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SWOT Analysis of Sustainable Goals in an Australian Context

Goal Key targets Strength Weakness Opportunities Threats


Australia is currently Cardiovascular Physical activity and • Adults living in the lowest
Target 3.4  managing well with disease (CVD) is the exercise reduce your socioeconomic areas were more
By 2030, reduce Target 3.4 it is Green leading cause of death chances of developing likely to be overweight or obese
by one-third which indicates in Australia, heart diseases, such as than those in the highest
premature SDG is achieved and accounting for one- a heart attack, high blood socioeconomic areas (66%
mortality from non- the trend is quarter (26%) of all pressure, and heart compared with 58%)(Australian
communicable indicating deaths. failure. Institute of Health and Welfare,
diseases through Australia is on track or Making physical activity
GOAL 3. GOOD 2016).
prevention and will be maintaining SDG This means that 118 a daily habit benefits
HEALTH AND The increasing availability of
treatment and achievement by Australians die from both your physical and
WELLBEING promote mental CVD every day, or one mental health(WHO | foods high in fat, sugar, and salt,
2030(Sustainable known as junk foods, is
health and well- Development Report, person every 12 World Health
Ensure healthy being(Sustainable hours(Australian Organization, 2019). exacerbated by advertising,
lives and promote 2021). which hurts people's food
Development The prevalence of Institute of Health and
well-being for all at Goals, 2020). Welfare, 2021). Heart Foundation preferences and consumption
all ages cardiovascular disease
10,200 people in Walking is Australia’s patterns(Parliament of
has declined by
approximately 80% Western Australia had largest, free walking Australia, 2011).
since the 1980s, owing CHD-related heart program. The program
to research into risk failure between 2000 supports people to start Regular physical activity has
factors, medications, and 2010 and were and keep walking been shown to aid in
and interventions. The still alive in 2010 (0.4% because walking can preventing and managing
Medical Research of the population) help lead to a healthier non-communicable diseases.
Future Fund and the (Australian Institute of heart (National Heart People who do not exercise
National Health and Health and Welfare, Foundation of Australia, increase their chances of
Medical Research 2017). 2020). becoming obese and
Council fund have developing cardiovascular
funded disease. People in low to
$220 million over 10 middle-income countries
years for the have a higher rate of
Cardiovascular Health cardiovascular disease
Mission (Australian because they do not have
Government enough resources to treat
Department of health, them(WHO | World Health
2021). Organization, 2019).

In 2017–2019, the CVD


death rate for people
living in the lowest
socioeconomic areas
was 1.5 times that of
those living in the
highest socioeconomic
areas (age-standardised
rates of 158 and 106 per
100,000 population)
During the period 2017–
2019, the CVD death
rate in remote and very
remote areas was 1.4
times that of major cities
(age-standardised rates
of 172 and 124 per
100,000 population)
(Australian Institute of
Health and Welfare,
2021).
TARGET 11.6 As Australia currently Australia’s air is This researcher People are repealing the
By 2030, reduce falls under the yellow currently rated 1.1 investigated air quality in carbon price.
the adverse per zone that indicates times above the WHO Australia and discovered Australia is the world’s
capita Challenges remain, the annual air quality significant gaps in largest exporter of fossil
environmental trend indicates it is guideline value where Australian actions and fuels.
impact of cities, moderately St Helens, Tasmania legislation regarding air As Australia is the largest
Goal 11. including by improving(Sustainable is rated the cleanest pollution when compared exporter, this sector of
SUSTAINABLE paying special Development Report, and Armidale, NSW is to other Australia holds a vital role in
CITIES AND attention to air 2021). the most polluted countries(Roden, 2020). Australian political decision-
COMMUNITIES quality and The Global Burden of city(Empowering the The clean energy act making, thus successfully
municipal and Disease study World to Breathe was introduced by the delaying any policy regarding
Make cities and other waste estimates that 4.51 Cleaner Air | IQAir, Australian parliament in reducing carbon emissions.
human settlements management million deaths were 2021). Australia 2011 to reduce carbon It is much more inexpensive
inclusive, safe, attributed to outdoor air produced 535.7 million dioxide emissions and to use fossil fuels than to
resilient, and pollution in the latest tonnes of carbon combat global warming. implement clean energy
sustainable. year.1(Our World in dioxide equivalent (Mt The Commonwealth usage(Wright et al., 2021).
Data, 2019). CO2-e) emissions, Government provides a
Australia is a high- These emissions came financial incentive for the
income country where from various sectors installation of renewable
the air is less polluted majoring in Energy energy systems through
compared to other low (Electricity)—187.5 Mt the Small-scale
to middle-income CO2-e (or 35% of the Renewable Energy
countries and has far total emissions) were Scheme.
less population density. produced by fuel The South Australian
But looking at the combustion to make government set a target
growing population and electricity (on- and off- of meeting half of its
industrialization, grid)(Australian electricity with renewable
Australia should adopt Parliament House, energy by 2020. South
preventive measures to 2022). Australia has already
maintain its clean achieved this goal and is
environment and aiming for 100 per cent
improve carbon as soon as
emissions to secure a possible(Dean & Green,
healthy future(Our World 2017).
in Data, 2019). A 15,000 square km site
on Western Australia’s
southern coast has been
proposed as the location
for the A$100 billion
Western Green Energy
Hub. Comprising 50
gigawatts of wind and
solar capacity, the
Western Green Energy
Hub would be the world’s
biggest renewable
energy hub and one of
the largest projects ever
seen in Australia. The
consortium behind the
project comprises CWP
Global, InterContinental
Energy and Mining
Green Energy
(Department of the
Premier and Cabinet,
2021).

