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1.22
Ozone layer is a concentration of ozone molecules in the
stratosphere (10-50km above earth’s surface)
Stratospheric ozone shields earth from sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays,
reducing radiation
Increased UV radiation causes skin cancer, cataracts, weakened
immune systems, reduce crop yield and impacts on marine
systems
Ozone molecules are attacked by ozone-depleting substances,
such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
In the stratosphere, chlorine or bromine atoms split apart from
ozone-depleting substances and destroy ozone molecules. One
chlorine atom can break apart more than 100,000 ozone
molecules
(continued)
1.23
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In the 1980s, an ‘ozone hole’ was identified above the Antarctic
and concluded to be more than natural variations in concentrations

International agreement such as Montreal Protocol have
committed nations to phase-out or reduce ozone-depleting
substances

CFC production banned in developed countries since 1995 and
alternatives have been developed
1.24
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Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life on earth, including plants,
animals and micro-organisms, along with the genetic material they
contain and the ecological systems in which they occur

Biodiversity is being eroded globally through native vegetation
clearance, pollution of air, land and water, inappropriate land use,
disruption of natural ecological cycles, invasion of exotic weeds and
pests and depletion of forests, fisheries and other natural resources
(continued)
 Australia is among the most biologically diverse nations in
the world - 290,000 species of Australian flora and 200,000
species of Australian fauna. Currently 1,478 species and 27
ecological communities currently listed at the national level
as either endangered or vulnerable
 We do not even know all species we are endangering or
their potential for humans
 We do not know what overall impact steady degradation of
ecosystems will have - the thin end of the wedge?
1.25
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1.26
Threatens global ability to continue to produce food.
By 1990, poor agricultural practices had contributed to degradation of
562 million hectares, (38% of the roughly 1.5 billion hectares in cropland
worldwide.
Each year, an additional 5 – 6 million hectares of land estimated to be
lost to soil degradation
Soil degradation includes:
 soil erosion by water and wind - depleting topsoil and causing water
and wind pollution
 physical degradation through mechanical tilling
 desertification - the degradation of land in arid, semi-arid, and dry
sub-humid areas, caused primarily by inappropriate land use and
climatic variations. salinisation and waterlogging of soil
 depletion of soil nutrients through application of fertilisers
 loss of beneficial soil organisms through over-application of
agricultural chemicals
(continued)
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1.27
Major causes of soil degradation include overworking soil
mechanically, land clearing and deforestation, overgrazing,
irrigation, and over-application of agricultural chemicals
Soil erosion is expected to severely reduce agricultural
production in regions including southeast Nigeria, Haiti and the
Himalayan foothills, and part of southern China, Southeast Asia
and Central America
Over 250 million people are directly affected by desertification,
with one billion people in over one hundred countries at risk
Salinity affecting enormous areas of land and water quality in
rivers. Saline areas can result from natural processes, however,
most newly salinised areas are the result of changes in land use
and hydrological cycles. Most salinity results from rising
groundwater. Types of salinity include dryland, irrigation, urban,
river and industrial
1.28
Source: former NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation

We are steadily using up available non-renewable resources.
Non-renewable resources = resources that are not replenished, or
at least not replenished within hundreds of thousands of years,
e.g. metals and fossil fuels

We are harvesting many renewable resources at rates greater
than their rate of replenishment (e.g. many forests)
Use of energy from fossil fuels, which are effectively nonrenewable, is of huge concern. Fossil fuels include petrol, diesel,
natural gas, LPG, black and brown coal, oil, kerosene and aviation
gasoline
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1.29
Energy use and environmental impacts are closely linked, as the
extraction, transport and use of fuels and the production of
electricity impact the environment on local, regional and global
levels, particularly the enhanced greenhouse effect and global
warming
Global use of fossil fuel increased by over three and a half times
between 1950 and 2000
(continued)
1.30
World fossil fuel consumption, 1950-2000
Source: Worldwatch Institute (2001)
(continued)
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1.31
Australia, which compared to many countries has large reserves in
comparison to annual use, is nonetheless facing a decline in crude
oil production over the next decade, with estimates that selfsufficiency for this product will decline from 85 percent in 2001 to
less than 40 percent in 2010
In Australia, the ultimate constraint to use of non-renewable
energy resources may well be the environmental impacts of
extraction and consumption, rather than availability
Potable water another critical resource being depleted, particularly
in Australia. Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent, yet
in 1996/97 used 24,058 gigalitres (approx. 24 billion cubic metres)
annually – an increase of 65 percent since 1985. There was a 75
percent increase in the annual volume of water used for irrigation
between 1985 and 1996/97
(continued)
1.32
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About one-third of the world’s population lives in regions with
moderate to high water stress. If present consumption trends
continue, two thirds of people in the world will live in water-stressed
conditions by the year 2025

Extraction of non-renewable resources has many environmental
impacts, but is also a social issue - current wasteful practices
reduce the opportunities for future generations to access these
resources to satisfy their own needs. Within current generations,
there is enormous inequity in how resources are distributed, leading
to increasing global tensions
1.33

Each year, every Australian contributes about one tonne of waste
to landfill

Of the 21.2 million tonnes of waste disposed of at landfills in
1996/97, approx. 40% domestic waste, 23% commercial and
industrial waste, and 37% construction and demolition waste

Waste is a problem not only because raw materials are not used
to their full potential, but also because of disposal challenges
(continued)
 Traditional approaches to waste management rely on the
natural environment to absorb and assimilate unwanted byproducts. Environmental impacts associated with waste
disposal include land contamination, methane emissions,
leachate discharges, odour, flammability, toxicity, and
consumption of land resources
 Landfill has been the most common method of dealing with
solid waste in Australia. In large cities, and increasingly in
towns, existing landfills are filling up and it is difficult to find
new sites. Waste disposal costs have also risen substantially
in recent decades
 Hazardous waste creates additional problems, as it is difficult
and costly to safely treat, or store, such materials
1.34
1.35
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Impacts of pollution to air, land and water include harm to human
health, degradation of natural ecosystems, and loss of productive
land resources

In developed countries, pollution is now relatively well-regulated
with significant penalties and industry has significantly improved its
practices. However, we still have the burden of cleaning up many
of the problems that have been caused from the polluting practices
of many past industrial processes
(continued)
 Some pollutants are extremely persistent, and do not
readily break down in the environment. As a consequence,
they can ‘bioaccumulate’
 Minamata in Japan suffered one of the worst cases of
industrial pollution in history
 Non-point source pollution, such as oil and litter in
stormwater, still an environmental problem in Australia
 In many developing countries, where env. legislation nonexistent or not enforced, industrial pollution remains a
serious problem
1.36