1.

Describe the current population of Australia and the projected population

growth between now and 2050. (Include relevant statistics/ graphs to support
your answer)
The population of Australia was 25,766,605 people as of 31 December 2021
according to the 2021 census conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
49.3% of the whole population is male with the median age being 37. While 50.7% of
the population is female with a median age of 39 years old. The population of
Australia is projected to reach 35.9 million people by 2050. Even though the
population will continue to grow, the rate of growth will decrease from 2.1% (2008-9)
to 0.9% (2049-50) meaning that fewer individuals will travel to Australia and fewer
couples would have children. According to Source 1, the population of females will
be larger than males. The largest age group will be 30-34 for females and males, at
3.3% each for both genders of the population of Australia.

2. Discuss the implications of this population growth on Australia.

Population growth in Australia will trigger several positive and negative
consequences. A large number of working-class individuals (the largest age group)
will provide support and decrease the skill shortage being experienced by Australia
currently. A larger population will lead to increased productivity and create more
specialised jobs such as researchers and scientists that can study climate change and
propose possible solutions or strategies to reduce it. More people can produce more
goods and services leading to more value and ‘money’ created in the economy will
strengthen it. However, the demand will be larger than the supply and it would the
inflation rate to rise substantially, increasing the price of products. More employed
individuals will lead to an increase in automobile purchases for travel, which will
increase greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere considerably. The lack of
space and a high population density of approximately 2902.7 people/km^2 will create
poor living conditions. A larger supply of job applicants than the number of available
jobs can result in severe unemployment. An increase in jobless people will trigger the
growth of poverty and homelessness. The need to provide communal homes and
welfare payments will compel the government to increase taxes on goods, services,
and incomes. The government of Australia will have to expand its current cities
or/and develop new cities to accommodate the immense population of its country. The
current infrastructure of Australia will not be able to integrate 35.9 million people.
Overcrowding in public transport will make it impractical. The roads will also
become congested with cars. Overall, Australia will have to heavily adapt to its
population growth.

3. Research a sustainable city (or 2 cities) and explain two strategies that have been
used to ensure it is:
a) economically sustainable; OR
b) environmentally sustainable; OR
c) socially sustainable.
You need to choose ONE of the above three aspects of sustainability. In your
answer, explain two strategies used in the city/cities you have researched to
enhance your chosen aspect of sustainability. Include pictures/images to support
your answer.

Copenhagen, Denmark is one of the most sustainable cities in the world. It is ranked
no. 3 in the top 5 most sustainable cities by earth.org. Copenhagen has integrated an
efficient bike system into its roads and destinations. It has done this to encourage the
public to use carbon-neutral transport instead of cars which are one of the biggest
contributors to carbon emissions and climate change. 90% of the population owns a
bicycle and approximately 38% use them to commute daily. Copenhagen has
eliminated more than one-third of all fossil fuels used in transportation which is
equivalent to 90000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. Their goal is to
increase all bicycle trips by 9% according to source 2 they have already reduced their
carbon emissions by 33% from 2005 to 2015.

Furthermore, Bjarke Ingels Group created a waste incineration plant known as

CopenHill. It produces heat and electricity by burning waste collected by surrounding
municipalities. In 2020, it burned 600,000 tonnes of waste, providing adequate
electricity to 80000 households and heat for 90000 homes. It is set to reduce carbon
emissions by 100,000 every year and as per source 3, contributes to converting 53%
of all wastes into energy. Burnt ash and metal waste are also refused to maximise the
sustainability of the project. The building will help reach the city reach its goal of
becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral city by 2025. Due to these strategies,
Copenhagen is one of the most environmentally sustainable cities in the world.
 Source 2

Source 3