ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Project Report on

BEFORE THE FLOOD

Submitted to

Prof. Lekshmi R Kumar

Asian School of Business

Technocity, Trivandrum 695 316

In partial fulfillment of requirements for

Environmental Management and Sustainable Development

Submitted by

Merrin Syra Mathew

Reg. No: 08

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. Weather can change

from hour to hour, day to day, month to month or even from year to year. For periods of 30

years or more, however, distinct weather patterns occur.

Before the Flood is a full-length National Geographic documentary hosted by

Leonardo Di Caprio that looks at the impact of climate change on the planet, both now and

the possible 'nightmare scenarios' of the future. He has side-tracked his Hollywood career to

focus on environmental activism, and now Leonardo Di Caprio's latest documentary with

National Geographic has made a global case.

Before the Flood presents a riveting account of the dramatic changes occurring

around the world due to climate change, as well as the actions we as individuals and as a

society can take to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet. Before the Flood is

his three year journey exploring the subject of climate change.

Di Caprio interviews a variety of global leaders and decision makers including US

president Barack Obama and former president Bill Clinton, Pope Francis and recently retired

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

From Greenland to Indonesia, Di Caprio documents the increasing damage climate

change has inflicted on some of the worlds picturesque landscapes with numerous wildlife

now at risk of extinction.

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 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 4
CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE:................................................................................ 5
1. Green House Effect............................................................................................ 5
2. Coral Reefs...................................................................................................... 6
3. Increasing use of non-renewable energy:..................................................................8
4. Palm Oil.......................................................................................................... 9
5. Deforestation:................................................................................................. 12
SOME OTHER EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE:........................................................15
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................ 16
BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................... 17

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INTRODUCTION

The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity, is commonly referred to as

biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous

diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts,

rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth.

What is the necessity of giving importance to the Bio-diversity? And the most asked

question might be, does it really matter if there arent so many species? Biodiversity boosts

ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role

to play. For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops;

greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy

ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in

wildlife.

There is much to celebrate and appreciate about the world we live in. It includes our

environment. However, mostly due to our actions we are altering the very environment,

which sustains us. It would be very difficult for us to live in an unfriendly environment. What

might be the reason for this? How can we resolve those issues? Before jumping into the

solutions, we will first take a look at the Environment, its issues and what all consequences

will it bring. Another thing to be taken into consideration before taking a look into the issues

and its effects is the reason for climate change, none other than we, ourselves!

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CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE:

1. Green House Effect

Greenhouse effect is caused by the interaction between Earth's atmosphere and

incoming radiation from the sun. Solar radiation is passed through the atmosphere to the

surface of Earth and it is absorbed and then radiated upward as heat. Gases in Earth's

atmosphere absorb about 90 percent of this heat and radiate it back to the surface, which is

warmed to a life-supporting average of 59 F (15 C). This is called the greenhouse effect.

The atmospheric gases primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect are known as

"greenhouse gases" and include water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH4) and

nitrous oxide (N2O). The most prevalent greenhouse gas is CO 2. CO2 makes its way into the

atmosphere through a variety of routes. Burning fossil fuels, for example, releases CO 2.

Deforestation is also a large contributor to excessive CO2 in the atmosphere. In fact,

deforestation is the second largest anthropogenic (human-made) source of carbon dioxide,

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according to research published by Duke University. When trees are killed, they release the

carbon they have stored for photosynthesis. According to the 2010 Global Forest Resources

Assessment, deforestation releases nearly a billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere per

year. But fossil fuel combustion is the number one anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide.

Solutions:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Buying products with minimal packaging will help to

reduce waste. By recycling half of your household waste, you can save 2,400 pounds

of carbon dioxide annually.

Replace Light Bulbs: Replace regular light bulbs with compact florescent light

(CFL) bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save

you $30 over the life of the bulb. If every family replaced one regular light bulb with

a CFL, it would eliminate a large amount of greenhouse gases.

