MFA10103

ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT

Environmental Threat due to built environment : It consumes large amounts of natural resources and produces a great deal of pollutants. Ethics of construction players: Not serious about environmental protection in construction sites, assume that a construction site is only a temporary setup, ignorance source of pollutants generation CO2 emission : Contributing to the global warming and extreme weather. Other Impacts : The harvest of timber leads to the lost of natural forests, widespread use of toxic chemicals in materials.

Major Environmental Trends

Population growth Species extinction Deforestation Destruction of wetlands Desertification of farmlands Soil erosion Salinization of farmland soils Farmland conversion Groundwater contamination Groundwater depletion Declining oil supplies Declining mineral supplies Water shortages Global warming Acid deposition Ozone depletion Source: Lessons from Nature, Daniel D. Chiras, Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1992

Critical Environmental Problems

Loss of biodiversity Polluted Water Polluted Air Loss of Productive Soil Greenhouse Warming Ozone Depletion Impacts on Global Geochemical Cycles

Summary: Loss of Critical Natural Capital

The Global Geochemical Cycles

Hydrologic Carbon Nitrogen Sulfur Phosphorous

Contributions to Global Warming

Gas Carbon Dioxide Methane CFCs Tropospheric Ozone Nitrous Oxide Percent Contribution 50 19 17 8 4

The Natural Hydrologic Cycle

The Hydrologic Cycle - Human Impacts

The Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle with Human Impacts

The Natural Nitrogen-Sulfur Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle with Human Effects

Impacts

Phosphorous Cycle with Human Effects

Conclusions Human activities are inducing a 6th major upheaval. The other five:
Ordovician (440 million years ago) Devonian (365 million years ago) Permian (245 million years ago) Triassic (210 million years ago) Cretaceous (66 million years ago)

Planetary systems are in distress Global average temperature is rising Species extinction rates are 100 to 1000 times higher than before the arrival of humankind Unsustainable activities are destroying the

CLIMATE CHANGE
Sustainable Development
SYSTEM

Global Climate Change

Throughout time, the earth's climate has always been changing. For the past century, Earths climate has been changing due to human activities. Observations show that Earths surface warmed by approximately 0.68C (1.18F) on average in the 20th Century. Much of this warming has been attributed to increasing abundances of GreenHouse Gases (GHGs) emitted to the atmosphere by human activities. Although it is difficult to quantify this contribution against the backdrop of natural variability and climate-forcing uncertainties. Atmospheric abundances of the major anthropogenic greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide; methane; nitrous oxide; halocarbons manufactured by humans, such as chlorofluorocarbons; and tropospheric ozone) reached their highest recorded levels at the end of the 20th Century, and all but methane have continued to rise. Major causes of this rise have been fossil fuel use, agriculture, and land-use change

Impacts
Health: pollution and vector-born diseases Economy Political Agriculture: most sensitive to weather variability and extremes Flooding: Infrastructure and property damages Water scarcity Loss of biodiversity Differentiated impacts Developing countries at greater risk: Low capacity for adaptation

Impacts
Snowpack A possible reduction of snowpack could change water supply. Glacier melt Reduced water supply from shrinking glaciers Forest fires Warmer, drier summers and earlier springs may lead to increased forest fires. Extreme weather A possible increase in extreme weather e.g. tornadoes, hail storms, heat waves, droughts, dust storms, floods, blizzards Agriculture Increased demand for irrigation and a change in crop types due to a longer growing season River flow Lower river flow reduces water supply, water quality, and recreation activities. Habitat Warmer river temperatures stress cold-water species such as trout. Groundwater Reduced recharge causes lower water tables which in turn cause some shallow wells to go dry. Hydroelectric power Reduced flow decreases power generation.

The Climate System

Problem of global warming History

1. Adoption numerous declarations at regional conferences to reduce Green House Gasses. Meeting of Legal and Policy Experts on Protection of the Atmosphere in Ottawa 1989 considered elements of climate change convention. IPPC 1990. UN General Assembly initiated negotiations in 1990. 1992, UNFCCC at Rio Conference.

