Introductory Concepts to Environmental Science PDF

Okay, here is the conversion of the provided text into a structured Markdown format. ### ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING - A branch of engineering concerned with the following: - Protecting the environment from the potentially deleterious effects of human activities. - Protecting human populations fr...

Okay, here is the conversion of the provided text into a structured Markdown format. ### ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING - A branch of engineering concerned with the following: - Protecting the environment from the potentially deleterious effects of human activities. - Protecting human populations from the adverse effects of environmental factors. - Improving environmental quality for human health and well-being. - Evolved from civil engineering and sanitary engineering. - *Sanitary engineering* - drinking water quality, waste water treatment, sanitation (waste disposal) - *Civil engineering* - hydrology, water treatment, water quality & waste treatment - *Chemical engineering* - industrial waste ### ROLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING: - Build a bridge between biology and technology. - Plan, evaluate, design, construct, operate and control efficiently treatment facilities and devices. ### ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: - An interdisciplinary area of study that describes problems caused by human use of the environment and find solutions - Applied and theoretical aspects of human impact on the environment - A mixture of traditional and political science ### Components of the environment: 1. Atmosphere - troposphere - (10% ozone, 90% air) - stratosphere - (10% air, 90% ozone) - mesosphere - ionosphere - thermosphere 2. Hydrosphere - $\frac{3}{4}$ of the earth 3. Lithosphere - Biosphere: Contains the materials which support life. - Materials are recycled. - Physical environment: global warming due to $CO_2$ - Chemical environment: ozone layer depletion due to CFC's and Freon - Biological environment: endangered species, rainforest Resources: renewable and non-renewable $^*17 \text{ trees} = 1 \text{ ton of paper}$ ### PROBLEMS/CONFLICTS: 1. Economic consideration is essential. 2. Regulation regarding the use of natural resources (limit of usage). 3. Some do not respect nature, some have very high respect 4. Some are against changes. - Ethics: set of rules followed in practicing something. - Moral: personal belief. - Knowing right and wrong accompanied by feelings and opinions 1. Development ethics - Want everything developed 2. Preservation ethics - Preserve everything, high respect to all creatures, interested in nature 3. Conservation ethics - balance between the development and absolute preservation, balance of the use of resources and its availability. ### OTHER VIEWS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING: 1. Corporate: - no ethics, but the people who operate the corporation have ethics. - Legal entities operating for profit. - Cut cost on waste treatment and quality to maximize profit. - Minimal considerations on public interest and exert all their effort in maximizing their profit. - CSR: Corporate social responsibility - Corporation should be responsible and accountable 2. Societal: - Societies tend to exploit their resources - Growth expansion and domination - objective of developing countries 3. Global: - 23% of the world's population are from industrialized nations and are in control of 80% of goods produced. - Over population leads to malnourishment and diseases - Destroy resources to catch up with the industrialized nations. ### TWO INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOLS: a. Montreal Protocol - Vienna Ozone Treaty - Ozone depletion caused by refrigerants like CFC's and Freon b. Kyoto Protocol - global climate change - UNCED - United Nations Convention on Environmental Development 4. Individual: - Each is responsible for the quality of the environment. - Environmental ethics must be reflected - EIS - Environmental Impact Statement - EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment - ECC - Environmental Compliance Certificate - EC - Environmental Clearance ### ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATIONS: - Management of natural resources - Regulation of discharges to the environment - Promotes environmental production through: - Sustainable use of natural resources - Pollution prevention - Integration of environment and development objectives - Important in