Changing to 100% accredited green power makes electricity supplier buy

sustainably generated power. This is the single biggest move to reduce our greenhouse

impact as consumers.
Use solar power.
Eat less meat: Ruminants (sheep, goats, cattle) belch considerable quantities of

methane, a strong greenhouse gas.

2. Coral Reefs

They are colourful underwater forests with life and act as a natural protective barrier

for coastal regions. The fishes and plants which call them home belong to some of the most

diverse and fragile ecosystems on the planet. In one year alone, 16 percent of the world's

coral reefs were wiped out.

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Coral reefs are affected by climatic changes.

Coral Bleaching: Coral bleaching occurs when the symbiosis between corals and

their symbiotic zooxanthellae breaks down, resulting in the loss of the symbionts and

a rapid whitening of the coral host (thus the term "bleaching"). The impacts from

coral bleaching are becoming global in scale, and are increasing in frequency and

intensity. Mass coral bleaching generally happens when temperatures around coral

reefs exceed 1 degree celsius above an area's historical norm for four or more weeks.

Rising sea levels: Observations since 1961 show that the average temperature of the

global ocean has increased even at depths of 3000m (IPCC report), and that the ocean

has been absorbing more than 80% of the heat added to the climate system. Such

warming causes sea level rise and creates problems for low lying nations and islands.
Ocean Acidification: This is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the

Earth's oceans, caused by their uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere. Although the natural absorption of CO2 by the world's oceans helps

mitigate the climatic effects of anthropogenic emissions of CO2, it is believed that the

resulting decrease in pH, (i.e. making the water acidic), will have negative

consequences, primarily for oceanic calcifying organisms such as coral reefs.

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Solutions:

Conserve water: The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater will pollute

our oceans.

Help reduce pollution: Fossil fuel emissions from cars and industry raise lead to

ocean warming which causes mass-bleaching of corals and can lead to widespread

destruction of reefs.

Dont use chemically enhanced pesticides and fertilizers. Because these products end

up in the watershed and may ultimately impact the water that supports coral.

3. Increasing use of non-renewable energy:

Coal is the remains of ancient plants and trees that grew over 200 millions of years

ago. Oil and gas is made up of the remains of microscopic plankton. Over millions of years

these remains become the carbon-rich coal, oil and gas we can use as fuel. When fossil fuels

are burned they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to global

warming.

The first of the renewable energy disadvantages is that it is not renewable. These

sources will run out inevitably, resulting in disastrous consequences if we are not prepared for

it. Carbon dioxide and other climate gases are released in large quantities when fossil fuel and

coal is used. This results in the climate crisis rapidly getting worse. It is clear that something

needs to change. Non-renewable energy sources needs to be replaced by renewable energy

alternatives.

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 The non renewable sources of energy are relatively cheap form of energy. And oil &

natural gas can also be easily transported by pipes or ships. Some of the disadvantages of non

renewable sources of energy are:

Supplies of coal will run out in about 100 years.

When burned, coal releases lots of greenhouse gases which is harmful to the

environment.

Coal is dug up from big holes (mines) in the ground which can be dangerous and

affect the countryside.

Solutions:

Transition to sustainable energy has to be encouraged like what Tesla do.

Carbon tax has to be encouraged which reduces the consumption of fossil fuels.
Electricity wont be available because of the increasing use of it. So instead of non

renewable sources of energy, renewable uses of energy have to be used.

4. Palm Oil

Palm oil is a type of edible vegetable oil that is derived from the palm fruit, grown on

the African oil palm tree. Oil palms are originally from Western Africa, but can flourish

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wherever heat and rainfall are abundant. Today, palm oil is grown throughout Africa, Asia,

North America, and South America, with 85% of all palm oil globally produced and exported

from Indonesia and Malaysia; but most of the time not using sustainable measures.

Our consumers choices directly affect communities, wildlife and the climate. Its all

about palm oil- the versatile product that makes crisps crispy and soap soapy. Palm oil is in

about half the items we find in most supermarkets.

