KIX 2005 Week 11 & 12: Law, Ethics & Sustainability for Engineers PDF

KIX 2005 Law, Ethics & Sustainability for Engineers Week 11 & 12 WEEK 11 & 12 Learning outcomes: Achieving sustainability 1.0 How do we achieve sustainability? 2.0 (a) Carbon-free world 3.0 (b) Renewable energy 4.0 (c) Green engineering 5.0 (d) Circular economy How do we achieve sustaina...

KIX 2005 Law, Ethics & Sustainability for Engineers Week 11 & 12 WEEK 11 & 12 Learning outcomes: Achieving sustainability 1.0 How do we achieve sustainability? 2.0 (a) Carbon-free world 3.0 (b) Renewable energy 4.0 (c) Green engineering 5.0 (d) Circular economy How do we achieve sustainability? How do we achieve sustainability? (a) Carbon-Free World (b) Green Engineering (c) Renewable Energy (d) Circular Economy WEEK 11 & 12 Learning outcomes: Achieving sustainability 1.0 How do we achieve sustainability? 2.0 (a) Carbon-free world 3.0 (b) Renewable energy 4.0 (c) Green engineering 5.0 (d) Circular economy  Carbon-free world What is the situation right now? - Atmospheric concentration of CO2 today is about 417.1 ppm (as of 2022). - Scientists have recommended that CO2 concentration needs to stay within 430 - 480 ppm to avoid extreme interference with the climate. What are the solutions that we have? - By creating a carbon-free world. How are we going to do that? (a) Carbon Capture (b) Carbon Neutral (c) Carbon Pricing  How does carbon is captured naturally? How does forest become a carbon sink? Forests help to fight against global warming by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and stored within the plant. How does it work? When tree roots, branches and leaves die they are usually covered by soil, which is then buried underground, slowing the breakdown of materials and boosting carbon storage. What is the biggest carbon sink in the world? Amazon forest is the biggest carbon sink in the world. How does carbon is captured naturally? Through ocean carbon pump. (a) Physical carbon pump (b) Biological carbon pump New marching orders. In China, an entire army regiment has just been deployed to fight climate change, by planting trees.  What is Carbon Capture? Carbon Capture = involves keeping CO2 out of the atmosphere by capturing the CO2 produced from direct emission or in the atmosphere, compressing it under high pressure, and then transporting it via pipelines or ships for storage in the deep ocean or underground geological reservoirs or utilizing it in secondary processes such as synthetic fuels, chemicals or materials. There are two main types of carbon capture: (a) Carbon capture, utilization & storage (b) Carbon Dioxide removal Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS) Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Processes that capture CO2 produced from direct Processes that capture CO2 from the emission, compressing it under high pressure, and atmosphere and storing it in the deep either transporting it via pipelines or ships for ocean or underground geological storage in the deep ocean or underground reservoirs or utilizing it in products geological reservoirs or utilizing it in products such as synthetic fuels, chemicals or such as synthetic fuels, chemicals or materials. materials. Examples: Used to manufacture Sodium Examples: Used for growing vegetables Bicarbonate in the greenhouse Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS) Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS) Tata Chemicals Europe reduces emissions from their power plant by more than 10% and utilize it into sodium bicarbonate, which will be marketed as Ecokarb. Ecokarb is made using raw materials that include captured CO2 that has been purified to food- and pharmaceutical-grade standards.  Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) In May 2017, Switzerland’s Climeworks set up its grand opening of its first commercial unit near Zurich, Switzerland, capturing about 900 metric tons of CO2 from the air each year. The captured CO2 is supplied to a nearby greenhouse, where a high concentration of the gas boosts crop yield by 20%.  Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) In Oct 2017, at a geothermal power plant in Iceland, Switzerland’s Climeworks inaugurated the first system that capture CO2 from the air and storing them underground, verifiably achieving negative carbon emissions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URcoIpS4MXI  What is carbon neutral? Carbon neutral = is reached when the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere is the same as the amount of CO2 removed from the atmosphere, leaving a zero balance. It is also known as a zero carbon footprint.  Which countries are carbon neutral? (1) Bhutan, Asia - Bhutan’s forests cover around 72% of the country’s total area. - Bhutan’s constitution mandates the government to maintain a minimum of 60% of its total land under forest cover. - Bhutan absorbs over 6 million tonne of carbon while only producing 1.5 million tonne of carbon. - Bhutan has low ratio of people to land mass. (2) Suriname, South America - Suriname has the highest percentage of forest area at 97%. - Thanks to the massive area of Amazon rainforest that they hold. (3) Gabon, Central Africa - Gabon’s forests cover around 88% of the country’s total area.  