing the prior (Frank Vanclay, 2011, p. 412).

Australia’s Initiatives for Sustainable Living

The preparation of the reference is always the next stage after carrying out an initiation of the same. A draft copy of the same is to be prepared that will play a significant role in offering guidance to the working. Close liaison with the reference preparer regarding the project in addition to setting the expectations right regarding the preparation process is of much importance (Barry Sadler, 2016, p. 250).

After preparation coming to an end. The review has to be done. The first draft has to be recorded to the Lead Environment Advisor. The process will mainly involve telling whether it is of adequate quality and if it is viable to be accepted as the first draft.

On reviewing and the draft is accepted, the reference will have to be finalized. The finalization is done on Microsoft Word in addition to the Adobe pdf format (Gregory, 2018, p. 280). A decision will after that have to be made on whether the reference will be displayed for public comment or not.

If it to be displayed for public view, the project reference will be presented and comments will be invited. Approval of the display has to be sought before the presentation is done. The delegated manager will be in charge of carrying out the show of the project reference.

The submission reports will now have to be prepared in step 8, the preparation of the same can be done in consultation with the Lead Environment Advisor. The advisor will also be in charge of endorsing the same before issuing it to the contractor.

In the case of a situation where the reference was publicly displayed, and no submission report was necessary for the whole process, the SES will play a significant role in telling the way forward.

However, the final report reference has to be provided for the Environment Manager for consideration (Helen Lewis, 2017, p. 117).

The implementation of the decision can now be done. One will be needed to file the endorsed and signed memo to the file.

In giving a comment concerning the above steps; they have proved to be fine and display high levels of efficiency. However, if less time has to be spent, the initiation of the review step can be eliminated and be combined together with the preparation process. 

Several challenges may be experienced through the handling of different activities. The problems will suffer great variation from being complicated to having an easy solution. However, in all situations there is a need to work out the best possible way of dealing with the challenge (Monteagudo, 2018, p. 121). In assessing the environmental impacts in the society, practitioners experienced several pitfalls. Some of the traps were a significant challenge to their operation; however, a solution had to be sought. There are very many projects being carried every other day and they have varying levels of complexity. Apart from that, the working of the plan calls for following a specific set of guidelines for working. The amount of money associated with running the project varied greatly, and some practitioners feared questioning such project and to stop them from going on regardless of the impacts being negative (Angus Morrison-Saunders, 2015, p. 373).

Steps to Obtain Approval for Environmental Impact Assessment

Dealing with the situation called for the practitioners to make use of the case law in defending themselves and offering an alternative solution to the owner of the project (Muncie, 2014, p. 419). Having such an alternative solution was of much importance in eliminating fear among the practitioners who could fear the massive nature of the project. The case law was a scheme that included a broad view regarding the seeking of a developmental consent (Archie B. Carroll, 2012, p. 400). It offered a full explanation regarding the significance associated with the project comparing them with the effects on the environment and how it would impact the living of individuals. In some occasions, it also offered an alternative solution to how they could be done to cut down on the environmental impacts in addition to ensuring that the owner partially meets the expectations they had regarding the project.

Dealing with cumulation effects has also been another pitfall that majorly faced the practitioners regarding the implementation of the Environment Impact Assessment Procedure (Reddick, 2010, p. 355). Before cancellation of a specific development, proper screening had to be done and an explanation offered regarding reasons as to why the project is not receiving the approval. In some occasions, the clients have a very beneficial plan in the society; however, it will involve significant deforestation for the project to be a success. The practitioners will always come with the few explanations regarding the impacts of cutting down trees in the environment. The result will be an argument will be established regarding the comparison of both effects in the society and the intensity of impact in an estimated period of 10 years. Such cases led to most practitioners failing to win the argument and may end up allowing the project to progress as they will lack proper explanations.

