Environmental Issues in Werribee
Deforestation
Deforestation, according to the Cambridge English Dictionary is the cutting down of trees in a large area, or the destruction of forests by people:
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Deforestation affects the environment in Werribee because the cutting down of trees to build estates like Jubilee etc, makes animals like possums homeless and along with that increases the amount of roadkill on the roads. Housing estates such as Cornerstone and Jubilee are also made by cutting down trees and bushes.
This issue can be solved with the expansion of sanctuaries like Werribee Open Range Zoo and cutting down on the amount of building projects around Werribee, focusing instead on cultivating the local environment
Air Pollution
Air Pollution is according to the Cambridge English Dictionary, harmful substances in the air, often consisting of waste from vehicles or industry
Air Pollution affects the local environment in Werribee through smog from fires from campfires and barbeques.
By cutting down the amount of time we use in campfires and barbeques we can protect our environment from Air Pollution.
Urbanisation
Urbanisation, according to the Cambridge English Dictionary, is the process by which more and more people leave the countryside to live in cities.
Urbanisation is harmful for Werribee as we would have to cut down trees in Werribee to fit in more people from the countryside, harming the natural environment
Urbanisation can be solved by encouraging people to stay and move to the vast countryside, which does not need as much development to fit more people.
Noise Pollution
Noise pollution is noise, such as that from traffic, that upsets people where they live or work and is considered to be unhealthy for them:
Noise pollution can affect the environment by hurting the animals around. Several animals in Werribee have a sensitivity to noise and by polluting the environment with noise, it could effect the ecosystem. In Melbourne, noise pollution can be seen in the consistent roadwork coming from the Big Build project, that could affect the wellbeing of residents..
by decreasing the amount of noise we use to pollute the environment we can help the animals. The Environmental Protection Act 2017 makes it an offence to create unreasonable levels of noise at your residential property. Residential noise may be unreasonable at any time of the day, depending on its volume, intensity, duration, time, place and other circumstances.
Fast Fashion
According to the the Cambridge Dictionary, clothes that are made and sold cheaply, so that people can buy new clothes often:
Fast fashion’s impact on the planet is immense. The pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Fast fashion’s negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes—making the fashion industry the one of the largest polluters of clean water globally, right up there with agriculture. Melbourne is one of the highest consumers of fast fashion.
By being careful about how you buy your clothes and how you use them, and only buying clothes once a month or bimonthly in bulk, you can avoid contributing to fast fashion and how it affects the environment.
Bushfires
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a fire burning in the bush (= a wild area of land) that is difficult to control and sometimes spreads quickly is a bushfire.
Bushfires release CO2 into the air both through fire and the destruction of trees, which heavily affects the environment. Victoria is currently going through a severe bushfire season.
By using indigenous land management methods and decreasing the use of barbeques and campfires etc etc we can avoid having major unnatural bushfires, even if bushfires by themselves are normal.
Plastic Pollution
Plastic is an artificial substance that can be shaped when soft into many different forms and has many different uses. Pollution is damage caused to water, air, etc. by harmful substances
Plastic pollution can affect animals on land and in sea, and along with that damage the natural environment. Plastic takes more then a 100 years to biodegrade, and in that time it could be consumed by animals and damage their internal systems or take up space that could be used to plant tree etc etc. Littering is a huge issue in Melbourne with litter being seen all around the streets..
Plastic pollution can be avoided by using less one use plastic and reusing things we already have. By not letting into the capitalistic urge to consume and sustainably going through items, you can avoid unnecessary waste. Along with that, you can also recycle items and reduce the itemswe use.
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Water Pollution
Water pollution, according to the Cambridge dictionary, is damage caused to water by harmful substances.
Water Pollution in Werribee can be seen in the Werribee River. The river is often littered near, and often floods and is polluted.
By using proper river management systems and enforcing fines against littering we can protect the river from pollution.
Food waste
Food Waste, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is an unnecessary or wrong use of food (i.e wasting/throwing away food.)
In 2020, Victoria wasted over 2.4 million tonnes of food waste a year. It is one of the biggest producers of food, producing 50% of Australia's food.
The government plans to reduce Victoria's food waste to 1.2 million tonnes by increasing food rescue, converting food into animal food, tracking waste and encouraging household behaviour change,
Overfishing
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, overfishing is catching too many fish in an area of the sea, so that there are not many fish left there.
Overfishing is a massive problem in Australia due to a large amount of ill-advised fishing licenses handed out to stimulate the rural economy. This issue is particularly potent in the Great Barrier Reef.
We can help to avoid overfishing by asking for MSC and ASC certified seafood. The certification indicates that the fish was sourced responsibly.
Coral Bleaching
Coral bleaching, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is when warm water makes corals expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white
Coral bleaching is particularly bad in the Great Barrier Reef, where the overheating of the water in marine heat waves causes severe coral bleaching.
By not touching or interacting with coral, and along with that do overall work on decreasing emissions and climate change to prevent, a vast majority of unnatural coral bleaching can be prevented.
Biodiversity
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, in all its forms, from genes and bacteria to entire ecosystems such as forests or coral reefs
Biodiversity is slowly being lost as more and more species get lost; in Australia, alone, the number has risen to over 10% of animals becoming extinct over the years.
Sanctuaries like Melbourne Zoo exist to help native animals thrive int the natural environment and prevent the extinction of these animals in Australia.
Ocean Acidification
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's ocean.
Oceans absorb 30% of carbon dioxide in the ocean; even the slightest change in the pH of the ocean could affect the environment in massive ways.
Ocean acidification can be avoided by decreasing climate change as a whole and handling the climate change environemnt.