The Environment

The Environment

1. INTERACTION of Soil/Water/Air/Climate/Landscape

   • MATERIAL ASSETS & CULTURAL HERITAGE

2. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

   • meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
   • rejects policies which deplete the productive base and leave future generations with poorer prospects and / or greater risks than [current generations].
   • Health
     • The theme - indicators
     • Mortality
       • Unver five mortality rate
       • Life expectancy at birth
     • Health Care Delivery
       • % of population with access to primary health care facilities
       • Immunization against infections diseases
     • Nutritional Status
       • of children
     • Health status and risk
       • Morbidity of major diseases (hiv/aids, etc)
   • Land
     • Land use & status
       • change/degradation
     • Desertification
     • Agriculture
       • efficency of fertilizer use/pesticides & area under organic farming
     • Forests
       • Proportion of land covered by forests - % defoliation & %under sustainable forest management
   • Freshwater
     • Quality
       • Presence of faecal coliforms/ Oxygen demand/ WastewaterTreatment
     • Quantity
       • % of total water resources used/ use intensity

3. Environmental Impact

   • influence that an activity has on the environment, both LOCALLY and GLOBALLY.
   • Negative
     • Use of resources -Land/Raw materials/Energy mat/etc.
     • Emission of POLLUTANTS
     • WASTE
   • Positive
     • Reducing demand of certain resources
     • Reducing emissions
     • Recycling

4. Responsibilities of the engineer

   • need to provide the technological growth essential to social, economic and cultural advance
   • 1. Observe the principles and practices of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT and the needs of future
   • 2. Assess and process from its inception the environmental impact of engineering projects and monitor it
   • 3. Strive to accomplish the objectives of their work with the lowest possible consumption of natural resources and energy and the minimum production of waste and pollution of any kind
   • 4. Foster environmental awareness within the professions and among the public and promote environmentally-sound working conditions

5. RESOURCES

   • 1.  Raw materials & energy sources. 2.  Parts of environment that can provide services -   recreation, appreciation of wildlife & scenery. 3.  Essential life support system for humans.
   • Ressource creation
     • A feature of the environment does not become a resource until humans perceive it as one.
     • 1.Potential recognised
       • technical/economic obstacle exists
       • 2. Technological advances/ etc.
         • 3. Resource created
     • NON-MATERIALAESTHETIC resources, such as landscapes, the sequence of events is not so clearly defined: changing lifestyles & societal values are major determinants
   • Resource destruction
     • 1. Cease to be perceived as a resource
       • Thus, a source of useable nitrogen could be synthesized from the air. Guano ceased to be perceived as a resource.
     • 2. Exhaustion
       • Exhaustion only rarely occurs. More often: as a resource becomes scarce, its price increases. This discourages use. It also encourages efforts to find alternatives.
     • 3. Degradation
       • If resource use of a renewable resource is carried out in an unsustainable manner productivity may be reduced. in most cases, resource exhaustion is not complete - a base level is reached.
   • Scarce (& Abundant)
     • Often scarcities act as driving forces for innovation
     • Absolute scarcity
       • insufficient physical quantities available
     • Relative scarcity
       • problems with quality of supply/ limits placed on extraction & distribution
     • Physical
       • how much available/ demand
       • Resource base
         • total physical amount of resource available
       • Actual resource/Reserve
         • quantity that may actually be used is limited further by technological limitations.
         • technological advances will often allow the RESERVE to be extended
     • Economic
       • Rich Countries Supply drops - Price rises- Demand slackens - Production increases - Stabilises
       • Poor Countries Supply drops Price rises but people cannot afford it Production is not stimulated Spiral of decline - rising prices & falling supplies
     • Geopolitical (embargos)
     • Renewable & Environmental
       • Based of QUALITY
         • Aesthetic (landscape,etc)
         • Physical (ozone layer ...)
   • Widespread - Localised
   • Renewable & Non -Renewable
     • most common
     • Flow Resources
       • Less susceptible to human modification
         • solar/water power
       • More susceptible
         • soil/fish/forest
     • Stock Resources
       • More recyclable
         • metals
       • Less/not
         • fossil fules
       • Land
         • Building (stock-renewable)
         • Agriculture (non-renewable)
           • over-use, poor management,etc.