CSET 108 - Environment and Sustainability PDF

CSET 108 – ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY Dr. Barun Kanoo [email protected] MCUB - 357  Why sustainability is important? 2 htt...

CSET 108 – ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY Dr. Barun Kanoo [email protected] MCUB - 357  Why sustainability is important? 2 https://www.teachoo.com/21480/4462/Sustainabilty-of-development/category/Concepts/ Reasons for unsustainability Economics Ignoring ecosystem resources Incorrect pricing of products Discounting Business Science and Engineering Society: Tragedy of the commons 3 Tragedy of the commons Coined by economist Garrett Hardin in 1833 The self-interest of individuals overpowers the common belongingness, and the individual deplete a shared resource, leading to negative outcomes for everyone Example – Grazing in common land in historical times Implications Scarcity of resources Increase in cost Unequal access to resources Example from modern times? Deforestation Overfishing Groundwater tapping 4 Solution: Tragedy of Commons Government policies and quotas to manage resource use Privatization: Assigning property rights to encourage sustainable management Local agreements and norms to include a sense of belongingness and responsibility when managing shared resources Investment in R&D to improve the efficiency of exiting infrastructure/ technologies such that the impacts are reduced 5 Sustainability Business view A sustainable product or process is one that constrains resource consumption and waste generation to an acceptable level, makes a positive contribution to the satisfaction of human needs, and provides enduring economic value to the business enterprise AIChE Sustainable Engineering Forum Sustainability occurs when we maintain or improve the material and social conditions for human health and the environment over time without exceeding the ecological capabilities that support them 6 Sustainable Development Brundtland Commission was set up by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983 “Our Common Future (1987)” The Brundtland Report stated that critical global environmental problems were primarily the result of the enormous poverty of the South and the non- sustainable patterns of consumption and production in the North The concept of sustainable development was adopted United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 “Rio principles” 7 Sustainable Development World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002) Primary goal: To renew global commitment to sustainable development and accelerate progress toward achieving the goals set at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Focus Areas: Economic development, social equity, and environmental protection United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) (often referred to as Rio+20) held in 2012 “The institutional framework for sustainable development” and “a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication” 8  North-South divide The Brandt line, a definition from the 1980s dividing the world into the wealthy north and the poor south 9 https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/37558 Millennium Development Goals World leaders came together at the United Nations Headquarters in New York (September 2000) to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The Declaration committed nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and set out a series of eight time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015, that came to be known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The aims of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were to encourage development by improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries 10 Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 11 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Adopted in September 2015 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development SDGs replace the MDGs 12 UN Sustainable Development Goals 13 Challenges in Sustainable Development War and Instability Suitability and Availability Governmental Issues Poverty & Unemployment The Global Economy Population Growth 14 How do assess or quantify SDGs? Indicators and indices Life cycle assessment Carbon and water footprint Ecological footprint 15 CSET 108 – ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY Dr. Barun Kanoo [email protected] MCUB - 357 How do assess or quantify SDGs? Sustainability indices: Human development index - life expectancy, education, and per capita income Carrying capacity - ecosystem's maximum number of organisms of a species that can survive in that particular environment Verhulst Model Ecological footprint – Measure of consumption of resources and generation of waste correspondingly when compared to capacity of environment to absorb our waste and generate resources. Dow Jones Sustainability Group Index - Evaluates a wide range of ESG factors to identify companies that demonstrate strong sustainability practices and leadership within their industry 17 How do assess or quantify SDGs? Global Indicators: Each SDG has specific targets and indicators to measure progress. Example: Goal 1 (No Poverty): Indicators include the percentage of the population living below the poverty line. Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Indicators include the percentage of the population with access to safe drinking water. Data Collection: Utilizes data from national statistical systems, international organizations, and surveys. 18 Key lessons The excessive utilisation of resources leads to a lack of sustainability To attain a sustainable society, all SDGs must be met SDG calculation is highly complex 19 Population Growth Curve 20  Exponential Growth and Logistic Growth Theory of Evolution by Natural selection - Charles Darwin When the natural resources are available in abundant, population grows very rapidly. With time, when the scarcity of resources is faced, the growth is limited. Lag phase Logarithmic phase Transitional phase Stationary phase 21 Exponential Growth dN/dt = (b-d) x N If, (b – d) = r, dN/dt = rN Using calculus, Nt=Noert Where, N = Population size b and d = birth and death rate r = intrinsic ratue of natural increase Nt = Population at time t No = Population at time 0 T = time 22 Logistic growth dN/dt = rN((K-N) /K) Where (K-N)/K is termed as environmental resistance Maximum population size that a particular environment can sustain, is called the carrying capacity, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities are available in the environment 23 Weather vs Climate Change Weather Climate Short-term atmospheric Long-term average of conditions (minutes to weather patterns over days) decades to centuries Includes temperature, Includes trends and humidity, precipitation, variations in temperature, wind speed, and precipitation, and other atmospheric pressure factors 24 Climate Change in Past Ice Ages: Periods of significant global cooling and ice sheet expansion Interglacial Periods: Warmer periods between ice ages with melting ice and rising sea levels Medieval Warm Period & Little Ice Age: Medieval Warm Period (approx. 950-1250 AD): Warmer climate in Europe Little Ice Age (approx. 1300-1850 AD): Colder climate affecting agriculture and sea ice 25 Climate Change in Present Global Warming: Recent increase in average global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions, Current warming trend is faster than historical rates Melting Ice: Rapid reduction in polar ice caps and glaciers which impacts sea levels and ecosystems Extreme Weather Events: Increase in frequency and intensity of events such as hurricanes, heatwaves, and heavy rainfall 26 Climate Effected by various biotic and abiotic factors Biotic factors - Altitude, ocean currents, topography, solar radiation, evaporation, volcanic activity etc. Abiotic factors – Transpiration, respiration, photosynthesis, decomposition etc. 27 Greenhouse Effect 28 29 30 31 32 Certification Courses (not less than 2.5h) https://unccelearn.org/ Everyone's World - What YOU Need to Know re Your Environment- https://www.udemy.com/ 33