Indonesia & Malaysia are the worlds biggest palm oil producers. They are also home

to endangered species. When forests are destroyed to create palm oil plantations, people &

wildlife that depend on these forests are hit hard. Trashing forest for palm oil also releases

carbon into the atmosphere speeding up global warming. Some palm oil producers are

showing they can be both profitable and sustainable. To be sustainable palm oil producers

must meet social & environmental standards.

The industry is linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation,

climate change, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses in the countries where it is

produced, as the land and forests must be cleared for the development of the oil palm

plantations. According to the World Wildlife Fund, an area the equivalent size of 300 football

fields of rainforest is cleared each hour to make way for palm oil production. This large-scale

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deforestation is pushing many species to extinction, and findings show that if nothing

changes species like the orangutan could become extinct in the wild within the next 5-10

years, and Sumatran tigers less than 3 years.

In total, 50 million tons of palm oil is produced annually, supplying over 30% of the

worlds vegetable oil production. This single vegetable oil is found in approximately 40-50%

of household products in countries such as United States, Canada, Australia and England.

Palm oil can be present in a wide variety of products, including: baked goods, confectionery,

shampoo, cosmetics, cleaning agents, washing detergents and toothpaste.

One animal of particular importance according to conservationists is the orangutan,

which has become a charismatic icon for deforestation in Borneo and Sumatra. Over 90% of

orangutan habitat has been destroyed in the last 20 years, and as such, is considered a

conservation emergency by the UN. An estimated 1000-5000 orangutans are killed each year

for this development. The orangutan is a keystone species and plays a vital role in

maintaining the health of the ecosystem.. But the orangutan is not the only species affected by

palm oil development; their situation represents the story of thousands of other species facing

the same fate in South-East Asia.

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Solution:

Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil, RSPO is an organization that promotes the

market of sustainable palm oil. They are a membership-based organization comprised of oil

palm growers, palm oil processors and traders, consumer goods manufacturers,

environmental NGOs, social NGOs, banks and investors and retailers. They have 79 members

in the U.S. and are the organization behind the certified sustainable palm oil, RSPO logo.

Over 14 percent of palm oil produced today is certified by the RSPO. RSPO is the largest

organization to promote sustainable palm oil.

Green Palm is an organization that that works with RSPO to encourage the growth of

the sustainable palm oil industry. A Green Palm logo certifies that a company supports the

sustainable palm oil industry, though the company may not use sustainable palm oil in its

own products. Its a little confusing, but the idea is to give companies incentive to support

sustainable palm oil.

5. Deforestation:

Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land

available for other uses. Common methods of deforestation are burning trees and clear

cutting. These tactics leave the land completely barren and are controversial practices.

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 Deforestation is considered to be one of the contributing factors to global climate

change. The main problem caused by deforestation is the impact on the global carbon cycle.

Gas molecules that absorb thermal infrared radiation are called greenhouse gases. If

greenhouse gases are in large enough quantity, they can force climate change. While oxygen

(O2) is the second most abundant gas in our atmosphere, it does not absorb thermal infrared

radiation, as greenhouse gases do. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent greenhouse

gas.

The deforestation of trees not only lessens the amount of carbon stored, it also

releases carbon dioxide into the air. This is because when trees die, they release the stored

carbon. According to the 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment, deforestation releases

nearly a billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere per year, though the numbers are not as

high as the ones recorded in the previous decade. Deforestation is the second largest

anthropogenic (human-caused) source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

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 Rainforest absorb CO2 like oceans. For decades and decades the forests breathe

in the CO2 and stores in the trunks and leaves. And once we clear them & light them on

fire, it acts like a carbon bomb and releases massive CO2 back into the atmosphere.

Carbon isn't the only greenhouse gas that is affected by deforestation. Water vapour is

also considered a greenhouse gas.

Forests are complex ecosystems that affect almost every species on the planet. When

they are degraded, it can set off a devastating chain of events both locally and around the

world.