Which countries are carbon neutral? (4) Guyana, South America - Guyana’s forests cover around 85% of the country’s total area. (5) Panama, Central America - Panama’s forests cover around 65% of the country’s total area. (6) Niue, Oceania - Niue’s forests cover around 73% of the country’s total area. - It is a net carbon sink country, contribute less than 0.0001% of global carbon emission. (7) Comoros, Africa - It is a net carbon sink country, contribute very low in global carbon emission. (8) Madagascar, Africa - It is a net carbon sink country, contribute very low in global carbon emission. Bhutan is not only carbon neutral, but it is also a carbon negative country. How did they do that? Bhutan’s constitution mandated that 60% of its landmass must be maintained and protected as forest, and it is currently 72% forested. Offering only controlled, low-impact tourism, which includes charging all visitors sustainable development fees (USD 200 per person per night). Establishing Gross National Happiness Index that has 4 pillars, (a) sustainable development, (b) environmental protection, (c) cultural preservation, and (d) good governance. Apparently, a happy environment leads to a happy nation. Other efforts: (a) Bhutan absorbs over 6 million tonne of carbon while only producing 1.5 million tonne of carbon. (b) Holding a world record on the most trees planted per hour. (c) The banning of export logging. (d) Low ratio of people to land mass. (e) The first road was only built in the 1960s, which also means people were very slow to get cars. Bhutan is not only carbon neutral, but it is also a carbon negative country. How ambitious could they be? Aiming for zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Aiming for zero waste by 2030. Aiming for 100% organic food production by 2020. Aiming to convert all of the country's vehicles to electric. Aiming to increase its share of renewables while decreasing its reliance on hydropower and electricity imports in the winter. It's currently exploring wind, biogas, and solar. Which countries are committing to carbon neutral?  What is carbon pricing, carbon tax and carbon market? Carbon Pricing = is a mechanism that harnesses market forces to address climate change by creating financial incentives for companies and countries to lower their emissions, either by switching to more efficient processes or cleaner fuels. There are two main types of carbon pricing: (a) Carbon Tax (2) Carbon Market Carbon Tax Carbon Market Carbon tax = is a fixed fee imposed by Carbon market = is a marketplace where carbon emissions, government on carbon emitted by termed as carbon credits, can be bought and sold. businesses. Carbon tax makes using dirty fuels more Company’s emission > the government’s targets à it can expensive. Thus, encourage businesses sell any additional “saved” carbon emissions on the market. to reduce consumption, increase energy Company’s emission < the government’s targets à it can efficiency and use renewable energy buy those saved emissions to artificially reach their goals. (1) Switzerland – USD 130 per metric (1) European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) – tonne CO2 USD 110 per metric tonne CO2 (2) Ukraine – USD 0.82 per metric (2) China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) – USD 8 per tonne CO2 metric tonne CO2 How does carbon market works? Which countries implementing carbon pricing? Things to ponder… WEEK 11 & 12 Learning outcomes: Achieving sustainability 1.0 How do we achieve sustainability? 2.0 (a) Carbon-free world 3.0 (b) Renewable energy 4.0 (c) Green engineering 5.0 (d) Circular economy  Definition = Green engineering is the design, Green commercialization and use of processes and products that minimize pollution, promote Engineering sustainability, and protect human health without sacrificing economic viability and efficiency. I Inherently non-hazardous and safe M Minimize material diversity P Prevention instead of treatment R Renewable material and energy inputs O Output-led design V Very simple E Efficient use of mass, energy, space & time M Meet the need E Easy to separate by design N Networks for exchange of local mass & energy T Test the life cycle of the design S Sustainability through product of life cycle  The world’s coastal cities are going underwater. Here’s how Netherland is fighting back. What was the problem? The conservative scientific consensus is that a 1.5°C increase in global temperature will generate a global sea-level rise of between 50 to 100 cm by 2100. Even if we collectively manage to keep global temperatures from rising to 2°C, by 2050 at least 570 cities and some 800 million people will be exposed to rising seas and storm surges. What are the solutions? Engineering projects à First, they are fielding hard engineering projects like sea walls, surge barriers, water pumps and overflow chambers to keep water out. Environmental approaches à Second, they are adopting environmental approaches involving land recovery and the restoration of mangroves and wetlands to help cities cope with floodwater inundation. People-oriented measures à Third, it involves people-oriented measures including urban design, building resilience and retreating after all other options have been exhausted. Has any countries successful in doing it? One country that has pioneered these multi-prong measures is the Netherlands. They have good reason to be proactive given that over ¼ of the country is below sea-level.  