Despite the case being a challenge for sometime, a solution was however found and the practitioners sought the best way to dealing with the pitfall. The practitioners had to develop the boldness and give an explanation to the different project owners that any cases of cumulation are considered with the assessment scheme. One had to stand still and tell that during the preparation of the assessment procedure, the committee members in charge of preparing the same had to think about the different beneficial projects that were to be brought to place. After attaining the various proposals of such projects, all factors were put in place including the proximity and combined effects associated with all of them. And after undertaking the whole process, the measure was set. The practitioners also had to give an explanation that any planning authority is responsible for carrying out several exercises in the society. If the tasks are extremely needed in the community, the assessment has also set aside a section of dealing with such a situation and giving the necessary explanations.

Development Activity

Construction of a Brown Coal Mine in Murray Basin

There will be the screening of the project. The result of the screening was that the mine construction was to be placed under Environmental Impact Assessment. It will enable determine the extent of how the mine will be significant. According to the laws, there will be a need to specify the extent of the pollution that will be established. It will provide for the set recommendations to be comfiremd (Johannes Lehmann, 2015, p. 453).

Roles and Responsibilities of the Lead Environment Advisor and Environmental Manager

Through the assessment, one will have to pay more attention on the methane levels that will be experienced. Apart from that, the effects of the greenhouse gases will be established through the process. Radioactive contamination should be put under close examination through the whole

scoping process (Wathern, 2013, p. 277). The main reason for that is that coal is known to contain radium and uranium. Hence, their examination will be of much importance in ensuring that the assessment team gets to be useful in tier working.

The checklists determined through the assessment process include:

Trace elements of uranium and radium released to the atmosphere and the related radioactive contamination that comes concerning the release primarily during coal burning.

Greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere should be low in conjunction with the set government laws.

The rates of increase of the acid rain are to be checked. It is one of the most dangerous effects associated with the construction of the coal mine (Brambila-Macias, 2018, p. 55).  

The mining process – Release of greenhouse gases such as methane.

The burning of coal – Release of trace elements of radium and uranium that lead to radioactive contamination.

The high acidity of AMD remaining in the water supply – Increased acidic rain.

Coal and coal waste released to the atmosphere – Toxification of plant and animal life.

Fire in a coal bed – Lead to spreading and releasing of noxious fumes in the surrounding community (Boyd, 2012, p. 300).

There was a need for consultations with the various neighboring groups that were majorly affected by the construction of the mine. Some of the significant effects experienced in the community will be flooding that will affect the development done in the society in addition to wildlife. Hence, there was a need to consult with the wildlife conservancy management regarding the mines in the area.

The impact of establishing coal mines in the area will lead to a growth of the economy in the Hunter region. However, despite the positive effect, the mining will lead to food security being experienced in addition to air pollution. The valuation of the economy in addition to checking on the environmental proved to be of much importance in telling such risks that will be expected. In dealing with food security, there will need to properly rehabilitate the land after using as a way of dealing with the challenge. Apart from that, filtering of the gases being released into the atmosphere will be done. It will be of much importance in reducing the effects of the toxic gases. Over a period, impact monitoring will be done to establish how the activity will be beneficial to the community in addition to the associated adverse effects (Ministers, 2010).

The public was well integrated into the decision-making process. Apart from that, they are to develop a clear awareness on how the program will be carried out and the expectations they have regarding the working of the development activity (Anderson, 2013, p. 235).

Identifying the Scope of Reference and Carrying Out Briefing

Strategy based on soft tool for Reducing congestion on a specific section of a road

Cutting down on congestion on roads, there will need to pair one-way street conversions. The strategy will be of much importance in increasing the speed by approximately 20%. Apart from that, there will be a significant reduction in the time needed for travel by about 20%. The result is that there will be a great reduction of congestion of vehicles on roads. Apart from that, the high occupancy toll lanes can also be used in reducing such congestion. The paths have to maintain a free flow travel speed of approximately 65 miles per hour, especially during peak hours. Apart from that, the lanes will have to carry up to twice the volume needed for congesting the general-purpose lanes. The HOT lanes will also be used in facilitating the raising of revenues that will help in subsidizing the express-bus operations. Setting up of a Bus Rapid Transit can also be a solution to the problem. They will enable much faster transit service. Apart from that, the cost of traveling will be reduced use of personal cars might also go down. The result is that the congestion will be greatly reduced (Martin Treiber, 2012, p. 456).

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