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Humanities

Lecture (8) :Engineering & Environment


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Engineering and Environment

Global Warming

Noise

Insecticides

Nuclear Power

BiodegradabaleMaterials

Electric Cars


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Responses to global warming

Mitigation

Adaptation

Geoengineering


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Noise When unwanted sound created by humanbeings hits our ears and disturbs theenvironment, noise pollution is created.Chiefly, noise pollution comes from vehicles,aircraft and rail transport, air-conditioners,factories, amplified music and construction work.


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Measures of noise: Noise pollution is measured in decibels. When noise is at45 decibels, no human being can sleep, and at 120 decibels the ear is in painand hearing begins to be damaged at 85 decibels.

Effects of noise pollution Human health: Noise pollution disturbs our health and behavior in a number of

ways including deafness causing lack of sleep, irritability, indigestion, heartburn,high blood pressure,, and heart disease. Annoyance: Speech interference: Sleep interference: Decreased work performance:


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Insecticides An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects.

DDTEven though someone created DDT back in the 19th century, only around 1939did Dr. Paul Muller discover that it was effective in killing insects, and shortly after, he won the nobel prize in medicine for this work.


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DDTOne of the bigger drivers in the development of new insecticides has beenthe desire to replace toxic insecticides

One of the better known impacts of DDT is to reduce the thickness of the eggshells on predatory birds. The shells sometimes become too thin to be viable,causing reductions in bird populations

As a pesticide, DDT was first used during WWII. It was so effective as aninsect killer that some called it the "atomic bomb" of pesticides.


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DDT

What does this graph tell you? What years did malaria minimize and maximize?Can you guess during which years DDT was used?


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Nuclear Power Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 1314%of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accountingfor about 50% of nuclear generated electricity.

Some serious nuclear and radiation accidents have occurred. Nuclearpower plant accidents include the Chernobyl disaster(1986),Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (2011). Nuclear power has causedfar fewer accidental deaths per unit of energy generated than other majorforms of power generation. Energy production from coal, natural gas, and

hydropower have caused far more deaths due to accidents.

However, nuclear power plant accidents rank first in terms of theireconomic cost, accounting for 41% of all property damage attributed toenergy accidents.


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Nuclear plants attack In September 1980, Iran bombed the Al Tuwaitha nuclear complex in Iraq. In June 1981, an Israeli air strike completely destroyed Iraqs Osirak nuclear

research facility. Between 1984 and 1987, Iraq bombed Irans Bushehr nuclear plant six times. In Iraq in 1991, the U.S. bombed three nuclear reactors and an enrichment

pilot facility. In 1991, Iraq launched Scud missiles at Israels Dimona nuclear power plant. In September 2007, Israel bombed a Syrian reactor under construction


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In many places, and particularly in Japan, the nuclear industry has felt a

need to tell the public that nuclear power is safe in some absolute way.

Many government agencies and nuclear companies have promoted a

public myth of "absolute safety" that nuclear power proponents had

nurtured over decades. The tsunami that began the Fukushima nuclear

disaster could and should have been anticipated

The myth of absolute safety


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Biodegradable materials

Biodegradable waste will eventually break down and

become part of the earth and soil, like food scraps and paper.Non-biodegradable waste will NOT break down (or won't

for many many years).

Examples are plastics, metal and glass. Some dangerouschemicals and toxins are also non-biodegradable, as are

plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam (polystyrene),


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Advantages of Biodegradable Plastic

1. Biodegradable plastics take less time to break down

2. Biodegradable plastics are renewable 3. Biodegradable plastics are good for the environment

4. Biodegradable plastics require less energy to produce

5. Biodegradable plastics are easier to recycle

6. Biodegradable plastics are not toxic

7. Biodegradable plastics reduce dependence on foreign oil


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Electric Cars


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Electric cars have several potential benefits compared to conventional

internal combustion automobiles, including a significant reduction of

urban air pollution, as they do not emit harmful tailpipe pollutantsfrom the onboard source of power at the point of operation (zero tail

pipe emissions); reduced greenhouse gas emissions from the onboard

source of power, depending on the fuel and technology used for

electricity generation to charge the batteries

Advantages of Electric Cars


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Disadvantages of Electric CarsTime required to recharge the batteries.

Weight

Driving range

Initial Cost

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session6engineeringenvironment-120408063814-phpapp02