TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

Unit 8

Man is part of the nature and he is bound to obey the laws

of nature. He depends on his environment for food, water,

air, space and shelter.

These are to be managed in a scientific manner for availing

the generations to come.

Meeting the needs of people for natural resources and

conserving or protecting the natural resources and the

environment, this “linkage” has been identified and named

as “Sustainable Development.

In the year 1992, the United Nations Conference on

Environment and Development (UNCED) held at Rio de

Janeiro, recognized the pressing environment and

development problems of the world.

Adapting Agenda 21 for sustainable development.

The first principle of Rio declaration is the Sustainable

Development.

Sustainable Development is defined as, ‘the development to

meet the needs of the present without compromising the

ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.

Sustainable Development must balance the needs of

society, the economy, and the environment.

The three important components of sustainable development are :

i. Economic development (like industrial development, creating job opportunities, utilization of natural resources for developing the quality of life).

ii. Community development (food, shelter, cloth, education).

iii. Environmental Protection (utilization of resources in a sustainable manner).

The framework for the integration of developmental strategies with environmental protection.

i. Uses of excessive resources are to be reduced

ii. Waste minimization

iii. Enhancing scientific, management of renewable resources

Unsustainable developmental activities :

i. In Egypt, Aswan Dam – priceless archeological sites and building were destroyed with valuable ecosystems and fishing grounds.

ii. Dam on the Yangtze River. Affected more than 2 million farmers and villagers on the catchment area of that dam.

iii. The Narmada Valley Project. It has been planned to construct 31 major dams, 135 medium dams and 3000 minor dams in this project by the year 2040. Affects more agricultural area and more wild animals

Sustainable Development Indicators (SDI)

Economic indicators, social, environmental and institutional indicators are to be considered.

Sustainability : Accords stability in two ways.

Resistance stability is the ability of a system to remain stable

Resilience stability is the ability of the system to recover

Characteristics of a Sustainable Society

i. material process

ii. cyclic nature

iii. no waste material or pollution

iv. output from one system will be used as inputs to other systems

v. only renewable energy will be used

vi. human population will be either stable in size or gradually declining

POPULATION

Group of individuals of a species (Monospective Population) or more species (Polyspecific Populations)

Group of populations is a given range of environment is communityPOPULATION CHARACTERISTICS1. Density

2. Growth and growth curves (linear, sigmoid, bell shaped)

3. Age distribution (pre-reproductive, reproductive and post reproductive populations)

4. Natality

5. Mortality

6. Migration

7. Competition (Intra and interspecific)

World Population Distribution

At present approximately 75% of the world’s population is distributed in the developing regions. Only 25% of the population is distributed in developed regions.

Percentage Distribution of Population in different regions

Year Asia Africa Europe Other Regions Total

1950 54.67 8.91 15.63 20.79 100.00

1990 58.47 12.42 9.42 19.59 100.00

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

Inquiry is defined as the attempt to discover truths about the world.

Philosophy is defined as the area of inquiry that attempts to discover truths involving fundamental concepts, such as god, mind, free will, knowledge, truth, right/ wrong, etc.

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that primarily discusses issues dealing with human behavior and character.

Environmental Ethics – analyzing about human use of Earth’s limited resources.

Ecology and economics to help provide a basis for sustainable decisions on environmental use.

Issues and Possible Solutions

Environmental pollution,

Over-population,

Over exploitation and increased consumption of non-renewable resources,

Various problems due to improper distribution money, food, housing, education, work, recreational opportunities and facilities, etc.

Prejudice of people in class, culture, religion, etc.

War and

Non-peaceful use of power

Immediate need to re-examine our values and the ways in which these problems influence our lives.

Consumerism and Waste Products

Consumerism is economically appeared in the constant purchasing of new goods and services, with little attention to their true need, durability, product origin or the environmental consequences of manufacture and disposal.

Materialism is one of the end results of consumerism.

At present, children are being targeted in increasing consumption.

Parents on the one hand have a hard time raising children; while on the other hand, kids are being increasingly influenced by commercialism.

Consumption has the following impacts :

Depressing the environmental resource base

Aggravating inequalities in the resources and

Accelerating the environmental problems

Every element of the production process of all materials has an impact on the global ecological balance.

Luxuries have been turned into necessities

Important issues around consumerism

What are the impacts on the environment, society and individuals due to the process of production?

What are the impacts of certain forms of consumption on the environment, on society, on individuals?

What are the basic necessary things and what are the luxurious things? How do demands on items affect the requirements placed upon the environment?

How do consumption habits change as societies change? How much of what we consume is influenced by their needs

versus our needs? What is the impact on poorer nations and people on the

demands of the wealthier nations and people that are able to afford to consume more?

What is the material value influencing our relationships with other people?

What are the impacts that have on our personal values?

