5A3 Issues in Australian 5A3 Issues in Australian EnvironmentsEnvironments

Syllabus – Syllabus – 5A3 Issues in Australian 5A3 Issues in Australian EnvironmentsEnvironments

Students learn about:

Geographical issues affecting Australian environments including:◦ Air quality◦ Coastal management◦ Land and water management◦ Spatial inequality◦ Urban growth and decline◦ Waste management

Syllabus – Syllabus – 5A3 Issues in Australian 5A3 Issues in Australian EnvironmentsEnvironments Students learn to: 

describe each geographical issue in relation to:◦ its nature ◦ its impacts ◦ the responses by individuals, groups and

governments to the issue

outline how a range of geographical issues are affecting Australian environments

We will focus on 2 geographical issues in depth

develop a research action plan, apply fieldwork techniques, present geographical information and demonstrate active citizenship

What is a Geographical What is a Geographical IssueIssueGeographical issues involve the

interaction of the physical and human environments and have the following aspects:

◦A spatial dimension – where and why the issue is occurring

◦An ecological dimension – the way humans interact with the physical and human environment

◦A particular scale – local, regional, state, national or international

What is a Geographical Issue What is a Geographical Issue continuedcontinued

Geographical issues involve the interaction of the physical and human environments and have the following aspects:

◦Geographical processes – physical and human forces operating to cause the issue

◦Different perceptions – range of viewpoints or opinions about the issue

◦Different groups involved in the issue including residents, communities, governments and businesses

The 6 geographical issues The 6 geographical issues defineddefined

Spatial InequalitySpatial Inequality‘The great divide.’‘The great divide.’

Spatial inequality investigates the differences that exist in relation to access to resources and services between different areas of Australia

Examples include: ◦ The type and quality of housing in an area ◦ Income levels ◦ Access to schools and institutions for further

education◦ The quality of health services and employment

opportunities that are available to people.

Geographers work to ensure that access to resources is fair and equitable and to remove some of the barriers that spatial inequality presents.

Spatial Inequality – a living Spatial Inequality – a living exampleexample

Coastal managementCoastal management‘Managing our coastline in a sustainable way.’‘Managing our coastline in a sustainable way.’The Australian coastline is a resource

under pressure due to human activity that is changing the natural processes that have formed and shaped the coastal environment for thousands of years.

Issues in coastal environments centre around managing human alterations to natural processes and repairing damage.

Coastal managementCoastal management

Urban growth and declineUrban growth and decline‘Everything old is new again.’‘Everything old is new again.’ Urban growth refers to urban areas increasing,

either in area or in population size.

Urban decline ◦ Areas within a city that become disused as a result

of changes in industry or in the nature of a community.

◦ The decline of small rural towns as larger urban centres grow.

Urban growth and decline are influenced by the geographical processes of urban consolidation, urban decay, urban renewal and suburbanisation.

Urban growth and declineUrban growth and declineQ. 41 Which geographical issue affecting Australian

environments is best illustrated by Source D below?

       (A) Air quality (B) Urban growth (C) Spatial inequality (D) Land and water management 

Waste managementWaste management Modern living leads to huge volumes of waste being produced,

which is disposed of in the oceans, air, rivers and on the land.

Geographical issues surrounding waste include:◦ The type of waste and the disposal of it.

Using waste as landfill which consumes large areas of land.

Chemical and contaminated waste sites.

Solutions focus on reducing the

amount of waste generated,

promoting the reusing of items and

developing recycling options in order

to promote a more sustainable future

through waste reduction.

Waste managementWaste management

Land and water Land and water managementmanagement Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Water management is important as communities face

the issues of water quantity and quality.

Land management is a confronting geographic issue for rural Australia. Salinity, soil erosion and desertification are all geographical processes acting to destroy productive cropland. Through the development of land management techniques, farmers are able to use their land more sustainably.

Land and water management issues are intertwined as the sustainable management of the land is linked to the sustainable use of Australia’s

water resources.

Air qualityAir qualityThe cost of poor air quality in cities is

difficult to accurately measure but has been linked to a number of health problems.

Two major pollutants are:◦ Pollution from reliance on motor vehicles.◦ Pollution from industry.

Air pollution can be made worse by the topography of the land, as is the case for Sydney’s location on a coastal plain surrounded by mountains.

Civics and CitizenshipCivics and CitizenshipOnce geographical knowledge and

management solutions about an issue are developed it is important that this knowledge is used effectively to promote a more sustainable and equitable future for all Australians.

Civics involves the knowledge of effective ways individuals, groups and governments can influence the decision-making processes about an issue.

Citizenship involves action or exercising your rights to influence the decision-making processes to ensure a fair and sustainable outcome.

Refer SIMB – past Refer SIMB – past questionsquestions

A mixture of multiple choice, short answer and extended response on geographical issues from 2006-2010 past papers

Coastal ManagementCoastal Management

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In comparison with many countries of the world, Australia possesses an enormous continuous coastline.

Australia's coast including islands stretches for about 60 000 kilometres and comprises over 10 000 separate beaches.

About two-thirds of the population live in the towns and cities that have been built to take advantage of the many benefits the coastline brings.

Coastal ManagementCoastal Management– – ActivityActivity

Research ONE of the above beaches which is experiencing coastal management issues.

◦ Outline the geographical processes causing the issue (refer next slide)

◦ Identify the groups that are involved in the issue and explain the actions they are taking to manage the issue or influence the decision-making processes.

◦ Describe the likely solution to the issue.

Terrigal Lagoon and Wamberal

Beach

The Cronulla beaches

The geographical processes The geographical processes relevant to coastal relevant to coastal managementmanagement

Atmospheric processes – ◦ caused by such elements as temperature change,

storms and the force of the wind.

Biotic processes – ◦ plant and animal life and the way they interact.

Geomorphic processes – ◦ uplifting forces within the Earth’s crust, which

create sea cliffs or the forces of erosion and deposition.

Hydrologic processes – ◦ action of the waves, the tides and ocean currents.