regulating social behavior and transforming sustainable development policies into environmental norms of behavior ### SPANISH LAW OF WATERS OF 1866: - Implemented in the Philippines in 1871 - Article 268 (Royal Decree of 1866) governor general has the right to suspend an industry when it is noxious to the public. ### AMERICAN COLONIAL PERIOD: - RA 3915 of 1932 - basic foundation for the creation of national parks. - 1972 to 1986, Martial law, comprise the main body of environmental laws ### I. POLLUTION CONTROL LAWS: 1. CA No. 383 - An act to punish the dumping into any river of refuse wastewater of substances of any kind whatsoever that may bring about the rise of filling in of riverbeds or cause artifical alluvial formations. 2. DAO 14 - Revised Air Quality Standard 3. DAO 34 - ambient air quality standard 4. DAO 35 - revised water usage and classification 5. DAO 47 - phase out of leaded gasoline 6. PD 825 - providing penalty for improper waste disposal (renewed by RA 9003). 7. PD 856 - Sanitation Code of the Philippines 8. PD 984 - pollution control law for water, air and land. 9. PD 1151 - Philippine Environmental Policy: - divides the general policies for better quality of life - mandates the undertaking of EIA. 10. PD 1152 - Philippine Environmental Code: - defines the objective/strategies of the policy, how to implement/enforce the policy. 11. PD 1160 - vesting baranggay officials to enforce environment/pollution control laws. 12. PD 1181 - prevention/control/abatement or air pollution from vehicles (renewed by RA 8749). 13. PD 1251 - mines wastes and tailing fee to compensate to damages. 14. RA 3931 - created NWAPCC, National Water and Air Pollution Control Commisssion 15. RA 6969 - hazardous toxic waste substances. - equivalent to TOSCA(Toxic Substances Control Act) of USA, IRR DAO 92-29 16. RA 8749 - Clean Air Act of 1999, IRR DAO 2000-81, air pollution policy 17. RA 9003 - Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, waste segregation 18. RA 9211 - tobacco regulation act 19. RA 9275 - Phillipine Clean Water Act of 2004 ### II. EIS - ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT SYSTEM LEGISLATIONS: 1. DAO 08 series of 1991 - defines the guidelines for the issuance of ECC, for conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural land. 2. DAO 11 series of 1944 - supplements DAO 21, programmatic environmental programmes 3. DAO 21 series of 1992 - amended the IRR, implementing Rules and Regulations. 4. PD 146 - environmental critical projects like iron, steel, petroleum (heavy industries), quarrying, mining, forestry, fishery projects and other industries situated at critical areas like quarry sites and national parks. 5. PD 1586 - EISS (Environmental Impact Statement System) defines the framework for the implementation of EIA. - reconciles the objective of development projects and environment concerns and attain environmental quality ### III. MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: 1. DAO 2000-02 - chemical control order for asbestos (CCO). 2. DAO 97-38 - CCO for cyanide and cyanide compounds. 3. PD 1067 - water code of the Phillipines (old), AR 9275 of 2004 (new). 4. PD 1198 - reinforces restoration of mined out areas. 5. PD 331 - forest code, all public forests to be developed on a sustainable yield basis. 6. PD 389 - forestry reform code, amended PD 705. 7. PD 463 - mining Act of 1936, allowable mining procedures/methods. 8. PD 953 & 1153 - laws of illegal cutting of trees 9. RA 3983 - an act to protect wild flowers and plants in the Philippine islands. 10. RA 6969 & DAO 29 series of 1992 11. RA 8435 - agriculture and fisheries modernization act of 1997 12. KA 8485 - animal welfare act of 1998, an act promoting animal welfare in the Philippines. 13. RA 8550 - fisheries code of the Philippines, defines the policies on the protection and conservation of fisheries 14. RA 9147 - wildlife and resource conservation and protection act of 2001. 15. RA 9211 - tobacco regulation act. ### ECOLOGY: #### ENVIRONMENT: - Composed of biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) elements. - Life supporting elements - land, water, air. 1. Biophysical environment - biotic and abiotic elements, plants, animals, land, water bodies and air that surround us. 2. Socio cultural environment - everything with which people interact. 