Humanities

Lecture (8) :Engineering & Environment

Engineering and Environment

Global Warming

Noise

Insecticides

Nuclear Power

Biodegradabale Materials

Electric Cars

An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, and a probable expansion of subtropical deserts. Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic and would be associated with continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely effects of the warming include more frequent occurrence of extreme-weather events including heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall, species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes, and changes in crop yields.

Global Warming

Responses to global warming

Mitigation

Adaptation

Geoengineering

Noise

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

Measures of noise: Noise pollution is measured in decibels. When noise is at 45 decibels, no human being can sleep, and at 120 decibels the ear is in pain and hearing begins to be damaged at 85 decibels. Effects of noise pollutionHuman 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:

White Noise!!!!

Insecticides

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects.

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

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

One of the better known impacts of DDT is to reduce the thickness of the egg shells 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 an insect killer that some called it the "atomic bomb" of pesticides.

DDT

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

Nuclear PowerNuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity.

Some serious nuclear and radiation accidents have occurred. Nuclear power plant accidents include the Chernobyl disaster(1986), Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (2011). Nuclear power has caused far fewer accidental deaths per unit of energy generated than other major forms 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 their economic cost, accounting for 41% of all property damage attributed to energy accidents.

Nuclear plants attack

•In September 1980, Iran bombed the Al Tuwaitha nuclear

complex in Iraq.

•In June 1981, an Israeli air strike completely destroyed Iraq’s

Osirak nuclear research facility.

•Between 1984 and 1987, Iraq bombed Iran’s 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 Israel’s Dimona

nuclear power plant.

•In September 2007, Israel bombed a Syrian reactor under

construction

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

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

dangerous chemicals and toxins are also non-

biodegradable, as are plastic grocery bags,

Styrofoam (polystyrene),

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

Electric Cars

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 pollutants from 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

Disadvantages of Electric Cars

Time required to recharge the batteries.

Weight

Driving range

Initial Cost