ENE1621 Group Assignment

Tim Peterson
February 3, 2025

Introduction

Environmental problems are difficult to define, assess and solve. The first step to solving
an environmental problem is detecting some change in the environment, and even this can
often be difficult because of the natural variability in nature. Next we need to decide if the
detected change really is an environmental problem, but this decision is often subjective. As
you found out in Week 1, your frame of reference heavily influences your definition of an
environmental problem. After identification, the next step is attribution; this is, identifying
what drivers cause the observed change in the environment. Attribution of environmental
problems is, however, very difficult because the causes are often multifaceted. To make
matters even more complex, often the mechanisms can interact with each other, which can
change how they impact the environment. The final step is generating a solution. Even if
we can define and attribute an environmental problem, solutions are often not as effective
as we hoped and can even make the problem worse. Therefore, solutions should be viewed
as hypothesis and their effectiveness assessed using BACI principles (week 5).
In the assignment, you are asked to investigate one environmental issue from the list on
page 3. Your investigation must be evidence based (not your opinions) and should examine
the various perspectives of the problem, the nature of the changes observed and the evidence
for the causes. Once equipped with this understanding, you are then required to propose
one solution to an aspect of the problem and detail how the effectiveness of the solution will
be assessed. The report must not simply be a summary of the issues, but rather
a critical reflection of them.
The learning outcomes for this assignment are shown in Table 1 relative to the unit learn-
ing outcomes. Overall, this assignment is designed to develop your skills in understanding
the complexities of real environmental problems and to develop your communication skills.

Report scope

Many of the topics listed on page 3 are very broad. For example, the topic ”In light of
the experiences of other countries, how could Australia design and implement a vehicle fuel

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 No. Unit learning outcome Relevant to assignment
1 Identify and discern the complexities of environmen- Yes. This assignment aims to de-
tal issues related to water, waste, energy and climate velop your skills in examining the
change and their interaction with population factors complexities of real environmen-
and sustainability principles. tal problems.
2 Conduct environmental monitoring to quantify environ- No.
mental dynamics.
3 Analyse environmental observations (using Excel) to No.
discern trends over time and the impacts of climate
change.
4 Construct and apply simple environmental numerical No.
models (in Excel) and use them to make predictions.
5 Discuss major environmental issues and solutions and Yes. This assignment aims to
communicate the findings orally and in professional re- build your written and oral com-
ports. munication skills.

Table 1: Unit learning outcomes and the relevance of each to this assignment.

emissions standard? ” involves many major issues such as which county is being compared,
the design of the Australian scheme and the timelines and the measures of effectiveness. To
examine these issues in detail requires either many tens of thousands of words or a superficial
examination of all the issues.
To resolve this tension, we urge you to narrow the scope down sufficiently so that you
can examine the topic in detail within the word limit (Table 2). For many of the topics
this can be achieved by restricting the spatial scale to, say, a specific city or reducing the
time frame. Alternatively, the range of technologies investigated can be limited so that you
can investigate them in detail. Please reduce the scope sufficient so that you can
investigate the topic very well.
To assist with defining the scope, we will soon ask you to submit an ungraded half page
summary of your topic and the scope of your investigation. If we see any problems with your
scope, then we’ll provide some advice.

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List of environmental problems

The list of environmental problems to select from are below. Note, no two groups can select
an identical topic.

1. Climate Change:

(a) Climate change is likely to impact many aspects of society, but the specific im-
pacts are highly uncertain. Selecting one aspect of the environment, examine how
it has changed and what impacts can already be attributed to climate change.
Then examine what mitigation and adaptation options are shown to be success-
ful. Aspects of the environment to consider are: flooding, droughts, ecological
diversity, sea level rise, coastal erosion, ocean acidification.
(b) The community opposition to AusNet’s Western Renewables Link has demon-
strated the complexities of transitioning to net zero carbon emissions. Select
one aspect of renewables (e.g. wind, solar, transmission wires) and relevant case
studies to examine how the roll-out can be accelerated in Australia.
(c) New homes in Australia are required to meet minimum energy standards for
heating and cooling. How effective has this requirement been in reducing national
residential energy usage and how could it be improved?

