UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

THE CONCEPT OF ‘ENVIRONMENT’

Defined by RAE: The environment is the element in which a person, animal or thing lives or moves BUT also is the set of physical cultural, economic, and social circumstances surrounding people and living things.

Defined by UN: Is the set of physical, chemical and biological elements and factors capable of causing direct and indirect effects in the short or long term on living beings and on human activities.

FUNCTIONS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT

Environmental functions are defined as possible uses of our natural, biophysical surroundings that are useful for human. The ‘services’ of environmental function are defined as their possibilities or potential to be used by humans for whatever end.

1. Source of natural resources: Some examples are raw materials, water, energy.. For direct or indirect use as well as for the industry.

• Renewable sources: are those which do not get depleted on usage, they can replenish itself naturally over time. (ex. Solar energy, wood..)
• Non-renewable sources: A non-renewable resource is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption. Most fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas and coal are considered non-renewable resources in that their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of years.
• Continuous sources^[a]:

1. Recipient of effluents (wastes): The environment assimilates wastes, we need an environment with a high dispersion capacity and a good absorption^[1] [b]by is needed in order to prevent the pollution.

There are three main types of effluents:

• Gas-emissions
• Waste water
• Solid wastes

1. Support of activities: As function of the environment characteristics, all the impact of these activities are better or worse absorbed

The environment can perform all its functions as long as nothing alters its balance and things are within its carrying capacity. This means that the waste generated should be within the assimilation capacity of the environment and the rate of regeneration of resources should be more than the rate of extraction of the resource. If this does not happen, the environment cannot sustain life.

ENVIRONMENTAL DISTURBANCES

There are different types of environmental disturbances depending on its cause:

1. Naturals:

• From the external space
• From the internal space

1. Anthropogenics (from human activity):

• As function of the extension:
•  Local level (ex. Photochemical smog and acid mist)
• Regional level (ex.acid rain, stone disease)
• Global level (ex. Ozone layer, global warming
• As function of the source
• Urban: Gas emission due to transport sector, energy consumption (coal) , plastic and water waste, noise pollution.
• Industrial: Depletion of natural resources, climate change, acid rain, air water and soil pollution, toxic wastes, different diseases.
• Agricultural: One cause of deforestation is to clear land for pasture or crops, Irrigation can cause water pollution, pollutants (pesticides), solid quality degradation.

As we said before anthropogenics disturbances affect the ecological balance which involves the dispersion and absorption capacity of the environment. If our disturbances are to fast to be compensed by the ecological balance we will have environmental pollution.

THE CONCEPT OF POLLUTION

Definition of pollution: Presence in the environment of materials, substances or forms of energy involving serious discomfort, risk or harm to the safety or health of people, the environment and other assets of any kind

At an industrial level environmental pollution is a synonym of inefficiency.

Types of pollution:

1. Urban pollution: municipal solid waste, sewage water (aguas residuales), atmospheric pollution.
2. Pollution associated to transport sector: noise pollution, wastes (oils, disused vehicles), transport of hazardous goods.
3. Agricultural pollution : pesticides, eutrophication (technique by which a water body becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients (more nitrats and phosphates than needed) this can have serious negative effects on other oragnisms like fishes,birds and people).

TYPES OF POLLUTANTS

Materials:

•  Inerts
•  Reactives
• Chemicals
• Microbiological
• Radioactives

No-Materials

• Electromagnetic
• Mechanic (noise)
• Thermical

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES INCREASING

1. Exponential population growth:

The inpact of so many humans on the environment takes two major forms:

• Consumption of resources such as land, food, water, air, fossil fuels and minerals.
• Waste products as a result of consumption such as air and water pollutants, toxic mterials and greenhouse gases.
• Carbon dioxide emissions have increased significantly since the industrial revolution, in less than 200 years we have drastically altered the composition of our atmosphere
• Since population increased the agriculture has intensified so the impact that agriculture has on the environment has become stronger.
• Increase of large cities: we need more space for living so thi leads to the constructions of new buildings on the outside of cities, and also more people per square meter.

            Now a days human are a new global geophysical force.

1. Extension and intensification of industrialization:

This is related to issue number one, as a consequence of exponential population growth, we need to intensify industry in order to satisfy our needs.

• Air emissions: Industry is a major cause of air ppollution, since the operations of factories results in the emission of pollutants, including SO2 and NOx. This pollutants contribute to climate change, anthropogenic greenhouse effect, ozone layer and desertification.
• Waste water: Effluent can come from industrial outlets treatment plants, and sewers. Untreated wastewater can cause environmental impacts like pollution of groundwater reservoirs, damage of transport and wastewater treatment systems this would disqualify them from being used for agricultural purposes. Most oft treated wastewater is used for irrigation, it is important to reduce pollutants such as salts and heavy metaks which could damage vegetation and contaminate soil and groundwater.
• Land Pollution (Soil pollution) : It is produced by direct exposure to the pollutant this can by produced by a leakage from the fuel and energy industries, as well as industries involving hazardous materials, are the main causes of land contamination. (ex. Of soil pollution sources are oil refineries, pipelines transporting gas,chemical plants,textile industry…). Those pollutants remain in the soil long after the pollution incident changing the soil properties.
• Noise
• Radiation
• Pesticides and pest control products: Non-approved pesticides can damage the environment and result in the poisoning of living things and in environmental pollution.

1. Changing population patterns (urbanization):

Urbanization refers to general increase in population and the amount of industrialization of a settlement. Uncontrolled urbanization  leads to environmental degradation causing many problems like worsening water quality, excessive air pollution, noise and the problems of water disposal.

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