Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
1 Introduction to Sustainability
Brundtland Commision: Established by the UN in 1983, headed by Dr Gro Burndtland, Prime Minister
of Norway
o Our Common Future: Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure
that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs. The concept of sustainable development does imply limits not absolute
limits but limitations imposed by the present state of technology and social organization on
environmental resources and by the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human
activity.
Nazli Choucri: Traditional patterns of industrial and economics activities are no longer viable, but
alternative models are not yet developed.
o The historial trajectory of the industrial West cannot serve as a model for the development of the
industrializing countries, but it cannot be discarded entirely. Ecological systems are severely
strained by the cumulative effects of past industrialization and car scarcely support added strains
due to future patterns of growth, but there are major uncertainties about what must be done and
how. In short, the international community as a whole is involved in global search for new modes
of development, new designs for social interaction, and new technologies for meeting evolving
needs, wants and demands.
Johan Holmberg: trade-offs between biological, economic, and social systems
Prosperity of all humanity of the present and for the future generation
Ethical dimensions of sustainability: True sustainable development should ensure equity, fairness, and
justice, not only within your own community and own country but should also consider effects outside
your country.
Three Tenets: Environment, Society and Economy (Planet, People, Profit)
Sustainable Engineering: The process of using energy & resources at a rate that does not compromise
the natural environment, or the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Problems Engineers can help solve: Water supply, food production, energy production & consumption,
waste & management, air pollution, housing & shelter, transportation
Anthropocene: time point when human activities started to have significant impacts on earths
ecosystem
o Population, Food consumption & waste, CO2 concentration in air, Water Use, Fertilizer
Consumption, Paper Consumption, # of Motor Vehicles, Loss of Tropical Rainforests, Species
Extinction, Flooding, Ozone Depletion, Exploited Fisheries
June 2012, "Welcome to the Anthropocene a film about the state of the planet opened the UN's
Rio+20 summit on sustainable development.
Not just a designer, able to understand environmental impacts, able to understand impacts on home
communities, globally connected, able to understand impacts on the global communities
T-Shaped Engineer: Systems thinking, collaboration, communication across disciplines, a cathedral
builder, not a bricklayer
The concept of the T-shaped professional refers to individuals with both depth and breadth of knowledge.
It reflects a deep expertise in a single area, usually technical, complemented with a broad working
knowledge of multiple areas of inquiry, establishing a professional as capable of interacting with various
facets of an organization.
The engineering community has embraced the T-shaped concept as an ideal method to prepare practicing
engineering graduates for the global economy. This approach fosters individuals with a deep technical
understanding coupled with broader knowledge in the fundamentals of engineering design, innovation,
business, and leadership. Thus, the stem of the T indicates depth of knowledge in a discipline of science
or engineering and the top of the T indicates breadth of knowledge in areas such as business,
management, and communication. Such training prepares professionals for success negotiating the
corporate, global world of industry.
Sustainability Process:
A increase @ higher rate in high HDI countries than low HDI countries
Population Growth Curves and Carrying Capacity Listen to Jonathan Tomkins lecture
Exponential (J-shaped) Population Growth Curve
o Exponential growth is continuous population growth in an environment where resources are
unlimited
o dN/dt = rN
o r = intrinsic rate of increase = per capita rate of increase = birth rate minus death rate;
o N = population size;
o dN/dt = rate of change in population size.
o Solution of the exponential equation:
N(t)=N0 exp(-rt)
N(t) = population at time t;
N0 = initial population
Logistic (sigmoidal or S-shaped) Population Growth Curves
o Logistic growth is continuous population growth in an environment where resources are limited.