2. Water:

(a) Desalination plants are a major investment for a city. Select one desalination
plant in an Australian capital city and examine its effectiveness in resolving the
intended problem?
(b) The Great Barrier Reef has been severely impacted by the nutrients within agri-
cultural runoff and by climate change. How successful have the solutions been in
reducing the runoff and saving the reef?
(c) In the 2000’s Melbourne nearly ran out of water. Similarly, in 2017 to 2018 Cape
Town (South Africa) also nearly ran out of water. Compare and examine the
major factors in both cities and propose options to increase Melbourne’s water
security.
(d) Stream water quality is significantly impacted by diffuse agricultural pollutants.
Select one type of pollutant (e.g. pesticides, herbicides, nutrients, sediments) in
a specific location and examine how water pollution has been controlled and how
the effects might be mitigated?

3. Marine:

(a) Marine National Parks are contentious within fishing communities. Choose a
specific Australian national marine park and examine if it should be expanded,
or removed?

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 (b) In 2019 the South Australian Government banned snapper fishing throughout
much of the western coastline. Has the ban been successful in causing fish numbers
to increase? Is a rise in fish numbers a sufficient criterion to deem the ban as being
successful?

4. Mining:

(a) Mining is a major export of Australia. However, most mines require significant
alteration to the landscape. Ideally the mine sites are successfully rehabilitated,
but often not. Focusing on a particular mineral and mining style (e.g. open-
cut), examine the factors resulting in successful rehabilitation and how current
practices could be improved.

5. Waste and recycling:

(a) Domestic recycling in Australia has, until recently, relied on exporting the mate-
rials offshore. Now that exporting is no longer allowed, examine the effectiveness
of recycling within one city and possible improvements.
(b) Incineration of waste to generate electricity has been proposed as a viable solution
for the waste and energy issues of some Australian capital cities. The proposals
are, however, controversial, partly because they discourage recycling. Considering
the broader issues of resource extraction and recycling, is generation of electricity
from waste appropriate? Select one Australian city.

6. Land contamination:

(a) Many industrial locations in Victoria have experienced significant contamination

and attempts have been made at most to decontaminate them. Select one site
from the EPA database and examine the effectiveness of the decontamination.

7. Atmospheric contamination:

(a) In light of the experiences of other countries, how could Australia design and
implement a vehicle fuel emissions standard?
(b) Atmospheric emissions from lead smelters in Port Pirie (S.A.) are thought to
have significantly contaminated the region and reduced the IQ of children. Var-
ious programs have been initiated over the years to reduce the impacts from the
emissions, and some argue that the current impacts are from historic, not current,
emissions. What are the causes of current impacts and what could be done by
the industry to mitigate the current impacts?
(c) Atmospheric emissions from lead and other metal mining in Mt Isa (Qld) have
contaminated the region and possibly reduce the IQ of children. What are the
causes of current contamination and impacts and what could be done by industry
to mitigate the current impacts?

8. Landscape change:

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 (a) Land cover change has a significant impact on many aspects of the environment
(e.g. plantation forestry). What are the known drivers, and what actions have
been shown to be effective? Focus on one region.
(b) Bushfires are a large part of the Australian ecosystem, but there is evidence
they are getting worse. What is causing an increase in bushfire frequency and
intensity? Is controlled burning a successful bushfire prevention strategy? In
addressing these questions, focus on a particular area of Australia.

Report requirements

Your report is required to have the following sections:

1. Background: Explain the context and events that lead to the environmental problem.
This section can start with a wide scope and then narrow to the specific issue to be
examined.

2. Environmental perspectives: Thinking about the typologies examined in week 1,

what environmental views are in conflict? Ensure evidence is provided. Also, what
type of sustainability and elements of sustainable development are relevant to this
issue?