References

Australian Government Department of health. (2021). What we’re doing about cardiovascular conditions.
https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/chronic-conditions/what-were-doing-about-chronic-conditions/what-were-doing-about-cardiovascular-
conditions
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2016). 4.4 Overweight and obesity (Australia's health 2016). https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/384eafec-
fa90-412d-8c98-b279fddc7911/ah16-4-4-overweight-obesity.pdf.aspx
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2017). Cardiovascular disease fact sheet:. https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/54b735f7-9ea8-47c4-98cd-
e48f29ddedff/cvd-72-wa-heart-failure.pdf.aspx?inline=true
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2021). Heart, stroke and vascular disease—Australian facts. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-
vascular-diseases/hsvd-facts/contents/heart-stroke-and-vascular-disease-and-subtypes/total-heart-stroke-and-vascular-disease#deaths
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https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/
EmissionsReduction#:~:text=Following%20the%20repeal%20of%20the,funding%20has%20now%20been%20spent.
Dean, A., & Green, D. (2017). Climate change, air pollution and health in Australia. Sydney, Australia: UNSW Sydney.
Department of the Premier and Cabinet. (2021). Major new hydrogen proposal welcomed.
https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2021/07/Major-new-hydrogen-proposal-welcomed.aspx
Empowering the World to Breathe Cleaner Air | IQAir. (2021). Australia air quality index (AQI) and air pollution information | AirVisual.
https://www.iqair.com/au/australia
National Heart Foundation of Australia. (2020). Our programs and initiatives. https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/about-us/our-programs
Our World in Data. (2019). Outdoor air pollution. https://ourworldindata.org/outdoor-air-pollution#outdoor-air-pollution-is-one-of-the-leading-risk-factors-
for-premature-death
Parliament of Australia. (2011). Marketing obesity? Junk food, advertising and kids – Parliament of Australia.
https://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_departments/parliamentary_library/pubs/rp/rp1011/11rp09
Roden, J. (2020). Air Pollution Issues in Australia. Medical Research Archives, 8(10). https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v8i10.2262
Sustainable Development Goals. (2020). Goal 3 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal3
Sustainable Development Report. (2021). Sustainable development report 2021. https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/map/indicators/age-standardized-death-
rate-due-to-cardiovascular-disease-cancer-diabetes-or-chronic-respiratory-disease-in-adults-aged-30-70-years/trends
WHO | World Health Organization. (2019). Ten health issues WHO will tackle this year. https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/ten-threats-to-global-
health-in-2019
Wright, C., Nyberg, D., & Bowden, V. (2021). Beyond the discourse of denial: The reproduction of fossil fuel hegemony in Australia. Energy Research &
Social Science, 77, 102094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102094

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