towards sustainable cities trough a decrease in co2

TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CITIES THROUGH A DECREASE IN CO2 EMISSIONS BASED ON CREATING CONSCIOUSNESS ON HUMAN HABITS AND ITS RELATIONS TO BODY CO2

EMISSIONS AND ASSOCIATED IMPACTS

Enrique Posada R.

Valencia G. Gabriela, Robledo V. David

INDISA S.A.

Medellín, Colombia

AGENDA

1. Introductioni. Colombian Contextii. World contextiii. Metabolism and CO2

2. Impacti. Global impact of metabolic CO2

3. Backgroundi. Good habits and consciousness

4. What to doi. Relaxed and empathic statesii. Awareness

5. Conclusion

2

3

Colombian ContextINTRODUCTION

Total planet CO2 emissions:33.535milion tonCO2eq

Colombia contributes the 0,37% of theseemissions, occupying the 51 position in the World

Colombian ContextINTRODUCTION

4

-5

15

35

55

75

95

115

135

Energy Industrial Processesand product use Agriculture, forestry

and other land uses

Waste

GH

G E

mis

sio

ns

(Mto

n C

O2

eq

)

Productive Sector

Historical evolution of GHG by sector

1990

1994

2000

2004

2010

2012

Taken and adapted from the National Inventory of Global Greenhouse Gases (INGEI) 2012

Metabolism and CO2

Human respiration: Insertionof 500 – 4000mL air into thelungs

O2 Consumption and CO2 release:

• Air movement between inside and outside of the lungs

• Gases exchange with pulmonaryblood

• Diffusion across cell membranes

The estimated CO2 generatedflow is 0,84kg/day

Oxygen usage is 0,96 kg/day , quite similar to CO2 generation

INTRODUCTION

5

Metabolism and CO2

Parameter units Inspired air Expulsed air

O2 % vol 20,93 15,26

CO2 % vol 0,04 3,42

N2 % vol 78,53 75,13

H2O % vol 0,50 6,19

Breathing rate times/min 15,0 15,0

Temperature °C 21,0 36,0

Gas density at 1 atm kg/m3 1,193 1,125

Volume in each breathing m3 0,00060 0,00066

Mass flow kg/hr 0,644 0,667

O2 flow kg/hr 0,15 0,11

CO2 flow kg/hr 0,00039 0,03519

N2 flow kg/hr 0,49 0,49

H2O flow kg/hr 0,0020 0,0261

Gas Exchanges in the breathing system

INTRODUCTION

6

Metabolism and CO2

In a particular study of 15various physical activitiesof 275 subjects, it wasfounded that energyexpenditures do notcorrelate well with theintensity of motionalactivity

There are more complexphysiological and mentalinfluences at work besidesobserved motion

Seliger V., Energy metabolism in selected physical exercises. Internationale Zeitschrift für angewandte Physiologie einschließlichArbeitsphysiologie, Volume 25, Issue 2 , pp 104-120

INTRODUCTION

7

ActivityEnergy, kcal/h

Associated food, kg/day

CO2, kg/day

BMR, Basal metabolic rate, woman, 30 years age, 160 cm height, 60 kg weight

54 0,24 0,4

BMR, Basal metabolic rate, man, 30 years age, 170 cm height, 70 kg weight

67 0,3 0,49

Sleeping 67 0,3 0,49

Eating 101 0,44 0,74

Sitting work 101 0,44 0,74

Walking on level at 4.8 km per hour 200 0,88 1,48

Jogging at 9 km per hour 570 2,51 4,21

Cycling on level at 9 km per hour 804 3,54 5,93

Exercise , 5 min. and more, low values

336 1,48 2,48

Exercise , 5 min. and more, high values

1092 4,81 8,06

Exercise, 1-3 min, low values 462 2,03 3,41

Exercise , 1-3 min, high values 1890 8,32 13,95

Exercise , 1-30 sec, low values 2856 12,58 21,07

Exercise , 1-30 sec, high values 7350 32,36 54,24

Global impact of metabolic CO2FACTOR UNIT VALUE

Estimated world

population (2015)persons 7.311.390.000

Average CO2 generation by

metabolismKg/day-person 0,85

Total CO2 generation by

metabolismTon/day 6.231.414

Approximate CO2

generated in coal

combustion

kg/kg coal 2,20

Equivalent coal combustion

to generate CO2 associated

with average metabolism

Ton/day 2.832.461

Coal use in the world Ton/day 21.430.137

According to these numbers,human metabolism is in factrepresentative of the CO2

emissions (and more importantto global warming) confrontingit with the emissions from coal(and other fossil fuels)combustion.

Thus, any lowering of the CO2

human metabolic emissions willhave a significant impact onglobal warming gases control.