Environmental education: Methods to Propagate Environmental AwarenessEnvironmental awareness needs to be created through formal and in formal education to all sections of the society.

i) Among students through education

ii) Among the Masses through mass-media

iii) Among the planners, decision-makers and leaders

Role of Non-Government Organizations (NGO's)

The "Chipko Movement" The "Narmada Bachao Andolan" Kalpavriksh The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) The World Wide Fund for Nature - India (WWF, India) Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)

Before we can all take up the task of environmental protection and conservation, we have to be environmentally educated and aware. It is aptly said "If you want to act green, first think green."

APPLICATION OF IT IN ENVIRONMENT

a. Remote Sensing :

It is an art (aesthetic), science (optic / sensor), and technology (rocket / orbit) of obtaining information about the terrestrial objects (Land / Water / Air) through aerial cameras / sensors from space platforms (balloons / kites / aeroplanes / satellites) for preparation of schematic maps for the benefit / solving problems of the society. The military surveyors and mapping organizations (Survey of India) and urban planners use aerial photographs of various scales (1:1000 to 1 million) for the said purposes. The uses from agriculture, forestry, earth sciences, Meteorology, Engineering, planning, and other discipline use the explosive satellite data 9digital and analog for preparation of various schematic maps.

b. Geographic Information System (GIS) :

It is a computer based information processing / schematic map preparation system using vector (line) and raster (pixel) data. It is applied to update the maps / layers, preparation of complex schematic maps and also for various mapping practices.

c. Global Positioning System (GPs) :

It is a new addition in mapping of resources, survey of terrestrial positions and understanding the location of various stationary and moving objects. It was developed for identifying / locating the ships and later it is applied in various fields including identification of location in non-inhabited areas, higher altitude zones, moving vehicles.

d. Meteorology :

We have already come across various instances, in which lives of thousands of people were saved due to prediction of cyclones quite in advance, giving time for safeguarding one self. Thus saving lives and property. This could not have been achieved without use of IT. The weather is studied throughout the globe with the help of various weather stations on land as well as through satellites. The data generated is processed, analyzed and projected using computer, which are directly connected to satellites, there by giving a chance for forewarning of probable calamities.

APPLICATION OF IT IN HEALTH

IT is playing a key role in the health industry. IT has varied

applications right from the diagnosis, where there are latest

tools like CT scans, Ultrasound Sonography etc. which use IT

as their basis for diagnosis of ailments. Most of the ICU’s

(Intensive Care Units) are now using computers to monitor

the progress and condition of the patient, under going

treatments. Apart from this, with help of IT, expert opinions

from doctors away from the place can be sought with help of

IT tools like video conferencing etc. apart from this it can

be used in the analysis and research on various potential

medicines / drugs to be used in medical treatments.

Green building Green building (also known as green

construction or sustainable building) is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction. This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort

Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

Green building…

Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources

Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity

Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation

Green building brings together a vast array of practices and techniques to reduce and ultimately eliminate the impacts of new buildings on the environment and human health. It often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight through passive solar, active solar, and photovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens, and for reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques, such as using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead of conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground water, are used as well.

The concept of “Green Building” aims at increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources - energy, water, materials - while reducing the impact of the building on human health and the surrounding environment during its life cycle, through better design, construction, operation, maintenance and removal and recycle of waste. Maximizing the use of day lighting, reducing the burden on the electricity usage, optimizing the cooling and heating loads of a building are few of such measures.

Green building….

Green buildings are designed to have a longer life-cycle, and help conserve natural resources like water, while consuming minimal power and energy

The Clean Development Mechanism The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

is one of the "flexibility" mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol (IPCC, 2007). It is defined in Article 12 of the Protocol, and is intended to meet two objectives: (1) to assist parties not included in Annex I in achieving sustainable development and in contributing to the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is to prevent dangerous climate change;

CDM….

(2) to assist parties included in Annex I in achieving compliance with their quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments (greenhouse gas (GHG) emission caps).

CDM Objective (2) is achieved by allowing the Annex I

countries to meet part of their caps using "Certified Emission Reductions" from CDM emission reduction projects in developing countries (Carbon Trust, 2009, p. 14).This is subject to oversight to ensure that these emission reductions are real and "additional." The CDM is supervised by the CDM Executive Board (CDM EB) and is under the guidance of the Conference of the Parties (COP/MOP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

CDM.. The CDM allows industrialized countries to invest in

emission reductions wherever it is cheapest globally (Grubb, 2003, p. 159). Between 2001, which was the first year CDM projects could be registered, and 2012, the end of the Kyoto commitment period, the CDM is expected to produce some 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in emission reductions.Most of these reductions are through renewable energy, energy efficiency, and fuel switching (World Bank, 2010, p. 262). However, a number of weaknesses of the CDM have been identified (World Bank, 2010, p. 265-267).