Office for Environmental Programs - Theses
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ItemMeat and dairy: contributions to climate change( 2011)This literature review draws on peer-reviewed and other publications to explore how the rearing of livestock and the consumption of meat and dairy products contributes to global warming, and the ways we might mitigate these emissions. It describes how the impact of livestock on climate change has emerged as a controversial new angle on a long-running critique of the environmental, and other, impacts associated with domestic livestock and our consumption of meat and dairy. The essay also discusses how emissions arising from farming and eating domestic livestock can be quantified from both `farm (or `production') and `fork' (or `consumption') perspectives, and shows how the selection of accounting methods has a significant influence on the level of impact ascribed to livestock overall as well as the relative contributions by different animals and farming systems. A range of solutions to mitigate these emissions is put forward in the literature. These include technological initiatives to achieve greater production and greater efficiency, in an effort to meet projected increases in demand for animal-based foods. However, the mitigation potential of these appear to be limited, particularly in light of the animal welfare, social and environmental trade-offs that may be required to implement these. Alternative solutions focus on reducing that demand through changes in consumption patterns - from eating less meat and eating less beef, to converging on equitable consumption levels around the world, and finally to stopping the consumption of meat and dairy altogether. A small number of UK authors propose an approach that defines supply by the amount of livestock that could be produced on marginal lands or by-products we cannot eat.
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ItemThe TDS content of treated wastewaters and how this impacts on the reuse of these wastewaters for irrigating crops: with particular reference to China and neighbouring countries( 2005)With the rapid growth of population, water shortage is becoming one of the major barriers for sustainable development of human society. Among various options to solve the problem, wastewater reuse is considered as an attractive way with great environmental and economical benefits. Worldwide, irrigation is a very common practice with regard to wastewater reuse. However, a major concern with the long-term application of treated wastewater in irrigation is the potential for salts to build up in the soil. With review of related literatures, this paper analysed the total dissolved salts in raw and treated wastewater and explained the potential salinity and sodicity hazards that they would cause. The formation of salinity and sodicity is a complex process that not only depends on the level of total dissolved salts but also relates to other factors such as weather conditions, crop selection, soil property, irrigation methods, legislation and field practice. Therefore, to maximise crop production and soil protection, it is necessary to adopt an integrated approach to manage crop irrigation using treated wastewater. And the implementation of the integrated approach will determine whether the reuse of treated wastewater is successful especially for countries that wastewater is directly used for crops irrigation without any protective procedures.
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ItemSoil carbon sequestration on Victoria: policy and regulatory constraints( 2011)Soil carbon sequestration (SCS) is the transferral of atmospheric carbon dioxide into the soil. The sequestration process can be enhanced through employing particular land management practices (such as reduced tillage). Some research has found that increasing the carbon pool of soils brings benefits through offsetting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and comes with the additional benefits related to improvements in soil quality, such as increased agricultural productivity and profitability. However, the widespread uptake of SCS land management practices in Victoria has not yet been realised. This is due to a variety of constraints. The key barriers arise out of economic and scientific uncertainty. Specific concerns include issues around transaction costs, the difficulties with measurement and verification of the extent of SCS. A number of practical difficulties embedded in the current legislative framework aimed at achieving carbon abatement through enhancing SCS have also been identified (such as the 100 year `permanence' rule under the Carbon Farming Initiative). To address these issues, more research into the science and economics of SCS land management activities within Victoria is needed. Given the now recognised effects of climate change further research is warranted. This study also identifies that aspects of current policies should be examined and modified so that the implementation of SCS land management activities may commence without constraints.
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ItemRelease patterns of controlled release fertilisers and nitrogen use efficiency( 2012)Synthetic nitrogen fertilisers have enabled increasing crop yields to match world population growth, but losses of fertiliser nitrogen to the environment have significant environmental impacts, including eutrophication of coastal marine environments an nitrous oxide emissions. One way of reducing these environmental impacts while maintaining or increasing yields is to increase nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of crops. Increasing NUE means that more of the fertiliser nitrogen applied to crops is taken up by plants, and ultimately made incorporated into food, and less is lost to the environment. Controlled release fertilisers (CRF) can be used to increase NUE, because by releasing nitrogen into the soil in a controlled way, they have the potential to match the supply of nitrogen to plant demand for nitrogen throughout the growth period. In order to achieve this result, the release rate of the CRF must match the plant demand for nitrogen. If the release rate is too fast, excess nitrogen in the soil after application may be lost due to leaching, ammonia volatilisation or denitrification before it can be taken up by the crop and if nitrogen is released too slowly, it may remain in the soil after crops are harvested, and be lost to the environment. In this study, the release rates of three different CRFs and granular urea were tested in a 70 day laboratory incubation in two sandy soils, and one clay soil. The CRFs tested were Environmentally Smart Nitrogen (a polymer coated urea), XCU polymer coated sulphur coated urea, and Optiset, a lipid coated urea. The polymer coated urea (PCU) had the slowest release rate in all three soils. Lettuces were then grown in a glasshouse for 56 days with either PCU, a single application of urea before transplanting, a split application of urea, or control with no nitrogen fertiliser applied. The lettuces that received a single application of N had lower NUE and fresh weight than those that received a split application of urea or PCU. Less nitrogen was leached from the PCU treated lettuces. These results suggest that a single application of PCU may be used to produces lettuces with similar NUE and fresh weight to a split application of urea, but with less nitrogen lost due to leaching.
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ItemThe farmers, their brand, the market and the consumer: consumer preferences for beef produced with an Environmental Management System( 2006)In light of the growing public awareness of the environmental impacts of food production, this paper explores the question: Is there a relationship between branded environmental labelling on beef and purchasing decisions? The research considers how consumers' professed attitudes to the environmental impacts of farming affect their attitudes to eco-labelled beef products that are produced using a certified on-farm Environmental Management System. The research concludes that there is a relationship between environmental labelling and consumers' decision to purchase beef. This relationship is related to consumers' attitudes towards the impact that beef farming has on the environment and their level of trust in the producer. The research also finds that the participating consumers were confused about the meaning of terms that are used on product labels and that respondents did not clearly understand the concept of Environmental Management Systems. The findings suggest that effort should be directed into informing the public about how Environmental Management Systems mitigate the impacts of beef production on the environment.