Environmental Issues

1.Population and Urbanization

-          an empirical correlation exists between the rate of population growth and the level of economic development, which is often equated to quality of life

-          Meeting and stabilizing population growth is possible through improving quality of life and expanded development that is equitable and sustainable

-          The challenge is how do we improve quality of life?

2. Health (unclean air, water and land)

World Health Organization

—  - estimates that poor environmental quality contributes to 25 percent of all preventable illness in the world.

— -  reports that 900 million people lack access to an improved water supply

-for people living in poverty, illness and disability translate directly to loss of income. This can be devastating for individuals and their families who are dependent on health for their income

— -  Health is linked to Sustainable Development –” Health is the outcome of sustainable development. The goals of sustainable development cannot be achieved when there is high prevalence of debilitating illness and poverty, and health of the population cannot be achieved without a responsive health system and healthy environment. Environmental degradation, mismanagement of natural resources, and unhealthy consumption patterns and lifestyles impact health. Ill health in turn, hampers poverty alleviation and economic development (WHO, 2005)

—  - Ecosystem provides the fundamental stepping stone in the economic empowerment of rural poor.

3. Water Scarcity, Conflict and Resolution (limited resource and distribution)

—  -Water scarcity is a situation where there is insufficient water to satisfy normal human requirements. WHO defines normal human requirements as reasonable access to a water source: availability of at least 20 L/capita-day from a source within 1 km of the user’s dwelling.

—  - A country is defined as experiencing water stress when annual water supplies drop below 1,700 m³ per person and water scarce when annual water supplies drop below 1,000 m³.

— -  The Philippines is expected to have water scarcity by 2025 (World Meteorological Org.)

— -  Water is expected to be a source of source of both tension and cooperation in the future.

— -  Finding sustainable economic solution to the water infrastructure problems is another challenge.

4. Energy and Climate (GHG emissions)

— -  Energy consumption of the country has increased for the past ten years due to commercial and industrial development and improve accessibility.

— -  It is expected that supply of energy will further decline due to increase in demand and limited energy development projects

— -  Energy consumption is one reason why greenhouse gas is causing change to our climate. Majority of these emissions aree associated with burning fossil fuels.

— -  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects that Global Temperature will likely rise from a range of 2.4 ^oC to 6.4 ^oC.

— -  Impact of Climate Change differs in every location – drought, floods, typhoons, loss of species

—  GHG can be curbed if overall emissions are reduced by 80% by 2050 (some scientists)

5. Toxic Chemical and Finite Resources (release of toxic chemicals and reliance to non-renewable resources)

    -  The release of toxic chemicals to the environment remains a global issue (Nuclear disaster in Fukushima)

    - These poses great health risk to human health and the ecosystems

    - Reliance to non-renewable resources will increase in large magnitude due to population growth

    -  It could be mitigated by integrating in the design the use of green technologies

6. Materials flow and built environment (the embodied energy used by the materials and urban heat islands)

       -—  The built environment is where we live, work, shop, study and play. It requires tremendous amount of   water, energy and natural resources for its construction and operation.

—  - Materials used in building the built environment uses tremendous resources and energy

-  The built environment also affects the local heating of urban areas – termed as the “Urban Heat Island” – as well as the quantity of water that cycles

—  - Impervious structures affects the filtration of water to the aquifers

—  - A strategy to mitigate effect is through “smart growth or new urbanism”. Both of these approaches to urban development are focused on designing communities that preserve natural lands, protect water and air quality and reuse developed land.

By Vanessa Valencia with No comments