SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW ERA IN APPROVALS PROCESSES

2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 797
Author(s):  
B. Wylynko ◽  
A. Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
New Era ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Sustainability Assessments ◽  
Western Australian

With its in-principle approval of the Gorgon gas proposal, the Western Australian government has heralded a new era —the era of sustainability assessments.No longer confined to strict environmental criteria, sustainability assessments will also consider the economic and social aspects of proposed oil and gas developments. This has a number of ramifications for the legal framework within which existing approvals processes operate.This paper examines traditional environmental assessment as represented by the processes used by Western Australia and the Commonwealth (which will be applied to the Gorgon proposal). It finds that while economic and social factors are expressly included in the legal framework, these factors have not played a large role in either assessing the significance of proposal impacts or in determining the conditions to be placed on the proposals. In the case of Western Australia, in 1996 the Supreme Court overturned recommendations by the Environmental Protection Authority, and a subsequent decision by the Minister for the Environment, on the basis that they had considered extraneous economic factors.Soon after approving the Gorgon proposal, the Western Australian Government published a State Sustainability Strategy. The strategy calls for sustainability assessments to be built upon existing environmental assessment processes. Having outlined the traditional environmental assessment process, the paper draws out a series of principles that may serve as a starting point for discussion about how to create sustainability assessment processes from environmental assessment processes. Key principles include comprehensiveness and an articulation of the objectives to be met through the assessments.The notion of sustainability is gradually becoming incorporated into the environmental legal framework. Sustainability assessments may be the next step in the development of that framework.

SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT IN CONTEXT: ISSUES OF PROCESS, POLICY AND GOVERNANCE

2006 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. 373-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
JENNY POPE ◽  
WILLIAM GRACE
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Sustainable Society ◽  
Policy Context ◽  
Sustainability Assessments ◽  
Western Australian

This paper seeks to contribute to the development of principles for effective sustainability assessment. Drawing upon three sustainability assessments of project proposals conducted recently in Western Australia, three important aspects of good process are identified: the "question" that guides the assessment process; the influence of the assessment process on the development of the final proposal; and the basis for sustainability decision-making. These three aspects are closely inter-related, and also influenced by and related to the prevailing policy context and institutional arrangements guiding the assessment. Recommendations are made for more effective sustainability assessment processes in Western Australia; and the ultimate contribution that effective sustainability assessments of project proposals could make to a more sustainable society is considered. The broader Western Australian political, cultural and social context within which the assessments have been conducted is described, in order to facilitate a deeper understanding of the issues discussed and therefore to maximise the potential for others to learn from these experiences.

METODOLOGÍA DE EVALUACIÓN AMBIENTAL PARA UNA MARICULTURA OCEÁNICA SOSTENIBLE EN ECUADOR.

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johnny Chavarría V. ◽  
Jaime Mendo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Natural Area ◽  
Marine Aquaculture ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Local Species

La acuicultura marina se perfila como una actividad muy prometedora en respuesta a la creciente presión mundial por recursos alimenticios. Debido a las limitaciones de espacio y menor calidad ambiental en las zonas costeras, las aguas mar afuera se proyectan como el área natural de expansión de la acuicultura marina o maricultura oceánica. Ecuador, un país con vocación pesquera y acuícola, pretende impulsar esta actividad. No obstante, a la luz de los problemas ambientales observados en otros países, su desarrollo puede entrar en conflicto con los principios de sostenibilidad y la visión ambiental del gobierno. A pesar de los avances tecnológicos y la existencia de un marco jurídico para el desarrollo de la actividad, se han autorizado pocas concesiones. En tal sentido, el objetivo de este trabajo es estructurar un modelo de investigación que, teniendo como base la Evaluación Ambiental de última generación, es decir la Evaluación de la Sostenibilidad (ES),conduzca a la realización de una microzonificación del mar ecuatoriano para una maricultura sostenible de la especies locales: pargo (Lutjanusguttatus) y huayaipe (Seriolarivoliana). El estudio plantea que la actividad pudiera impulsarse con un estudio que analice la sostenibilidad en sus dimensiones ambiental, social, económica y de gobernanza, estableciendo las áreas más apropiadas para implementar proyectos en Ecuador.   Palabras claves: Maricultura, sostenibilidad, evaluación ambiental, Seriolarivoliana, Lutjanusguttatus.   ABSTRACT   Marine aquaculture is emerging as a promising activity in response to the growing global pressure of food resources. Offshore waters are projected as the natural area of expansion of marine aquaculture in open water due to space constraints and lower environmental quality in coastal areas. Ecuador has important fishery and aquaculture industries. Since last few years, several governmental initiatives point to promote the marine aquaculture. However, considering the environmental problems observed in other countries, the development of the marine aquaculture may conflict with the principles of sustainability and environmental vision of the Ecuadorian government. Despite technological advances and the existence of a legal framework for the development of the activity, few concessions for offshore marine fish aquaculture has been authorized. In this sense, the goal of this work is to structure a research model, based on the Environmental Assessment of last generation, i. e. Sustainability Assessment (ES), leading to the realization of a micro-zoning of the Ecuadorian sea for a sustainable mariculture of local species snapper (Lutjanusguttatus) and huayaipe (Seriolarivoliana). This work suggests that the activity could be promoted if a study is done by analyzing sustainability of oceanic mariculture in its environmental, social, economic and governance dimensions, establishing the most appropriate areas to implement projects in Ecuador.   Keywords: Marine aquaculture, sustainability, environmental assessment, Seriolarivoliana, Lutjanusguttatus.   El presente trabajo constituye un ensayo introductorio de la investigación para optar el grado de Doctoris Philosophiae en Ingeniería y Ciencias Ambientales con el tema “Análisis de la sostenibilidad ambiental del desarrollo de la maricultura oceánica de pargo (Lutjanusguttatus) y huayaipe (Seriolarivoliana) en Ecuador”   Recibido: octubre de 2014Aprobado: febrero de 2015