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While climate conventionally has been defined as the long term statistics of: the weather (e.g., temperature, cloudiness, precipitation), improved understanding of the atmospheres interactions with the oceans, the cryosphere (ice-covered regions of the world), and the terrestrial and marine biospheres has led scientists to expand the definition of climate to encompass the oceanic and terrestrial spheres as well as chemical components of the atmosphere

Green House Effect

One of the factors affecting the climate is the greenhouse effect. There is much debate about it, and how it relates to human activity. So what is it? Most sunlight energy passes straight through the atmosphere and warms up the Earth's oceans and continents. These get hot and they give out infra red radiation. This radiation cannot travel through some gases in the atmosphere, so it gets trapped. So some gases trap heat in the same way as glass traps heat inside a greenhouse. Hence the name greenhouse effect. Gases which do this are called greenhouse gases. When there is more greenhouse gas in the atmosphere the Earth heats up.

About half of the sunlight that falls on earth reaches the ground from where it is thrown back in part as infrared light - what we feel as heat -, which spans a range of wavelengths from 1 to 40 m (m = micrometer = one millionth of a meter). Some gases - so called greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have the ability to absorb infrared light and this way hold back heat, resulting in a temperature rise on earth.

Green House Effect

When there is less greenhouse gas the Earth cools. So which gases are these greenhouse gases? There is much talk of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and evidence from carbon dioxide in air bubbles trapped in ice shows that the amount of CO2 in the air has increased by about a quarter since the industrial revolution began around 1750. But We need to consider all greenhouse gases to get the complete picture. Other greenhouse gases include methane and nitrous oxide and water vapor. The most important greenhouse gas is water vapor, and the amount of this varies much more than the amount of carbon dioxide. Also water vapor creates cloud, which stops sunlight coming down to the surface, so the true picture is complex. The greenhouse effect raises the average temperature of the Earth by more than 30 degrees, so without it the Earth would be a very cold place!

Green House Effect

In the absence of the greenhouse effect and an atmosphere, the Earth's average surface temperature of 14 C (57 F) could be as low as 18 C (0.4 F), the black body temperature of the Earth. Anthropogenic global warming (AGW), a recent warming of the Earth's lower atmosphere as evidenced by the global mean temperature anomaly trend, is believed to be the result of an "enhanced greenhouse effect" mainly due to human-produced increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and changes in the use of land. The greenhouse effect is one of several factors that affect the temperature of the Earth. Other positive and negative feedbacks dampen or amplify the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect refers to the change in the thermal equilibrium temperature of a planet or moon by the presence of an atmosphere containing gas that absorbs and emits infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases, which include water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane, warm the atmosphere by efficiently absorbing thermal infrared radiation emitted by the Earths surface, by the atmosphere itself, and by clouds. As a result of its warmth, the atmosphere also radiates thermal infrared in all directions, including downward to the Earths surface.

Greenhouse Gases / air pollutants

Examples: Carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide, Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6). Sources natural and anthropogenic Natural occurrence: water vapor, swamps- methane; volcanic eruptions [sulfur dioxide] Anthropogenically induced (i.e. Human activities): combustion process of fossil fuels. decomposition of organic wastes. Agriculture. Deforestation.

Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 314 June 1992. The treaty is intended to achieve "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. The Kyoto Protocol establishes legally binding commitments for the reduction of four greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride), and two groups of gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons) produced by (industrialized) nations, as well as general commitments for all member countries

Aim: tighten commitment on reduction of GHGs (GreenHouse Gases).

Provisions Binding emission reduction targets for industrialized countries only Implement elaborate policies and measures to meet reductions objective. Emissions trading set a quantitative limit on the global emissions of a greenhouse gas and allow emissions permits to be traded like ordinary goods and services.

OZONE DEPLETION
Sustainable Development
SYSTEM

Solving/Responding to the Ozone Problem

Two major initiatives: a) Domestic front Ready to ban before international action Public concern and organized pressure? b) Internationally 1972 UN Conference on Human Env. at Stockholm; call for research on the ozone problem. NATO Conference in 1975 [EPA initiative]. 1977 UNEPs coordinating committee on Ozone layer. Ozone is a tri-atomic form of oxygen it has three oxygen atoms instead of the normal two. It is formed naturally in the upper levels of the Earths atmosphere by high-energy ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. The radiation breaks down oxygen molecules, releasing free atoms, some of which bond with other oxygen molecules to form ozone. About 90 per cent of all ozone formed in this way lies between 15 and 55 kilometres above the Earths surface the part of the atmosphere called the stratosphere. Hence, this is known as the ozone layer. Even in the ozone layer, ozone is present in very small quantities; its maximum concentration, at a height of about 20-25 kilometres, is only ten parts per million.