The world’s coastal cities are going underwater. Here’s how Netherland is fighting back. Rotterdam leads the way. Rotterdam in Netherland is one of the safest delta cities in the world precisely because it has learned to live with water. Maeslant Barrier à The barrier is connected to a computer system which is linked to weather and sea level data. Under normal weather conditions, the two doors are well protected in their dry docks and a 360-metre wide gap in the waterway gives ships enough space to pass without any inconvenience. But when a storm surge of 3 metres above normal sea level is anticipated in Rotterdam, the barrier will be closed automatically. Canals à More ponds and canals such as in Naarden will be dug in public spaces. Canals collect and carry away excess water that comes in during the flood. Water plaza à Water plazas, such as the one in Spargen, which will be dry most of the year, but will, in the event of heavy rainstorms, be allowed to fill up and retain superfluous rainwater for a longer period. Underground reservoir à The car park under Museumpark will house a collection reservoir with a capacity of 10,000 cubic metres. Green roof à In Delfshaven the green roofs and pocket parks will help to retain the rainfall and keep the city cool. Ground-shifting à ???  Maeslant Barrier Under normal weather conditions, the two doors themselves are well protected in their dry docks and a 360-metre wide gap in the waterway gives ships enough space to pass without any inconvenience. But when a storm surge of 3 metres above normal sea level is anticipated in Rotterdam, the barrier will be closed automatically.  Canals Aerial view of Naarden, a fortified town in Rotterdam that embodies the traditional Dutch defensive approach to water management  Water plaza A water plaza in the Spangen neighborhood of Rotterdam was created to capture floodwater.  Underground reservoir The car park under Museumpark will house a collection reservoir with a capacity of 10,000 cubic metres.  Green roof A green roof park Vierhavenstrip with gardens on top of a roof or roof parks, complete with pavement, lawns, bushes and trees.  Ground-shifting Netherland’s ground-shifting plan to prevent flooding WEEK 11 & 12 Learning outcomes: Achieving sustainability 1.0 How do we achieve sustainability? 2.0 (a) Carbon-free world 3.0 (b) Renewable energy 4.0 (c) Green engineering 5.0 (d) Circular economy  Circular Economy A circular economy = is an economic system aimed at minimizing waste and making the most of resources. A traditional linear economy = is an economic system that has a 'take, make, dispose' model of production.  Minerals - Circular economy at its best Minerals like Copper (Cu) is a good example of circular economy due to its unique property (i.e. conducting electricity) that would not deteriorate over time. It would still conducting electric for as long as you could remember. Tyre recycling and repurposing at world’s biggest tyre graveyard – A Kuwaiti’s experience  Kimberly-Clark launches Aussie diaper recycling trial A schematic of The Nappy Loop whereby the plastics and organic materials are separated and recycled for energy, nutrient, and material recovery instead of going to landfill.  Welcome to the House of Trash Miniwiz, a Taiwan-based firm has teamed up with homewares company Pentatonic to create the House of Trash, a home design exhibit in Milan where, as the name suggests, everything from coffee cups to furniture and artwork is made from trash. This includes lounge chairs made from recycled plastic bottles and glassware created with broken smartphone screens.  Techy bins to solve South Korea’s food waste problem Waste piling up on South Korean streets spurred public protests and a ban was imposed in 2005 on food landfilling. Today, Seoul plans to use food waste for urban farming initiatives. The city has installed 6,000 bins with instruments such as scales and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to weigh food waste and turn it into compost. City officials say that RFID machines have helped reduce food landfilling in Seoul by nearly 47,000 tonnes in six years.  DyeCoo – Turn a most polluted industry, that is textile industry, into a zero-waste industry The textiles industry uses vast quantities of water and chemicals and produces a lot of toxic waste, which is a major problem in countries like China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Thailand. But Dutch company DyeCoo has developed a process of dyeing cloth that uses no water at all, and no chemicals other than the dyes themselves. It uses highly pressurised “supercritical” CO2, halfway between a liquid and a gas, that dissolves the dye and carries it deep into the fabric. The CO2 then evaporates and is in turn recycled and used again. 98% of the dye is absorbed by the cloth, giving vibrant colours. And because the cloth doesn’t need to dry, the process takes half the time, uses less energy, and even costs less. The company already has partnerships with major brands like Nike and IKEA.  France’s repairability rating to extend product lifetimes In a concerted effort to combat planned obsolescence, France was the first European country to introduce a repair rating for products including smartphones, televisions, laptop computers and lawnmowers. The index, which has to be displayed near products in stores and online, will eventually cover more items and will also rate durability. Following in France’s footsteps are the US Right to Repair Bill and the EU Sustainable Products Initiative.  Reinventing Cities A circular-economy-based efforts to repurpose the unused spaces and buildings all around the world New York, US Unused rooftop spaces à To be converted into places and gardens that generate green energy and good, healthy food. Palermo, Italy Former chemical factory à To be converted into a new area with low environmental impact and a range of uses, such as tourist accommodation facilities and sports, leisure, cultural and craft activities. Bilbao, Spain A historic Venerable Priests Residence, Bilbao à To be revitalized as a pioneering centre of sustainability and inclusion, with a central focus on gastronomy.