Challenges and Opportunities of Integrating Human Health into the Environmental Assessment Process: The Canadian Experience Contextualised to International Efforts

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (04) ◽  
pp. 1550034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pouyan Mahboubi ◽  
Margot W. Parkes ◽  
Hing Man Chan
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Status ◽  
Public Collaboration

A scoping review of the literature was conducted to identify the most pressing issues pertaining to the application of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and the integration of health concerns into the Environmental Assessment (EA) process in Canada and internationally. The issues identified include the need for government intervention, gaps in methodology and tools, limitations of capacity and expertise, poor intersectoral, disciplinary and public collaboration/participation, challenges of data quantification and analytic complexity, and the need for process efficiency. The issues presented were also contextualised to the status quo practice of EA in Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA 2012). Recommendations were proposed as a starting point for improved integration. First, a commitment by the actors involved to the protection of human health — aligned with the core mandate of the CEAA. Second, the achievement of intersectoral, disciplinary and public collaboration, led by government, ideally the health sector. The case is made for a new era of Canadian leadership and innovation at the interface of health and EA.

“No Place for Tourists”: Deaths on Western Australian Construction Sites

2020 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-142
Author(s):  
Bobbie Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
First Century ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
The Third ◽  
Mandatory Training ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Western Australian

The deaths of three young “backpackers” on Perth building sites is the starting point for this investigation of an industry that is ranked the third most dangerous in Western Australia. All were on a working holiday. They were unskilled, untrained and underpaid, revealing aspects of the construction industry since the beginning of the twenty-first century. The article suggests these fatalities are occurring, despite OHS reforms and mandatory training, because the decline of trade union rights and presence on work sites has led to inadequate policing and enforcement of safety measures. Deregulation and employers’ over-emphasis on productivity have resulted in an unskilled, casual workforce and a culture of blaming individual employees rather than management, which has created a climate of fear where those who draw attention to safety breaches risk losing their jobs. The article considers arguments for introducing industrial manslaughter legislation, but the evidence suggests that the most effective solutions are to restore union rights. This would encourage a culture in which workers have a voice, and pointing out safety breaches on sites could be rewarded, rather than penalised.

Suspension and Exclusion Rates for Aboriginal Students in Western Australia

1995 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gardiner ◽  
David Evans ◽  
Kenneth Howell
Keyword(s):  
Western Australia ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Aboriginal Students ◽  
Western Australian

AbstractThis brief report highlights an apparently inflated suspension and exclusion rate for Aboriginal students in Western Australian government schools. The elevated rates for both suspension and exclusion, but especially for the more serious step of exclusion, should be reason for concern for all educators.

INTERPRETATION OF SINO-RUSSIAN CULTURE AND HUMANITIES COOPERATION IN THE NEW ERA

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-193
Author(s):  
REN YANYAN ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Current Status ◽  
Human Relations ◽  
New Era ◽  
Russian Culture ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Cooperative Partnership ◽  
Belt And Road ◽  
The Belt And Road

The friendship between nations lies in the mutual affinity of the people, and the people’s affinity lies in the communion of hearts. The cultural and humanities cooperation between China and Russia has a long history. In recent years, under the role of the“Belt and Road” initiative, the SCO, and the Sino-Russian Humanities Cooperation Committee, Sino-Russian culture and humanities cooperation has continued to deepen. Entering a new era, taking the opportunity to promote Sino-Russian relations into a “new era China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership”, the development of human relations between the two countries has entered a new historical starting point, while also facing a series of problems and challenges. This article is based on the current status of Sino-Russian human relations in the new era, interprets the characteristics of Sino-Russian human relations in the new era, analyzes the problems and challenges of Sino-Russian human relations in the new era, and tries to propose solutions and solutions with a view to further developing Sino-Russian cultural and humanities relations in the new era. It is a useful reference, and provides a reference for future related research, and ultimately helps the Sino-Russian cultural and humanities relations in the new era to be stable and far-reaching.