OZONE DEPLETION [Vienna convention (1985 )and Montreal Protocol, 1987]

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), any of several organic compounds composed of carbon, fluorine, chlorine, and hydrogen. CFCs are manufactured under the trade name Freon Freon :a (trademark), any of several chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that are used in commerce and industry. The Freons neither present a fire hazard nor give off a detectable odour in their circulation through refrigerating and airconditioning systems. The greenhouse effect refers to the change in the thermal equilibrium temperature of a planet or moon by the presence of an atmosphere containing gas that absorbs and emits infrared radiation. Greenhouse gases, which include water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane, warm the atmosphere by efficiently absorbing thermal infrared radiation emitted by the Earths surface, by the atmosphere itself, and by clouds. As a result of its warmth, the atmosphere also radiates thermal infrared in all directions, including downward to the Earths surface. Thus, greenhouse gases trap heat within the surface-troposphere system

Effects of Ozone depletion

Increase eye cataracts Suppression of the Immune system Increase skin cancer Increase eye burning Decrease in crop yields: corn, rice, soybean Damage to aquatic plants essential to ocean food webs Increased global warming -ice melts increase in ocean volume -ocean front property erodes The highest levels of ozone in the atmosphere are in the Stratosphere. Low levels of ozone in the atmosphere are in the Tropospheric

Solutions for Stratospheric Ozone

Stop producing CFCs properly recycle old CFCs Use safe alternatives Educate other governments for environmental policies Car pool Mass transit Walking/biking Buy cars with better gas mileage Alternative cars/fuels

DEFORESTATION
Sustainable Development
SYSTEM

Effects of Deforestation
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992 defines deforestation as: "land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and subhumid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities The effects of deforestation can be categorized in three ways. They are: environmental effects, local social effects, and global social effects. Many of the environmental effects contribute to the severity of the social problems. That is why it is important to understand the environmental effects of deforestation and how they contribute to the social effects of deforestation. Effects on Biodiversity The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) defines biodiversity as "the wealth of life on Earth, the millions of plants, animals, and micro-organisms, the gens they contain and the intricate ecosystems they build into the living environment."

Rainforest are one of the most biologically diverse regions of the world. Over a millions species of plants and animals are known to live in the forests and millions more are not classified. The unique environment of the rainforest allows for such biodiversity to exist.

Environmental Effects
Climate Change When an area of rainforest is either cut down or destroyed, there are various climate changes that happen as a result. The following is a list of the various climate changes with a brief description of why they come about. 1. Desiccation of previously moist forest soil What happens is because of the exposure to the sun, the soil gets baked and the lack of canopy leaves nothing to prevent the moisture from quickly evaporating into the atmosphere. Thus, previously moist soil becomes dry and cracked. 2. Dramatic Increase in Temperature Extremes Trees provide shade and the shaded area has a moderated temperature. With shade, the temperature may be 98 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 60 degrees at night. With out the shade, temperatures would be much colder during the night and around 130 degrees during the day.

Environmental Effects
3. Moist Humid Region Changes to Desert. This is related to the desiccation of previously moist forest soil. Primarily because of the lack of moisture and the inability to keep moisture, soil that is exposed to the sun will dry and turn into desert sand. Even before that happens, when the soil becomes dry, dust storms become more frequent. At that point, the soil becomes useless.

4. No Recycling of Water Moisture from the oceans fall as rain on adjacent coastal regions. The moisture is soon sent up to the atmosphere through the transpiration of foliage to fall again on inland forest areas. This cycle repeats several times to rain on all forest regions.

Environmental Effects
5. Less Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen Exchange The rainforests are important in the carbon dioxide exchange process. They are second only to oceans as the most important "sink" for atmospheric carbon dioxide. The most recent survey on deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions reports that deforestation may account for as much as 10% of current greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere that literally trap heat. There is a theory that as more greenhouse gasses are released into the atmosphere, more heat gets trapped. Thus, there is a global warming trend in which the average temperature becomes progressively higher.

Environmental Effects
5. More Desertification According to the United Nations Environmental Programmed (UNEP) in 1977, deforestation is an important factor contributing to desertification. What is unclear is how fast deserts are expanding is controversial. According to UNEP, between 1958 and 1975, the Saharen Desert expanded southward by about 100km. In 1980 UNEP estimated that desertification threatened 35 per cent of the world's land surface and 20 per cent of the world's population. Recently, groups challenged those conclusions. Some scientists claim that the conclusion were based on insufficient data. Nevertheless, desertification still threatens more and more dry lands.

