Basic environmental concept

National University of Malaysia

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Fundamental Concepts of Environment

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Wan Zuhairi Wan Yaacob (Assoc. Prof, PhD) Faculty of Science and Technology

National University of Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

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Environment

Definition: The sum of all conditions surrounding us

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Environment

“It was not given to you by your parents, but it is loaned to you by your children….”

National University of Malaysia Fundamental concepts of Environment

(Keller, EA. 2000, eight edition)

1. Population growth

2. Sustainability

3. Limitation of resources

4. Hazardous earth processes

5. Systems 6. Uniformitarianism 7. Geology as a basic environmental science 8. Our obligation to the future

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Content of this lecture

National University of Malaysia 1. Population growth

• Garrett Hardin :

• Population increases; impact increases; more resources are needed.

• Problems:- • Pollution of ground and surface

waters;

• hazardous waste;

• exposure of people and human structures to natural hazards.

Total environmental impact of population = product of impact per person x the population

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World population • World population

• World (7 B)

• Malaysia (29 M)

• Japan (127 M)

• China (1.3 B)

• India (1.2 B)

• Population bomb: exponential growth-very dynamic process

Exponential “J” shape

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POPULATION (Malaysian Culture)

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• The present population is already over the comfortable carrying capacity for the planet.

• The role of education is paramount; greatest hope for population control.

• Pessimistic scientists:- • Population growth will take care of itself thru disease and catastrophes

(famine lack of food) ; WAR

• Optimistic scientists: • Hope we will find better ways to control the population of the

world within the limits of our available resources, space and other environmental needs.

Population growth

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Pessimistic scientists

• Korean War (1950-53): 2 800 000 death

• Afghanistan (1979-2001): 1 800 000

• Iran-Iraq War (1980-88): 1 000 000

• Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger

• Disease : AIDS – H1N1 (avian flu) – Bird flu

• Tsunami Acheh : 300 000

• Earthquake (Haiti) : 222,570

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200 million lives

Pessimistic scientists

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25-30 million death

1340

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One family, one child policy in China

Optimistic Scientists

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Which Group Do You Favor ?. Optimistic Or Pessimistic?

Optimistic Pessimistic

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2. Sustainability

• The World Commission on Environment and Development defined

sustainable development in 1987:

“Sustainable Development is a form of progress that ensures human development and that ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

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"Sustainable development will enable all people

throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and

enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the

quality of life of future generations.”

Securing the Future, the UK Government's 2005

sustainable development strategy

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+ Respecting the limits of environment, resources & biodiversity

+ Sustainable economy (opportunity for all) + Polluter pays principle + Efficient resource use + tax (landfill tax; waste tax) + new tax structure to encourage population control and wise use of resources

+ Policy based on strong scientific evidence + Good Governance + Ensuring a strong, healthy & just society

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• Example 1

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Sustainable or not ?

The office will provide employment and

so help in economic and social

sustainability. Building the offices will

use up natural resources but it does

contain recycled materials, have good

insulation and use solar power

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• Example 2:

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Organic farming does not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

Some people say that food produced organically tastes better

and is good for the environment. She produces less and so sells

her vegetable at a higher price compared to ones grown by

intensive farming. Not everyone can afford them. This could

affect their social and economic sustainability

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3. Limitation of resources

• Two fundamental truths

– 1. the earth is indeed the only place to live that is now accessible to us

– 2. Our resources are limited, and while some resources are renewable, many are not.

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Two Major views on natural resources

– 1. Finding resources is not so much a problem as is

finding ways to use them (i.e. easy to find new resources) • Efficient and intelligent use of materials

– Use lightweight material to build a car

– New technology to save fuel

• We know more about extracting minerals than we did in the past – Find new resources faster

– Mining lower grade of minerals

• Recycling of resources can help us meet the needs of the future.

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NO resource crisis

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– 2. A finite resources cannot support an exponential growth of people forever. And we are in a resource crisis due to:--

• Improvements in medical technology contributing to

over population

• Ever increasing gross national product based on obsolescence (design not to last long) and waste.

• The finite nature of the minerals

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National University of Malaysia Natural Resources

Six (6) options to solve resource crisis:--

Find more (exploration)

Recycle or reuse

Waste less

Use less

Alternative energy source

Wait for another million years

styrene-butadiene rubbers (S-SBR)

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Smelting plant in Japan

Zinc (99.995%)

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Urban Mining vs Ore Mining

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Urban Mining

Ore Mining

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Ore Mining (analogy)

2 grains of gold in 1 tonne sand in a lorry – 2ppm (part per million)

+

Two grains of Gold

Can you imagine how much waste is produced??

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4. Hazardous earth processes

• Earth processes hazardous to people

– Flooding; earthquakes; volcanic; landslides; mudflows

• Must be recognized and avoided

• Reduce threat to human life and property

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“Earthquakes do not kill, buildings do”

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Hazardous Events

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Hazardous earth processes

• Conflict between human vs nature

• Earth scientists / Engineers:

– identify potentially hazardous processes

– make info available to planners/decision makers (communication)

– avoiding/minimizing the threat to human life/property (Action !)

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Merapi

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April 2009, 6.3 M, 300 killed.

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Houses on fault, whose fault is it?

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Wellington Fault passes through the suburb of Thorndon

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Merapi volcano, Indonesia

Scenery from the golf course Agriculture

Best fruit Tourism

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Conclusions

1. Population growth

– No 1 environmental problem

2. Sustainability

– Development that meets the needs of the present and future generations

3. Limitation of resources

– We need to use our resources wisely and keep part

of it for future generations

4. Hazardous earth processes

– cannot be avoided, but the hazards can be

minimized and controlled.

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The End

Another way to tame the Merapi Volcanic eruption in Indonesia