3. Politicio economic environment - exchange goods and ideas ### ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: - Activities of human - formal - development projects - informal - household activities (eating, cooking, washing) ### CHEMICAL REACTIONS OCCURING IN LIVING THINGS: - Photosynthesis - production process: - Raw materials: $CO_2$, $H_2O$, Sunlight - Products: Sugar, carbohydrates, $O_2$ - Respiration - unleash energy from food, opposite process of photosynthesis. - Digestion - unleashing bound energy for utilization. ### ECOLOGY: Study of relationship of organisms and environment and how energy and material behave in an ecosystem. ### ECOSYSTEM: - functional unit of ecology. ##### Community - population of plants and animals interacting with each other. ##### Population - group of organisms of the same species in a particular area. ##### Habitat - place/type of place where an organism naturally lives within a community. ##### Niche - obligatory role of an organism. ##### Biotic community - different organisms interacting at the same place. - \*Open system - accepts inputs to the environment and discharge it also to the environment - \*Cybernetic system - need some source of feedback to regulate itself. - \*Homeostasis - process where ecosystem remains in a steady state condition ### STRUCTURE OF ECOSYSTEM: ##### 1. Abiotic Components (physical and chemical factors): - A. organic substances (carbohydrate, proteins) - B. inorganic substances (material cycles: N, P, K, C, $H_2O$). - C. climate regime (rainfall, temperature, wind). - D. latitude (above sea level). - E. nature of soil (terrestrial). - F. fire (for terrestrial ecosystem). ##### MAJOR CHEMICAL FACTORS AFFECTING ECOSYSTEMS: - level of water and air in soil. - level of plant nutrient in soil water in terrestial ecosystem and aquatic ecosystem - level of natural or artificial toxic substances in soil water and water ecosystem. - salinity of water for aquatics ecosystem - level of dissolved oxygen in aquatic ecosystem - BOD - biological oxygen demand ##### 2. Biotic components: - **A. Producers**: Sometimes called autotrophs (self-feeders, are organisms that can manufacture the organic compounds they use as sources of energy and nutrients. - Mostly, they are green plants that make the organic nutrients through *PHOTOSYNTHESIS*. - $CO_2 + H_2O → \text{glucose} + O_2 $ - 59% earth's photosynthesis. - 41% Ocean and Aquatic. - *Chemosynthesis* - done by chemotrophs. - conversion of inorganic to organic nutrients in the absence of sunlight. - e.g. conversion of inorganic $H_2S$ into nutrients. - **B. Consumers:** called heterotrophs (other feeders) , are organisms that get their nutrients and energy they require by feeding either directly or indirectly on producers. - Classified as: 1. *Herbivores* - plant eaters, primary consumers. 2. *Carnivores* - flesh eaters, secondary consumers. 3. *Omnivores* - tertiary or higher level consumer. 4. Detritivores - feed on small fragments of dead plants and animal matters called detritus. Classified as: - **i. Detritus feeders**: initiators of decomposition which include crabs, earthworms, clams and scavengers. - **ii. Decomposers**: microscoping bacteria, fungi. - digest dead tissues or wastes and absorb their soluble nutrients. - fungi - foremost decomposers in wood. - bacteria - aerobic, anaerobic facultative ### FUNCTIONS OF ECOSYSTEMS: 1. ***PRODUCTION:*** Dominant in the uppermost layer (canopy of forest, euphoric zone or aquatic habitats), build up of organic substances or structures using materials from nonliving environment. 2. ***CONSUMPTION:*** aids in the build up of organic structures in the body of the consumer and acts as regulator (balances production and decomposition) 3. ***DECOMPOSITION:*** Responsible for the breakdown of complex structures in the ecosystem. - Involves the presence of substrate i.e. fallen leaves, feces and animal matters. - $CH_2O + O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 + H_2O + \text{energy released}$ ### ENERGY FLOW IN THE ECOSYSTEM: - an ecosystem is a stable, self-regulating unit - steps in the energy flow are called TROPHIC LEVEL - heat is dissipated as energy is transferred from one trophic level to another - approximately 90% of useful energy is lost with each transfer - energy is lower in the higher tropic level ### FEEDING RELATIONSHIP: - Food chain-transfer of food energy from the source through a certain organisms: - grazing food chain - green plants base going to grazing herbivores then carnivores. - detritus food chain - dead organic matter into microorganisms and then to detritus feeders and their predators. ### FOOD WEB: - interconnected or interlocking relationship among various food chains in an ecosystem.