Environmental Effects
6. Soil Erosion The relationship between deforestation and soil erosion. Deforestation is known to contribute to run-off of rainfall and intensified soil erosion. The seriousness of the problem depends much on soil characteristics and topography. 7. Other Effects There many rewards such as clean air and clean water, perhaps the two most important, that forests provide. Rainforests also provide many aesthetic, recreational and cultural rewards. If the rainforests are destroyed, then these rewards disappear. This has major social repercussions for the entire world.

DESERTIFICATION
Sustainable Development
SYSTEM

Desertification Effects
Desertification Is the degradation of land in arid and dry subhumid areas, resulting primarily from human activities and influenced by climatic variations. It's also a failure of the ecological succession process.

Desertification Impacts
A major impact of desertification is biodiversity loss and loss of productive capacity, for example, by transition from land dominated by shrublands to non-native grasslands. In the semi-arid regions of southern California, many coastal sage scrub and chaparral ecosystems have been replaced by non-native, invasive grasses due to the shortening of fire return intervals. This can create a monoculture of annual grass that can not support the wide range of animals once found in the original ecosystem.

Earths Biodiversity

Desertification Impacts
In Madagascar's central highland plateau, 10% of the entire country has been lost to desertification due to slash and burn agriculture by indigenous peoples. In Africa, if current trends of soil degradation continue, the continent might be able to feed just 25% of its population by 2025, according to UNU's (United Nations University) Ghana-based Institute for Natural Resources in Africa. Human population, habitat expansion, and economic growth are destroying biodiversity at a rate 100-1000 times greater than normal, creating a scale problem
Slash and burn consists of cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields for agriculture or pasture for livestock, or for a variety of other purposes. It is sometimes part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock herding.

LOST OF BIODIVERSITY Sustainable Development

SYSTEM

Lost of Biodiversity
The Global Convention on Biological Diversity, signed in 1992 at the Earth Summit, describes biodiversity as the:

"variability among all living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and ecological complexes of which they are part, this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems." Biodiversity is shorthand for biological diversity or the variability of living organisms and the ecological complexes of which they are part. It is the total variety of genetic strains, species and ecosystems. This diversity is a wonder and a delight but also a great responsibility.
Loss of Biodiversity is probably the most controversial one. When looking, for example, at the destruction of rain forests over the last twenty years, it becomes obvious that mankind is destroying this heritage at an incredible speed. The number of species endangered by human activities and the number of natural or semi-natural habitats being destroyed, fragmented or changed are constantly growing, thus destabilising ecosystems, causing the loss of vital resources together with genetic and cultural impoverishment.

Lost of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is built over millions of years and extremely diverse habitats such as tropical rainforests have taken long stretches of geologic time to develop. That's why the extinction of species is such an important issue: once they're gone, not only are they gone forever, but it takes millions of years for new species to evolve in their place.
Scenario 1 (Business-as-usual) Based on what the authors say is a fairly modest business-as-usual scenario, the accrued amount of ecological debt is equivalent to 34 years of the planets entire bioproductivity. Scenario 2 (Slow-shift) This scenario brings humanity out of overshoot by 2080. The authors make the point that even though most renewable energy sources reduce carbon dioxide emissions, they increase the demand on land. They also say that the challenge is to increase energy supply whilst reducing carbon dioxide emissions, without shifting the burden on to other parts of the biosphere. I wish Id thought of that. Scenario 3 (Rapid-reduction) This scenario is the only one that will get us out of trouble, as it moves us out of overshoot by 2050. It also preserves 30% of biosphere capacity for wild species by 2100. It illustrates that we must invest in our future - it has the greatest up-front cost but carries the least risk for humanity.

Lost of Biodiversity
Some extinctions are natural, but a variety of human activities have vastly increased the numbers of species disappearing every day. Habitat destruction is the main cause, especially since the richest habitats with the most species, such as tropical forests, are being destroyed at the fastest pace. Extinction rates are now hundreds or even thousands of times higher than before humans came to be so numerous. Some scientists have estimated that as many as one fifth of all species alive today could be extinct or nearly extinct by the year 2020.
The loss of the biodiversity in Amazon rainforests may have a disastrous effect on the world economy In flames

Cleared for agriculture An area of rainforest cleared by soya bean farmers in Novo Progreso, Brazil.

We all depend on the natural world to sustain us with food, clothing and other necessities, establishing a set of use values.

Destruction of rainforest (Against the law)