Human Civilization.

Artificial Ecosystems or Built Environment

From an ecosystem perspective, human civilization is an attempt to develop artificial

ecosystems conducive for human survival and prosperity.

Such artificial ecosystems necessarily have only human being at the top, with the food web
being simplified and modified through human interventions to contain those species that are
directly beneficial for human prosperity.

Such artificial ecosystems are known as Built Environments.

Civil Engineers are the greatest contributors to the conceptualization, planning,

construction, operation and maintenance of modern Built Environments.

The progress of human civilization is a testament to our success in creating Built

Environments that are in many cases, apparently very conducive to human growth and
prosperity.
Built Environments..Continued

However Built Environments suffer from two crucial flaws.

First, Built Environments import substantial amounts of natural resources from surrounding
natural ecosystems. The need for importation of natural resources from surrounding natural
ecosystems result in exploitation of these ecosystems, which hampers their functioning and
thus impairs their continuing ability to supply the Built Environments with the required
natural resources.

Second, the recycling mechanisms in Built Environments are not as well developed as the
consumption mechanisms. This results in the accumulation of waste materials or pollutants,
thus hampering the continuing growth and sustenance of the Built Environments.

Often, the wastes produced in Built Environments are expelled to the surrounding natural
ecosystems, with the hope that recycling mechanisms in the natural ecosystems would be
effective in mitigating the pollutants.

This process is often effective specially when the waste expelled is less in quantity and of a
type that may be recycled in natural ecosystems. However, increasing living standards due
to human progress, and increasing human population result in excessive production of
wastes, and also increase complexity of the waste produced, which often cannot by
recycled naturally.
Built Environments..Environmental Degradation

The net effect of increasing consumption of natural resources, and incomplete recycling of
wastes produced is the increase in pollution levels and consequent decline in environmental
quality in both Built Environments and the surrounding natural ecosystems.

Decline in environmental quality affects both natural ecosystems and Built Environments
adversely.

Effect on Built Environments is the scarcity of natural resources and decline in general
human health and human well-being.

Effect on the natural ecosystems is the loss in biodiversity, i.e., simplification of the food
web (because some organisms will not be able to survive under conditions of diminished
environmental quality), resulting in inefficient recycling of wastes, which in turn reduces
the amount of natural resources available for human consumption and prosperity.

The Present Day Built Environments are UNSUSTAINABLE

Challenge is to make Built Environments SUSTAINABLE

(without affecting the human progress)
Course Outline

Module 1: Description of Earth and Environment

Module 2: Natural Resources, Human Civilization and Environment

Module 3: Environmental Impacts of Human Civilization

Module 4: Sustainable Development

Origin of Earth
Earth, along with the other planets, is believed to have been formed 4.5 billion years ago as
a solidified cloud of dust and gases left over from the creation of the Sun.

For perhaps 500 million years, the interior of Earth stayed solid and relatively cool, perhaps
2,000F. The main ingredients, according to the best available evidence, were iron and
silicates, with small amounts of other elements, some of them radioactive.

As millions of years passed, energy released by radioactive decaymostly of uranium,

thorium, and potassiumgradually heated Earth, melting some of its constituents.

The iron melted before the silicates, and, being heavier, sank toward the center. This forced
up the silicates. After many years, the iron reached the center, almost 6500 km deep, and
began to accumulate.

The earths surface at that time was replete with gigantic heaves and bubblings, exploding
volcanoes, and flowing lava covering everything in sight.

Finally, the iron in the center accumulated as the core. Around it, a thin but fairly stable
crust of solid rock formed as Earth cooled.

Depressions in the crust were natural basins in which water, rising from the interior of the
planet through volcanoes and fissures, collected to form the oceans.
Origin of the Earth..The Oceans
The prevalent theory is that as earth warmed and partially melted, water locked in the
minerals was released and carried to the surface by volcanic venting activity.
Depressions in the crust were natural basins in
which water, rising from the interior of the
planet through volcanoes and fissures,
collected to form the oceans.
It is also thought that a substantial part of the
water in oceans may have from comets which
frequently impacted the earth. Comets are
mostly made of ice.
Why is Ocean Water Salty ??
Presence of dissolved cations and anions make the
ocean water salty.
The primeval ocean water was probably only
slightly salty. However, rainfall resulted in surface
and subsurface runoffs to the oceans. This water
contained dissolved cations and anions, which
accumulated in the oceans.
The salt concentration in oceans remain
approximately the same because salts precipitate
when the concentration exceeds solubility limits.