3. Detection of environmental change: how was the environmental change/impact

detected? What is the nature of the change (slow and steady change or, say, a change
in only the variability)? What are the spatial and temporal scales of the change?
How confident can you be in the detection given exogenous (external) and endogenous
(internal) factors impacting the system? In thinking about the detection, please go
beyond the obvious. For example, if your topic is deforestation then try to go beyond
simply detection of a reduction in trees to a more subtle environmental impact such
as the decline in the population of an endangered species.

4. Attribution of the environmental change: Identifying what caused an environ-

mental impact is often very challenging and uncertain. In this section (i) synthesis the
existing evidence and perspectives on the cause(s) of the detected change; (ii) design
and explain a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of the likely cause(s) as you understand
them; and (iii) discuss what can be concluded about the likely influence of the societal
causes on the detected change (i.e. attribution. Ensure your DAG includes some com-
plexity discussed in week 3. Also, like the detection of the impact, try to go beyond
the obvious. For example, if the endangered species has declined then how sure are
we that it is caused by deforestation? Could other factors be contribution, such as a
drought or disease?

5. Past solutions: What past solutions have been attempted? Thinking about the
BACI principles (week 5), how was the effectiveness of the solutions assessed? Has the
solution caused unintended positive or negative impacts?

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 6. New solutions: Reflecting on your new understanding of the environmental problem,
propose a new solution. The solution should be as specific as possible. Also, detail
how the effectiveness of the solution will be assessed.

The teaching team is looking for concise reports that demonstrate critical thinking.
The reports should include genuine reflection and synthesise of conflicting viewpoints (with
sources) on complex issues and must not simply be a summary of the issues. For instance,
only using one journal article to base all your arguments on is not balanced and does not show
good evidence for your arguments. Make sure to use multiple sources to justified arguments
when answering each section.
In-text citations must be included. Please avoid assertions and unsupported claims.
Tables, figures, references, and appendices do not contribute to the word count. One report
will be submitted per group, with appropriate contributions from each member.

Report Tips
• Have at least one member of your group proofread the report for grammar and spelling.

• Every group member needs to read the report before submission.

• You need to be confident that there is no plagiarism in the report, everything is ref-
erenced appropriately and all work was completed by your group members when you
submit.

• Using a referencing software, like EndNote or Zotero, can be helpful, otherwise follow
the Monash library guide for Harvard referencing.

• Figure captions go below the figure, while table captions go above the table. Make sure
your captions are informative. “Table 1” is not good enough, but Table 1 – Summary
of available energy data for Monash University, Clayton Campus” provides good detail.

• Every figure and table should be discussed in the text and the reader should be guided
through its interpretation. Also, figures and tables should be introduced in the text
before it is shown in the report.

• Keep your language concise and informative. Don’t use first or third person – no “I
think”, or “We researched”

• Include a table of contents and page numbers. Microsoft Word can do this for you if
you use ‘Headings’ (see this guide).

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Report assessment

We will be utilising Turnitin, ITPmetrics, and a peer-review process in this project. Turnitin
is a plagiarism-detection software. It will be used to assess your report. If we see clear
evidence of plagiarism then disciplinary action will be taken.
We will also be using ITPmetrics, a peer assessment tool. This gives you the opportunity
to anonymously rate your peers. The final grade you receive will be impacted by how the
other group members rate your contribution. If your contribution has been deemed higher
than the others, then your grade will be higher than theirs. If your contribution is deemed
lower, then your grade will be lower than the others.
To assist with the development of your project scope and to receive feedback on the group
dynamics, there will be the following tasks in addition to submission of the final report:

• Week 5: 1/2 page project summary.

• Week 7: ITPmetrics trial to receive feedback on how your peers assess your contribu-
tion. Note, this does not effect your grade for the assignment.

• Week 10: Report submitted and the final ITPmetrics peer review. Note this peer
review will be used to adjust your report grade.

• Week 12: Group presentations.

The length of the final assessment will be:

Number of group members Report word count Presentation duration

3 4000 +/-20% 6-8 min + 3min questions

4 4500 +/-20% 8-10 min + 4min questions
5 5000 +/-20% 10-12 min + 5min questions

Table 2: Report size and presentation duration

Rubric

In assessing your assignment, the following rubric will be used.