IMPACT

8

Good habits and consciousness

Henry David Thoreau

Rachel Carson Ansel Adams

9

“Henry David Thoreau was thought by many in his own time, and many in our own, to be an eccentricwho escaped from the mainstream of real life in order to dream. He was the opposite of that. Heunderstood intuitively what we now know in more concrete and objective terms, that humanity is abiological species and thus exquisitely adapted to the natural world that cradled us. Thoreau was thescientific observer and lyrical expositor who hit upon the power of this conjunction between science andthe humanities”.Edward Wilson

BACKGROUND

Good habits and consciousness

10

Gregory BatesonEcology of Mind

HUMANISTIC SCHOOL

There are important mechanisms of positive feedback, which allow forharmonious habits in people.

The desirable change should not only refer to our actions, but most of all, toour thoughts Object Experimentation applied to ideas.

BACKGROUND

Relaxed and empathic states

Farrel, D.J., The reduction in metabolic rate and heart rate on man during meditation, Energy Metabolism: Proceedings of the Eighth Symposium on Energy Metabolism, 1979

Ding-E Young, J., Taylor, E., Meditation as a Voluntary Hypometabolic State of Biological Estivation, Am.Physiol. Soc. News Physiol. Sci. Volume 13. June 1998

Wallace, R. K., and H. Benson. A wakeful hypometabolic physiologic state. Am. J. Physiol. 221: 795–799, 1971

WHAT TO DO

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Relaxed State

Catecholamine levels drop

Galvanic skin resistance increases

Respiration rate and volume flow decrease

Decreased vascular resistance

Lowered O2 and CO2 consumption

Empathic State

The person acts as an observer, able to experiment and feel the situation that is being experimented by another object, being, animal, idea…

Respiration pattern becomes slower, abdominal, controlled by the diaphragm and deeper.

Lower O2 consumption rates lower metabolic energies and CO2 generation

Awareness

It would be veryeducative that humanbeings have, as muchas possible, awarenessof themselves as directand representativesources of CO2

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WHAT TO DO

While practicing empathic states, we reduce CO2 emissions, not only because the lower metabolismstate, but also because of the activities promotedunder these states

We present the following habits for lowermetabolic CO2 emissions, either because they are closer to the basal metabolic rates or because theyinclude empathic or relaxation practices

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CONCLUSION

14

CONCLUSION

Listening to others withempathic attention

• Changing the usual defensive and offensive responses for: Recognitionand appreciation no matter the othercontext

• The defensive response demand exitedmetabolic funtioning and excess of CO2

generation

Habits for lower metabolic CO2 emissions


15

CONCLUSION

Meditation and relaxationpractices

• When practiced in group have larger impacts

• This practices should be taught and encouraged in the educationalsystem and institutions and companies


16

CONCLUSION

Conversation and sharing

• Friendship, family life, smallcommunities, communal activities, enriched by empathic attitudes

• The opposite to this: WAR associated with major environmental disasters and violence: excitec metabolic states and CO2 emissions

• Sustainable cities must be pleasant and peaceful


17

CONCLUSION

Conscious writing, representing, art work and reading

• This will create self-esteem, self-reference, leadership and a sense of compromise

• Creation of city narratives and memories enchance healthy pride

• Stimulation of good cultural habits thatall sustainable citizens can enjoy and practice


18

CONCLUSION

Improving food consumptionhabits

• According to Schwarsera, eating beefhas the highest GHG generation, with22,6 kg CO2-eq/kg. Including differentprotein sources in the diet wouldreduce the CO2 emission in digestion

• Minimizing food waste, by purchasing, cooking and eating only the necessary.

• Eating slowly and in a conscious way


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CONCLUSION

Additional habits

• Diminish, separate, recycle and reuse waste.

• Seek rational use of water and energy in every human daily activity

• Seek changes in the smoking of tobacco (and marihuana), or entirely avoid them, as these are bad habits generate huge amounts of CO2

• Understanding activities in term of their impact on CO2 generation and having them in the collective and individual mind as indicators of commitment with sustainability

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CONCLUSION

Activity CO2 generator indicator Sustainable actionsTransportation anddriving

CO2 generated according to driving practices, number of occupants and type of vehicle

Conscious drivingRide sharingUse of mass transportEstablish city indicators of total daily CO2 generated by transportation

Using electricity CO2 generated according to origin of used electricity and type of urban practices

Electricity savingCommunal and individual projects to generate electricity with renewable sources

Solid waste generating and disposal

CO2 and CH4 generated according towaste disposal methods being usedand scale of recycling and reuse

RecyclingLess generation of wasteIndividual and communal projects torecycle and reuse

Industrial andcommercialemissions

Regional and urban indicators ofspecific emissions according to majorprocesses and activities

Companies calculate theircontribution to the indicators andestablish goal to improveCitizens know this and contribute toimprovements trough vigilance andparticipation

Example of areas that can be object of establishing CO2 indicators

THANKS

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Contact Info:Enrique Posada, Special Projects AdvisorINDISA S.A.Medellín, ColombiaPhone: (+574)446166 cel 57 [email protected]@yahoo.com

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

towards sustainable cities trough a decrease in co2

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