o dN/dt = rN [1 - N/K]
dN/dt = change in population size;
r = intrinsic rate of increase;
N = population size;
K = population carrying capacity
o Population grows slowly at first because there are few individuals. Then population grows faster
when there are more individuals. Finally, having lots of individuals causes growth to slow down
as resources are limited Population grows until it reaches population carrying capacity K, which is
the maximum number of people that an environment can support
Environmental Footprint: An impact on natural environment for our activity in the ecosystem
o Footprint indictors provide a measure of accounting between the natural world and human
consumption
o Footprint indicators: Ecological, Carbon, Water
o Ecological Footprint: A measure of human demand on the planets biologically productive land
and sea area
University of British Columbia and the Global Footprint Network have developed this
concept
Ecological footprint measures how much land and water area a human population
requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb the CO2 emissions
Ecological footprint relies on the concept of biocapacity
Biocapacity is the biologically productive land and sea area available to provide the
ecosystem services that humanity consumes
Ecological footprint (countries
of one million people or more)
Country Footprint per How many
person Earths?
Kuwait 8.9 global 5.1
hectares
Australia 8.3 4.8
United Arab Emirates 8.1 4.7
Qatar 7.0 4.0
United States of America 6.8 3.9
Canada 6.6 3.8
Sweden 6.5 3.8
Bahrain 6.2 3.6
Trinidad and Tobago 6.0 3.5
Singapore 5.9 3.4
o Carbon Footprint: Carbon footprint measures the total greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, CH4, O3)
caused directly and indirectly by a person, organization, event or product.
o Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a measure used to compare the emissions from various
greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential.
o Water Footprint: Water footprint is the amount of water we use throughout the day. It includes
the water we use directly (e.g., from a tap) and the water it took to produce the food we eat, the
products we buy, and the energy we consume.
Green water footprint: is water from precipitation that is stored in the root zone of the
soil and evaporated, transpired or incorporated by plants. It is particularly relevant for
agricultural, horticultural and forestry products.
Blue water footprint: is water that has been sourced from surface or groundwater
resources and is either evaporated, incorporated into a product or taken from one body of
water and returned to another, or returned at a different time. Irrigated agriculture,
industry and domestic water use can each have a blue water footprint.
Grey water footprint: is the amount of fresh water required to assimilate pollutants to
meet specific water quality standards. The grey water footprint considers point-source
pollution discharged to a freshwater resource directly through a pipe or indirectly through
runoff or leaching from the soil, impervious surfaces, or other diffuse sources.
Water footprint of a country is the volume of water needed to produce goods and services
consumed by the inhabitants of the country.
UNs Sustainable Developmental Goals - SDGs
Adopted in Fall 2015, and target is to meet these goals by 2030
1.End poverty and all its forms everywhere
2.End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3.Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4.Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5.Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6.Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7.Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all
8.Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent
work for all
9.Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10.Reduce inequality within and among countries
11.Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12.Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13.Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14.Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15.Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16.Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and
build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17.Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development
2.1 Sustainable Water
WATER is ESSENTIAL
PEOPLE required for basic needs to maintain human health
PROFIT required as raw material for production of marketable commodities (e.g. food, energy, etc.)
PLANET required for maintaining health of ecosystems
Global Water Issues: Water Pollution, Access to Clean Water and Sanitation, Food Security, Maintaining
Aquatic Ecosystem Services, Flood Hazard/ Response
The ability to provide and manage both water quantity and water quality so as to meet the needs of
humans and ecosystems while not impairing the needs of future generations to do the same.
o Availability of fresh water supplies: Throughout periods of drought to meet increase demands
from population and economic growth and have adequate supplies for future
o Existence of reliable infrastructure: For treatment and distribution of drinking water and
sanitation purposes, food, energy production, and industry
o Existence of stable institution: For integrated management of water resources to meet the needs
of humans and sustain the integrity of ecosystems.
