In this topic you will learn to:
Examine economic issues
- examine the economic issues associated with the goal of ecologically sustainable development
Apply economic skills
- identify and analyse problems facing contemporary and hypothetical economies
- use economic concepts to analyse a contemporary environmental issue
You will learn about:
Environmental sustainability
• ecologically sustainable development
• private and social costs and benefits – externalities, market failure
• public and private goods – free riders
• environmental issues:
– preservation of natural environments
– pollution, climate change
– depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources.
• ecologically sustainable development
• private and social costs and benefits – externalities, market failure
• public and private goods – free riders
• environmental issues:
– preservation of natural environments
– pollution, climate change
– depletion of renewable and non-renewable resources.
HSC Questions
2020
Question 26 (20 marks)
Assess the effectiveness of government economic policies and international agreements in the management of the environment in Australia.
Answers could include:
• National policies (local, state, federal policies)
– Regulations
– National heritage trust establishment/bush care and clean seas programs eg preservation of Uluru, Kakadu and Great Barrier Reef
– National water initiative
– Murray–Darling Basin Commission
– Water for future program
– Desalination plant initiatives
– Clean energy initiative
– Solar flagship programs
– Renewables Australia to support renewable research
– Local council water restrictions
• Market-based policies
– Carbon pricing scheme
– Emissions reduction fund/direct action fund
– National energy guarantee
– Taxation policies for use of green technology
– Permit-based system for use of natural resources
– Incentives to manage eco-tourism
• Technology investment roadmap discussion paper
– Reliability of renewable energy
– Balance towards renewable energy sources
• Targets
• International agreements
– Vienna Convention 1987
– Montreal Protocol 1989
– Convention on Biological diversity 1993
– Convention to combat diversification, to address land desertification 2000
– Stockholm Convention 2004
– Kyoto Protocol 2008
– Paris Agreement on Climate change 2016
– 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP25 Chile – Madrid, Spain
– 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP24 Katowice, Poland
– UN Fish Stocks Agreement
– 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24 Glasgow, Scotland
• Climate Solutions Fund
• Emission Reduction Fund
• Snowy 2.0 – Snowy Hydro
• The national electricity market
• National electric vehicle strategy
• Limitations
– political constraints
– time lags
– global response.
Question 26 (20 marks)
Assess the effectiveness of government economic policies and international agreements in the management of the environment in Australia.
Answers could include:
• National policies (local, state, federal policies)
– Regulations
– National heritage trust establishment/bush care and clean seas programs eg preservation of Uluru, Kakadu and Great Barrier Reef
– National water initiative
– Murray–Darling Basin Commission
– Water for future program
– Desalination plant initiatives
– Clean energy initiative
– Solar flagship programs
– Renewables Australia to support renewable research
– Local council water restrictions
• Market-based policies
– Carbon pricing scheme
– Emissions reduction fund/direct action fund
– National energy guarantee
– Taxation policies for use of green technology
– Permit-based system for use of natural resources
– Incentives to manage eco-tourism
• Technology investment roadmap discussion paper
– Reliability of renewable energy
– Balance towards renewable energy sources
• Targets
• International agreements
– Vienna Convention 1987
– Montreal Protocol 1989
– Convention on Biological diversity 1993
– Convention to combat diversification, to address land desertification 2000
– Stockholm Convention 2004
– Kyoto Protocol 2008
– Paris Agreement on Climate change 2016
– 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP25 Chile – Madrid, Spain
– 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP24 Katowice, Poland
– UN Fish Stocks Agreement
– 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24 Glasgow, Scotland
• Climate Solutions Fund
• Emission Reduction Fund
• Snowy 2.0 – Snowy Hydro
• The national electricity market
• National electric vehicle strategy
• Limitations
– political constraints
– time lags
– global response.