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Assessment HD (≥ 90%) HD (< 90%) D C P F
item

Background Discussion of the As for HD As for HD (< As for D but also Lacking nu- Nuanced and
(10%) context and events (≥ 90%) but 90%) but lacks lacks sufficient anced and depth. depth is non-
is nuanced, detailed lacks sufficient some nuance. supporting evi- Requires sig- existent and no
and evidenced based. detail and has a dence. nificantly more evidence used.
Makes no assertions. couple of asser- evidence. Relies
tion. on many asser-
tions.

Environmental Range of typolo- As for HD As for HD As for D but the Analysis lacks Non-existent nu-
perspectives gies considered (≥ 90%) but (≥ 90%) but analysis is lacks depth. Ty- ance and depth.
(20%) and evidence used. EITHER the BOTH the ex- nuance. pologies and No evidence used.
Sustainability (devel- examination of amination of sustainability re-
opment elements and typologies or sus- typologies and quire significantly
weak/strong) exam- tainability lacks sustainability more evidence
ined against evidence. evidence. lacks evidence. and nuance.
Analysis results in
considered insights on
the case study.

Detection of Attributes of detected As for HD As for HD (< As for D but As for C but sig- Non-existent nu-
change (15%) change are very well (≥ 90%) but 90%) but some the discussion of nificantly greater ance and depth.
characterised (e.g. some nuances attributes also re- attributes AND supporting evi- No evidence used.
history, time, rate, and complexities quire further at- complexities dence is required.
spatial, uncertain- require further tention. lacks any nuance
ties). Goes beyond examination. or depth.
the obvious to discuss Goes beyond
detection of secondary the obvious to
impacts. Nuances and discuss detection
complexities are of secondary
discussed. Good impacts.
evidenced used.

Attribution Complexities and As for HD As for HD As for D but fur- Examination of Little distinc-
of change challenges of identi- (≥ 90%) but the (< 90%) but ther supporting the causes needs tion between
(15%) fying the cause(s) of examination of greater critical evidence is also to go significantly detection and
the various detected the complexities thinking is re- required. DAG deep and requires attribution, no
changes are explored and challenges quired. DAG may have major significantly more evidence and
and supporting evi- requires some may have minor errors. supporting evi- no depth to the
dence used. Impres- further depth. errors. dence. discussion. Very
sive critical thinking DAG may have superficial.
demonstrated. DAG moderate errors.
is consistent with evi-
dence and technically
correct.

Past Solu- Solutions critically As for HD As for HD Examination As for C but there Superficial exam-
tions (15%) evaluated using BACI (≥ 90%) but (< 90%) but needs to go sig- is no supporting ination that does
principles. Mature discussion of the unintended con- nificantly deeper evidence of any not connect with
and critical discussion solution effec- sequences are than summarising value. the prior sections
of the solution effec- tiveness requires lacking. the superficial and significantly
tiveness that goes well greater critical aspects of the lacks evidence.
beyond the obvious reflection. solutions. Some
and connects with evidenced used.
prior findings. Unin-
tended consequences
examined in some
detail.

New Solu- New solutions ele- As for HD (≥ As for HD As for HD Solutions lack de- Superficial solu-
tions (10%) gantly informed by 90%) but the con- (< 90%) but (< 90%) but tail and are un- tion that does
the identified causes nection with prior EITHER greater BOTH greater informed by prior not connect with
and past solutions. findings requires solution detail solution detail findings. BACI the prior sections
Some solution detail attention. is required OR is required AND not considered. and does not
presented. Discussion use of BACI is use of BACI is go beyond the
of effectiveness uses lacking. lacking. superficial.
BACI principles.

Report qual- Concisely and clearly One element of Two elements of Three elements of Awkward to text Major refinement
ity (15%) written, no spelling that for HD (≥ that for HD (≥ that for HD (≥ with many errors, required. Text
or grammatical errors, 90%) missing. 90%) missing 90%) missing figures not clear very difficult to
all figures easy to read understand, fig-
and labeled. All fig- ures not clear.
ures discussed in the
text. Very well struc-
tured.

Table 3: Assignment rubric