Hydrologic Cycle
o The water cycle: Describes the movement of water from one reservoir to another
o More water evaporates from the oceans than fall on them --- this water runs off in our rivers and
streams and sustains our natural ecosystems
Pathways of water flow from one reservoir to another reservoir
o Evaporation: the process of converting liquid water from surface water sources to gaseous water
that resides in the atmosphere.
o Transpiration: when water is conveyed from living plant tissue, especially leaves, to the
atmosphere.
o Evapotranspiration = evaporation + transpiration
o Precipitation: water moves from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth
o Infiltration: through this process precipitation seeps into the ground
o Runoff: through this process water flows over saturated land or impervious surface
Water Balance
Hydraulic Cycle
Water Demand:
o Drinking and other domestic use (washing cloths, kitchen works, bathrooms)
o Food production (irrigation, livestock, fisheries)
o Industrial
o Hydropower
o Recreational
Water Sources
Water Resources:
Distribution of water on earths water reservoirs
o Oceans contain 97% of the water on the planet. Ocean water contains 35g/liter of minerals and salts.
Standard is 2g/liter.
o 69% of fresh water is available in glaciers, arctic and ant artic ice. Not obtainable for human use.
o Groundwater is the largest source of fresh water actively used by humans, accounting for 30% of
freshwater on the planet and 99% of the freshwater available for human use.
o Only 0.5% of the worlds total fresh water is available in surface waters (lakes, seasonal streams, creeks
and rivers)
Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil and sand. It is also found in aquifers
(large waterbody) between rocks or earth layers.
Groundwater:
o Water Table: The zone below which all pores are filled with water and water pressure is atmospheric
o Porosity: Volume of voids/total volume of the aquifer
Development History
1800: Settlers +farming
Drought of 1930s led to development of groundwater resources for irrigation
1949: 480 million cu ft/d
1990: 1870 million cu ft/d
Saturated thickness the aquifers has changed by hundreds of feet due to over-pumping, i.e., mining the
water.
Generally, groundwater can be viewed as renewable resource, but it is nonrenewable when used in this
manner.
Recharge is 10 times less than withdrawal
Water pollution is any condition caused naturally or by human activity that adversely affects the quality of a
stream, lake, ocean, or source of groundwater.
Water pollution adversely affects ECOSYSTEMS and LIFE in all forms of it (human, wildlife, livestock,
aquatic, etc.)
Heat (C)
Affects the chemistry
Changes the habitat
Microorganisms
Microorganisms are a natural part of the environment.
Microorganisms are the principal decomposers of natural and anthropogenic waste. They convert
organic waste in landfills to carbon dioxide, methane, and water.
Microorganisms also convert organic matters in water. In this process they use dissolved oxygen from
water, sometimes to the exclusion of other species .
A very small number of microorganisms, compare to all types of microorganisms, are pathogenic.
Chemical Pollutants
Synthetic and Industrial Organic Pollutants
o ~ 100,000 synthetic pollutants in use
o Hazardous at even below detection limits
o Examples:
Pesticides
PAHs (incomplete combustion of fossil fuels)
PCBs (electrical industry)
Organic solvents (manufacturing)
Phthalates (plasticizers)
DBPs (disinfection by products such as trihalomethane)
Nutrients
Eutrophication
Excessive Nutrients
Excessive emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water mainly because of excessive use of
fertilizers in agriculture and inadequately treated sewage and industrial waste
Increases the growth rate of aquatic plants, algae, and microorganisms
Causes significant oxygen deficit in water as the higher than normal levels of plant matter settle to the
bottom of the water body
Microorganism concentrations increase as they use the dead plant matter as a substrate, and oxygen
levels decrease (HYPOXIA) as the plant matter decays
o Eg. nitrogenloading effect on the Chesapeake Bay
Take water sample and dilute it with distilled water containing nutrients and saturated oxygen (typical dilution
is 2%) ;
Measure the initial temperature and dissolved oxygen content this is known as DOo ;
Fill 5 bottles with the diluted mix and create a water tight seal;
Maintain constant (known) temperature;
On each of the following 5 days, one bottle is opened and the remaining DO is measured. These are known as
DOt where t indicates the time or date of opening.
Unseeded:
Seeded: