Unit 3 - AOS 2 - Ecological Sustainable Development

Question 1

ESD definition

Answer 1

“Development that meets the needs of the resent without compromising future generation’s needs”.

-> Requires the nature of production and consumption, while it continues to satisfy human needs while producing less waste and using less materials.

Question 2

Sustainable development definition

Answer 2

“Process to achieve sustainability”

Question 3

Considerations when aiming for sustainability

Answer 3

• Resources
• Natural systems
• Society
• Economy
• Culture

Question 4

Zones of sustainability

Answer 4

Economy (Profit & cost saving, Growth & development)

Socio-economic (Ethical business, workers rights, fair trade)

Society (Living standards, education & opportunity, equal rights)

Socio-environmental (Enviro sustainability, care with resources, local & global considerations)

Environment (Renewable resources, pollution prevention)

Environmental-economic (Energy efficiency, incentives to use renewable resources. )

Question 5

Sustainability definition

Answer 5

“Ability/capacity of something to sustain itself”

Question 6

Name the 4 Challenges to sustainability principles

Answer 6

• Human pop growth
• Food
• Water
• Energy

Question 7

Effects of ^ in human pop

Answer 7

• increased demands on environment to support us
• Projections = world pop = 8-12 billion by 2050
• Developing countries = africa, latin america etc.
• ## ^ in human pop challange of acheiving sustainability

Question 8

Increase human pop in terms of pop stabilization and fertility rates.

Answer 8

POPULATION STABILIZATION:
- Human pop growth is slower than expected
- But still expected to increase substantially before stabilizing

FERTILITY RATES:
- Human fertility is low (continue to decline)
- Life expectancy is however increasing.

Question 9

Notes on food as a challenge to sustainability principles

Answer 9

• Only so much is habitable land we can farm
• Agriculture - cause 86% of species to be threatened by extinction

GREEN REVOLUTION:
- Brought upon from development of ^ yeild crop varieties & fertilisers, pesticides & water.
- Since 1950s, most ^ in global food production come from ^ yeilds per capita of cropland.

CEREL CROP PRODUCTION:
- 2nd green revolution = due to fast growing & ^ yielding varieties of rice, corn & wheat (specially bred for tropical & subtropical climates)

Question 10

Water

Answer 10

• We need clean fresh water for survival = ^ need for construction to store & supply
• ~64% worlds wetlands disappeared since 1990

Question 11

Fresh water access and resources

Answer 11

• RARE TO ACCESS (unbalanced in distribution, some areas = continually wet/not seen permanent water in centuries)

RESOURCES:
- 71% earths surface = water (97% seawater & 3% freshwater)

Question 12

use of fresh water

Answer 12

• Industrial water use ^, along with human pop (almost all commercial goods’ processing need water)
• Large savings could be made if efficiency of water use ^
• Treatment of waste water = major issue

Question 13

Potable Water

Answer 13

= Water suitable to drink = rare commodity in lots of parts of the world

ACCESS TOPOTABLE WATER LIMITED BY:
- Availabilities
- ease of distribution
- Level of water treatment
(countries must deal with removing water born diseases & dissolved toxins -> once treated, distribution & storage is important) -> this is impossible in many countries

Question 14

Water use in industry

Answer 14

• Global rates of WATER WITHDRAWEL (surface & groundwater sources) projected to be more than DOOUBLE in next 2 decades) –> due to ^ pop growth & economic development.
• Manufacturing & production processes = water intensive
• Virtual Water usage : “water is used but not in final product”

Question 15

Environmental factors of water

Answer 15

• Sources = rivers, lakes, aquifers
• IRRIGATION & DIVERSIONS for drinking water displaces vast amounts of the water or these resource stores
• DAMMING rivers for electricity affects water flow downstream (dramatic effects on enviro & wildlife)

Question 16

World energy resources

Answer 16

• Most from Sun

Direct sun uses:
- Solar electricity panels, solar water heating, wind power (air movements caused by unequal heating of earths surface)

Indirect sun uses:
- Coal, oil, natural gases

Question 17

Future energy consumption

Answer 17

• By 2050 world pop ^ = world energy consumption ^ by atleast 50% (most ^ in developing countries)
• Beyond 2030 fossil fuels will not be able to keep up with world energy demands.

Question 18

Future energy solutions

Answer 18

Mix of renewable and non-renewable energy

Question 19

Circular economy definition

Answer 19

“Continually seeking to reduce the environmental impacts of production and consumption, while enabling economic growth through more productive use of natural resources.”

Question 20

Integrated Sustainability assessment

Answer 20

Assess long-term sustainability impacts -> trough assessing economic, environmental & social impacts of various policy proposals.

Question 21

Describe the methods for conduct6ing integrated sustainability assessment.

Answer 21

QUALITATIVE RISK ANALYSIS
Risk assessment“to determine the probability of a substance or situation to cause harm or create adverse impacts”.
Identifies and assesses hazards “the potential for a substance or situation to cause harm or create adverse impacts”.
Risk management “When techniques are used in response to impacts to minimise or stop their possible occurrence”

LIFE-CYCLE ANALYSIS
Aim “quantify all enviro impacts of a product over its entire life cycle. Improving info for decision making
- LCA info can be used to adapt alternative materials/methods to reduce products enviro impact.
Basic steps “Goal def (of project), Inventory (identify stages & all inputs & outputs from enviro), Impact assessment, Improvement.

COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
- Used to see if an idea/product is worth the investment (time to develop, cost to produce, if it can be sold at a profitable margin)

Question 22

Managment systems

Answer 22

it is important to identify risk before, during & after -> decisions made to how it will be managed/if it should go ahead.

1. environmental & safety risks are identified
2. progress is made towards reducing risks
3. a process is in place to ensure that procedures are monitored & reviewed.

Question 23

International standards of EMS

Answer 23

KEY ELEMENTS
- a defined enviro policy
- a commitment to comply with legislative requirements
- a commitment to continual enviro improvement
- procedures for corrective action and dealing with emergencies.

ISO 14000I:
= EMS standard and is family of voluntary standards and guidance documents to help organisations address enviro issues.

*SOMETIMES EMS IS COSTLY TO SMALL-MED BUSINESSES IN TERMS OF TIME, EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES.

Question 24

Advantages of EMS

Answer 24

INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY:
Reduces raw material input, energy usage & waste = cuts company cost.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT:
The best enviro development include continues consultation with stakeholders throughout the duration of the project.

COMMUNITY CONFIDENCE:
Enviro outcomes are important. Regular communication with community is important.

ADVANTAGES OF REGULATORS:
Easy job if companies get it right. EMS encourage responsibility, more corporative relationships between companies & regulators.

Question 25

Enviromental impact statements (EIS/EES)

Answer 25

“Assessment of potential enviro impacts or effects of project”.
- requested by ‘minister for plannings’ to help make decisions in regards to the proceeding of the project.

Question 26

Aims & process of EIS/EES

Answer 26

AIMS:
1. describe and propose actions/alternatives to high-risk activities.
2. Predict the nature and magnitude of enviro changes.
3. Identify human concerns and social impacts
4. Define criteria to be used in measuring the significance of enviro changes.
5. Estimate the significance of predicted enviro changes
6. Describe mitigation strategies
7. Recommended monitoring strategies to be followed up prior, during and after.
8. Evaluate the costs

PROCESS:
1. As part of project approvals an EES is reviewed by an independent government appointed authority
2. A panel weighs up the benefits and impacts, considering community concerns.
3. The panel to the responsible government minister then makes a decision on whether the project proceeds and makes recommendations.
4. EIA - compromise between desire for development and to minimise harm on the enviro.

Question 27

Conservation of biodiversity & ecological integrity

Answer 27

“Maintenance of species diversity and ecosystems ability to maintain biotic and abiotic organisation as well as self-renewal in changing environmental conditions.”

Question 28

Efficiency of resource use

Answer 28

“Less resource used to produce a product, with less environmental impact”

Question 29

Intergeneration equity

Answer 29

“Preserve resource & natural enviro for future generations”

Question 30

Intragenerational equity

Answer 30

Preserve resources & natural enviro for current generations”

Question 31

Precautionary principle

Answer 31

“Putting precautions even if there is no scientific evidence of harm, it is just incase”

Question 32

User pays principle

Answer 32

“User/service pays direct for amount they used”

Question 33

Name the 4 value systems

Answer 33

Anthropocentrism
Ecocentrism
Biocentrism
Technocentrism