Loss of species: Seventy percent of the worlds plants and animals live in forests and are

losing their habitats to deforestation, according to National Geographic. Loss of habitat can

lead to species extinction. It also has negative consequences for medicinal research and local

populations who rely on the animals and plants in the forests for hunting and medicine.

Water cycle: Trees are important to the water cycle. They absorb rain fall and produce water

vapour that is released into the atmosphere. Trees also lessen the pollution in water, according

to the North Carolina State University, by stopping polluted runoff.

Soil erosion: Tree roots anchor the soil. Without trees, the soil is free to wash or blow away,

which can lead to vegetation growth problems. After a clear cutting, cash crops like coffee,

soy and palm oil are planted. Planting these types of trees can cause further soil erosion

because their roots cannot hold onto the soil.

Life quality: Soil erosion can also lead to silt entering the lakes, streams and other water

sources. This can decrease local water quality and contribute to poor health in populations in

the area.

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 Solutions:

The best solution to deforestation is to curb the felling of trees, by employing a series

of rules and laws to govern it.

Clear cutting of forests must be banned. This will curb total depletion of the forest

cover. It is a practical solution and is very feasible.

Land skinned of its tree cover for urban settlements should be urged to plant trees in

the vicinity and replace the cut trees. Also the cutting must be replaced by planting

young trees to replace the older ones that were cut. Trees are being planted under

several initiatives every year, but they still dont match the numbers of trees weve

already lost.

Promote sustainable management. In order to promote sustainable forest management,

it must be sustainable ecologically, economically and socially. Achieving ecological

sustainability means that the ecological values of the forest must not be degraded and

if possible they should be improved. This means that management should not reduce

biodiversity, soil erosion should be controlled, soil fertility should not be lost, water

quality on and off site should be maintained and that forest health and vitality should

be safeguarded.

SOME OTHER EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE:

The different modes of transportation like boats, trains, planes, cars; the way we

builds our cities, the way we produce our food almost everything will release carbon dioxide

into the atmosphere which leads to climate change.

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 Polar ice caps will melt, seas will rise, and dangerous weather patterns like flood,

droughts, wildfire etc will also lead to climate change. One of the other causes of climate

change is the production of methane from livestocks like cows. When they are chewing, a

whole burst of methane is produced into the atmosphere. One molecule of methane is equal to

twenty- three molecules of carbon dioxide.

CONCLUSION

The two most important strategies for addressing climate change are mitigation and

adaptation. The two strategies are related and overlap to a degree, but the basic distinction is

that mitigation means limiting the amount of climate change which occurs, primarily by

reducing greenhouse gas concentrations, while adaptation means changing the way we as a

society live in response to the changing climate.

Mitigation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions entails the reduction and conservation

of oil, gas, and coal, the fossil fuels that are used in transportation, heating and cooling,

agriculture, and electricity generation. Replacing carbon-intensive fuels with renewable and

alternative energy sources is key to decarbonising the current energy infrastructure, which

will require transforming the global economy that is currently fuelled primarily by carbon-

based energy sources. In order for mitigation to be successful, it is necessary to understand

how humans currently consume energy and how that impacts the climate, and then make

appropriate decisions to minimize that impact. There are already a number of energy sources

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which produce electricity at costs comparable to coal and natural gas, and improving the

efficiency and availability of those technologies is a major area of research.

'You are the last, best hope of Earth. We ask you to protect it. Or we and all living things we

cherish, are history', said Di Caprio. Climate change is real. It is happening right now. We

need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters or the big

corporations, but who speak for all of humanity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N26b4lgWMVI

http://ensia.com/voices/palm-oil-is-everywhere-heres-what-to-do-about-it/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/233960-metal-as-a-renewable-or-
nonrenewable-resource/

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/coralreefs/ways-to-help-coral-
reefs/index.htm

https://www.epa.gov/climatechange/reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-
deforestation.php

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