Environmental Sustainability In Australia

Compare and contrast Australian government policies relating to environmental sustainability with those of another country.
“Sustainability is about taking what we need to live now, without jeopardising the potential for people in the future to meet their needs.” (LandLearn NSW 2009) Environmental sustainability is very important to all countries in the world because all humankind is reliant on the environment to live therefore it is necessary to make our own environment sustainable. “Governments around the world have realised that procurement is an important means of reducing their own environmental impacts and, more broadly, helping facilitate market creation for greener products and services.” (The Victorian Government 2006, 7) Two countries
The energy that humankind is using at home pollutes the environment and reduces the availability of energy in the future. (GovHK 2010) Lighting and air conditioning are the major forms of energy consumption at home. (GovHK 2010) Both governments are therefore working to help all homes use less energy and save money from energy bills by proposed regulations and financial support. (Australian Government 2009) and (GovHK2010) The Energy Efficiency Labelling Scheme is being promoted in Hong Kong and the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) programs are also being promoted in Australia. (Australian Government 2009) and (GovHK2010) These two programs have similar functions and policies. They are set out in the relevant appliance standards. (Australian Government 2009) and (GovHK2010) “For lighting, compact fluorescent bulbs are highly cost-effective replacements for incandescent, and the prices of new technologies, such as LED, are declining.” (Diesendorf 2007) In brief, the Australian and Hong Kong Governments have similar policies to save energy in homes by reducing light energy and setting appliance
The Governments of Australian and Hong Kong are paying attention to climate change. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement connected to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). According to UNFCCC (2009), Australia has joined the Kyoto Protocol but Hong Kong has not. “The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.” (UNFCCC 2009) “Human activities cause an increase in greenhouse gases, mainly through burning of fossil fuels.” (GovHK 2010) Under the agreement, Australia must meet its goal in the national measures. The Kyoto Protocol gives additional suggestions of meeting this goal by setting the Kyoto mechanisms which are: emissions trading, the cleaning development mechanism and joint implementation. (UNFCCC 2009) Two major contributors of greenhouse gases in Hong Kong are power generation and the transport sector. (GovHK 2010) Even though the Hong Kong Government is not a member of the Kyoto Protocol, it has been promoting the use of cleaner fuel and renewable energy got over a decade to reduce the production of greenhouse gases from power generation. (GovHK 2010) The Hong Kong Government has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Energy