Daniel “Dannyboy” Sims’ ‘Environmental Issues’ (B02) Flashcards
env. positives - using technology for heating systems
Activity sensors
Some smart systems use activity sensors to learn the temperatures that you prefer in certain rooms and at what times.
Monitoring the activity in rooms can mean that the smart system adjusts the heating up or down depending on the number of people in a certain room.
Smart thermostats
A smart thermostat can be connected to a network and automatically or manually controlled using an app on your phone.
This allows you to turn the heating system off if you are not going home or to turn it on so that it is at the optimum temperature when you are coming home.
Smart heating systems have a positive environmental impact, because with these devices we are only heating our homes when it is necessary. This benefits the environment by reducing our carbon footprint.
Smart systems can limit other home energy use, such as by controlling lighting.
env. positives - using technology for traffic control
As of 2016, the World Resource Institute’s Climate Data Explorer showed that road transport causes around a 15% of all carbon dioxide emissions.
Vehicles consume greater amounts of fuel when they are constantly accelerating and braking in traffic jams. The optimum speed for low fuel consumption and low emissions is between 45 and 65 miles per hour.
Intelligent transport systems use software and hardware, along with information and communications technologies, to improve the efficiency and safety of transport networks.
They use a variety of information from cameras and sensors, along with control of traffic signals, to try to keep traffic moving, reducing the amount of harmful emissions.
Cars with individual navigation systems use satellite information on traffic flow to guide drivers away from traffic congestion and onto more free-flowing routes.
env. positives - using technology for car management systems
Start-stop systems
Start-stop systems automatically shut down the engine when the car is not moving. This reduces the amount of time the engine spends idling. This reduces fuel consumption and emissions.
The car automatically re-starts when the accelerator is pressed. The biggest benefit is for vehicles that spend significant amounts of time waiting at traffic lights or frequently come to a stop in traffic jams.
Engine control units
Engine control units use sensors to control the engine’s air/fuel ratio very accurately. This ensures optimum fuel consumption and a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
GPS sensors
GPS sensors can now also interact with a car management system. This can then in turn interact with a smart home device.
Some car manufacturers have systems that allow you to turn off your house lights when you drive away. GPS can recognise when you get home and automatically turn on the lights again.
streaming
a method of transmitting or receiving data (especially video and audio material) over a computer network as a steady, continuous flow, allowing playback to start while the rest of the data is still being received
smart city
an urban area that uses digital technology to collect data and to operate/provide services.
Data can be collected from citizens, devices, buildings, cameras (eg streetlights)
eg traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities, urban forestry, water supply networks, waste disposal, criminal investigations, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services
sharing economies - how has technology helped this
an economic system in which assets or services are shared between private individuals, either free or for a fee, typically by means of the internet
Through technology, traditional industries are being disrupted by ingenious ideas such as Uber and Airbnb. People’s use of technology in their everyday lives have allowed for the concept of collaborative consumption to be born and created an economy of micro entrepreneurs
WEEE directive
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
regulates EEE to reduce the amount of WEEE incinerated or sent to landfill sites through various measures which encourage the recovery, reuse and recycling of products and components
applies toany business that uses, sells, distributes, produces, recycles or treats electronic equipment or components
components should be taken to a local household waste recycling centre / sometimes the local council will pick them up
how to do planned obsolescence
Making goods irreparable
Many consumer electronics are designed to make it impossible to repair them or replace parts. Sometimes it is physically impossible because the product carcass cannot be opened without breaking it or the pieces are welded together to prevent replacement.
Artificial durability
This consists of designing products to wear out quickly, by using, for example, flimsy materials to manufacture parts that are subject to wear and tear. In the case of computers, the time comes when you can no longer upgrade the software because it is not compatible.
Irreplaceable batteries
Some laptops, mobile phones and electric toothbrushes have lithium-ion batteries with a useful life of two or three years. These cannot be replaced by the owner of the device, who has no option but to buy a replacement.
