A2 LEVEL

Environmental Technology
The IPAT Equation
For first teaching from September 2014
For first award in Summer 2015
Sustainability and Future Development
 Sustainability and Future Development
Fact File 2: The IPAT Equation

Specification Content

Students should be able to:

©iStock / Thinkstock.com
• Debate the role of technology in meeting global
requirements in the context of the relationship I=PAT

Course Content

Introduction (I) is the total environmental impact in terms of resource

depletion or waste accumulation.
Human survival relies on a number of resources and
an environment that is ecologically healthy. Since the
beginning of time people have used the earth’s resources
but since the industrial revolution, human activity, resource
usage (consumption) and environmental impact have
grown dramatically. We are now using many resources at
a greater rate than they can be replaced or replenished.
Scientists and researchers have tried to measure the effect
of human activity on the environment by developing
equations which calculate the interaction and impact of key

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factors, such as population growth, on the environment.

What is the IPAT Equation? (P) is population and refers to the size of the human
The IPAT Equation is an attempt to describe the impact of population. That is, the number of people there are globally
population, affluence and technology on the environment. consuming resources and creating waste.

This equation does not look at each of the factors

individually but is concerned with the interaction or
‘multiplying’ effect of the combined factors.
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(A) is affluence and refers to the level of consumption by

that population. In other words, the amount of goods and
services we each use on-line.

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This is particularly important in manufacturing process
technologies. Such technology should be developed so
(T) is technology and refers to the processes used to obtain that they require less water, energy and raw materials and
resources and transform them into useful goods and reduce waste discharges.
associated waste. Consideration also needs to be given to raw material inputs
and processes so that, for example, solvent-free inks and
The role of technology paints are used which do not damage the environment.

Technology has an important role to play in Earths future

survival. Technology is the way, or the methods that we use Many manufacturers have already invested heavily in
improving the resource efficiency of their technology but
even with the best available technology, an industrial way
of life is inevitably resource-intensive.

Waste
The environmental impact of waste is a consideration for
many types of technology. This applies to the waste from
manufacturing processes themselves, packaging, products
that are surplus to requirements, such as excess food, and
items that are worn out, broken-down, technologically
obsolete (out of date) or otherwise no longer useful.

to convert natural resources into real goods and services. It

is important that developments in technology are resource
efficient.
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Resource efficiency refers not only to the operation of the

technology or a product, for example, a mobile phone
but also to what is described as the complete product
life-cycle. This cycle includes the extraction of the raw
materials required to make the phone to the actual design,
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manufacturing and end of life processes associated with the

product.

Sustainable design requires exploring if a product is Consideration also needs to be given to what happens to
manufactured in the most energy efficient and resource the manufacturing equipment itself when it is no longer
efficient manner using minimal materials or components required.
that can be recycled or re-used.
Many companies are now making major efforts to minimise

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 waste and to recycle end-of-life materials and equipment.
Indeed, some are designing their products to be easier
to recycle and to be less harmful if they do end up in the Pupil Activity
environment. This is not always easy and recycling often
incurs additional energy demand.
Activity 1:
Industrially developed technological economies still Watch the TED Talk: TED Debate: Can Technology Save Us
need to improve the efficiency of the technology they from Ecological Overshoot?
employ. However it will become increasingly difficult to Have we overexploited the Earth’s resources for so long
manufacture and supply goods using progressively smaller that crisis is now not only inevitable, but just a few decades
amounts of resources. away? Or, is our ingenuity and technological know-how so
• Technology can only ever improve as far as the laws great that we can overcome even Mother Nature’s limits?
of physics allow. www.ted.com/talks/paul_gilding_the_earth_is_full.html
• Renewable resources, including energy, are only
renewable to a limited extent and are often Activity 2:
expensive to harness.
Consider the different components of the IPAT equation
Using the best available technology will help reduce in relation to your school environment or your local
human impact on the environment but technology on community. Suggest ways that the overall impact (I) on the
its own is not enough to make us sustainable or reduce environment could be reduced.
environmental impact. The IPAT equation shows clearly:
• The need to reduce our individual consumption. Activity 3:
• The need to stabilise our populations at sustainable Prepare a short debate on the role of technology in meeting
levels. global requirements in the context of the relationship I=PAT
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