Environmental Case Study: Sydney AirportIntroductionWith Botany Bay on one side and the CBD of Australia's largest city on the other, Sydney Airport has a full range of environmental problems to monitor and manage. Sydney Airport's environmental management is conducted in accordance with the Sydney Airport Environmental Strategy. Sydney Airport is Australia's busiest airport, with over 8 million international travelers and 15 million domestic travelers arriving and departing on approximately 290,000 flights per year. This makes Sydney Airport one of the major sources of pollution in Australia today. Sydney Airports' environmental strategy has been developed in accordance with current laws and legislation. It provides the system through which daily and long-term environmental management can be planned, implemented and reviewed, in a cycle of continuous improvement. The Sydney Airports Environmental Strategy comprises the following main components: · Environmental Policy · Planning, including environmental aspects and risk identification and Assessment, objectives, targets and action plans · Implementation and operation, including environmental responsibilities, training and awareness raising, communication, document and operational control, emergency preparedness and response · Control and corrective actions, including monitoring, evaluation and audit and · Management review .Overview Sydney Airport has a full range of environmental issues to address in compliance with its daily operations. These include: · Environmental management and stakeholder relations · Resource use (water, energy and raw materials) · Air quality · Land transport · Surface water quality · Soil and groundwater quality · Noise · Flora and fauna· Heritage· Dangerous goods and materials and· Waste. Sydney Airports has set key targets for each of these environmental issues. These objectives follow the principles of Sydney Airport's environmental policy, setting the direction for the management of each environmental aspect. Each of these issues has a defined priority list, developed with consideration to the item's risk, current management status and resources. Priority system categories include: A: Highest priority actions, to be implemented within 1 to 2 years B: Medium priority actions, to be implemented within 2 to 3 years C: Lower priority actions, to be implemented within 3 or 5 years, or when resources permit, and · D: Actions with variable and regular timing or with timing that depends on external factors. Airport Environmental Strategy (AES) This Airport Environmental Strategy (AES) provides strategic direction for the environmental management of Sydney Airport over a 5-year period. The strategy is prepared in accordance with the Commonwealth Airports Act 1996 and the Airports (Environmental Protection) Regulations 1997. After 5 years a new strategy is completed which updates and replaces the previous airport environmental strategy. Sydney Airport's first AES was developed in 1999 and was a great success.