Factors that contribute to urban–rural gradients in risk of schizophrenia: Comparing Danish and Western Australian registers

2021 ◽  
pp. 000486742110096
Author(s):  
Oleguer Plana-Ripoll ◽  
Patsy Di Prinzio ◽  
John J McGrath ◽  
Preben B Mortensen ◽  
Vera A Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Hazard Ratio ◽  
Indigenous Status ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Western Australian

Introduction: An association between schizophrenia and urbanicity has long been observed, with studies in many countries, including several from Denmark, reporting that individuals born/raised in densely populated urban settings have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia compared to those born/raised in rural settings. However, these findings have not been replicated in all studies. In particular, a Western Australian study showed a gradient in the opposite direction which disappeared after adjustment for covariates. Given the different findings for Denmark and Western Australia, our aim was to investigate the relationship between schizophrenia and urbanicity in these two regions to determine which factors may be influencing the relationship. Methods: We used population-based cohorts of children born alive between 1980 and 2001 in Western Australia ( N = 428,784) and Denmark ( N = 1,357,874). Children were categorised according to the level of urbanicity of their mother’s residence at time of birth and followed-up through to 30 June 2015. Linkage to State-based registers provided information on schizophrenia diagnosis and a range of covariates. Rates of being diagnosed with schizophrenia for each category of urbanicity were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for covariates. Results: During follow-up, 1618 (0.4%) children in Western Australia and 11,875 (0.9%) children in Denmark were diagnosed with schizophrenia. In Western Australia, those born in the most remote areas did not experience lower rates of schizophrenia than those born in the most urban areas (hazard ratio = 1.02 [95% confidence interval: 0.81, 1.29]), unlike their Danish counterparts (hazard ratio = 0.62 [95% confidence interval: 0.58, 0.66]). However, when the Western Australian cohort was restricted to children of non-Aboriginal Indigenous status, results were consistent with Danish findings (hazard ratio = 0.46 [95% confidence interval: 0.29, 0.72]). Discussion: Our study highlights the potential for disadvantaged subgroups to mask the contribution of urban-related risk factors to risk of schizophrenia and the importance of stratified analysis in such cases.

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment of Public Transport, Part I—A Multi-Criteria Assessment Method to Compare Different Bus Technologies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 825
Author(s):  
Jonas Ammenberg ◽  
Sofia Dahlgren
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Public Procurement ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
County Level ◽  
Participatory Process ◽  
Problem Context ◽  
The Public ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Sustainability Assessments

This article departs from the perspective of Swedish regional transport authorities and focuses on the public procurement of bus transports. Many of these public organizations on the county level have the ambition to contribute to a transition involving the continued marginalization of fossil fuels and improved sustainability performance. However, there are several renewable bus technologies to choose between and it can be difficult to know what alternative (or combination) is preferable. Prior research and the authors’ experiences indicate a need for improved knowledge and supportive methods on how sustainability assessments can support public procurement processes. The purpose of this article is to develop a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) method to support assessments of public bus technologies’ sustainability. The method, which was established in an iterative and participatory process, consists of four key areas and 12 indicators. The article introduces the problem context and reviews selected prior research of relevance dealing with green or sustainable public procurement and sustainability assessments. Further on, the process and MCA method are presented and discussed based on advice for effective and efficient sustainability assessments. In the companion article (Part II), the MCA method is applied to assess several bus technologies involving biodiesel, biomethane, diesel, electricity, ethanol and natural gas.

Life cycle of the western school prawn, Metapenaeus dalli Racek, in a Western Australian estuary

1986 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
IC Potter ◽  
JW Penn ◽  
KS Brooker
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Second Year Of Life ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Australian Estuary ◽  
Western Australian

The absence of marine records for M. dalli below latitude 31�S., together with data on gonadal stages and spermatophore deposition on females of this species in the Swan estuary, provide very strong indications that the western school prawn typically breeds in estuarine environments in south-western Australia. The 0 + recruits, which first appeared in samples in February, remained in the estuary during the following months and by November had reached a size suitable for exploitation. At this time they were approaching sexual maturity and were starting to move from the shallows to the deeper waters of the estuary where they remained for their second year of life. In contrast to Australian Penaeus species, M. dalli mates during the intermoult period when the shell is hard rather than immediately after moulting.

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