Sustainable Engineering
Part 2: Sustainability concepts, sustainable development and its
challenges
S3 ECE γ
Three components of sustainability
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Social Aspects of sustainability
Lessening of poverty
Health and education status of the community
Adequate job opportunities
Protection of rights
Equitable access to resources
Elimination of gender inequality
Redistribution of wealth derived from production
Increase of social performance is a fundamental factor in
the formation of human capital
Economic Aspects
The expenditure and revenue generation
Steady and sufficient food availability in an economic way
Economic use of raw materials
Economic production patterns
Steady rate of productivity
Steady and sufficient flow of income for individual
households, communities and countries
Greater efficiency of investments should be achieved
Economic inequality should be reduced to attain economic
sustainability
Environmental Aspects
Prudent exploitation of natural resources
so that it can be used for a longer period.
For non-renewable resources, find
substitutes
For renewable resources, give time to
replenish
Minimize the impact on the environment
during
Production and consumption of goods
waste disposal.
3 Pillars of Sustainability
What can we do towards sustainability
as a common man?
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Sustainable development
Sustainable development means improving the quality of
human life while living within the carrying capacity of
supporting ecosystems.
Practical approach
Stabilize chemical cycles and moderate the pace of global climate
change
Eliminate threat to global food security using environment-friendly
methods
Control threats to biodiversity and do steps for increasing biodiversity
Complete demographic transition and stabilize world population
Provide environmental education
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Sustainable development
Central principle behind sustainable development is
equity
i.e. equal access to resources and opportunities
Two types of equities
Inter-generational equity
We have inherited the planet from our previous
generations and have no obligation to pass it on to
our future generations
Intra-generational equity
Equity across communities and nations
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Challenges to sustainable development
Sustainable development is a multidimensional model of
development
Challenges the traditional concept of development and
needs a change in the basic structures of current model
Implies a fundamental change at all levels of social,
economic, political and cultural structures
Fundamental restructuring of the present society
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Challenges to sustainable development
Increase in population
1000s of years to reach 1billion in 1800
2 billion in 1930
3 billion in 1959
4 billion in 1974
5 billion in 1987
6 billion in 1999
7 billion in 2011
8 billion in 2023
Pervasive land degradation
Land is the major resource for all activities
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Challenges to sustainable development
Water scarcity problems
Projection : population living in water short areas will
increase by 90% by 2050
Overuse of water resources
Contamination of freshwater resources
Changes in the terrestrial hydrological cycles
Flaws in water resource management
Global warming and climate change
Projection: global mean temperature increase between 1.4
and 5.80C by 2100
Impacts on global hydrological system, crop production etc.
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Challenges to sustainable development
Increased energy demand
Current global commercial energy use is about 9,700 million
tons of oil equivalents per year
Major contribution from fossil fuels
Nuclear power generation has technical issues
Renewable technology contribution is only 2% of global
commercial energy supply
Poverty
With increase in population, poverty also increases
Malnutrition is a major problem
Food and nutrition security is a critical challenge
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Challenges to sustainable development
Unemployment and underemployment
Global unemployment is 12.9% in 2017
More than 85 million young people are unemployed!!!
Civil disturbances
Civil unrest : repeated cycles of violence and conflict
Massive displacement of people
They are not worried about sustainability, but ‘mere
existence’
Natural disasters
Large amount of money needs to be channelled to lessen the
effects of natural disasters
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Challenges to sustainable development
International relations
Strong bond of cooperation among countries is required for
fair redistribution of global wealth, knowledge and
opportunities
Resolving conflicting interests
Conflicting interests during the use of natural and common
property resources, land use plans, waste management etc.
Providing framework for cooperation of all stakeholders in
times of conflict may delay the sustainable activities
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Challenges to sustainable development
Integration of developmental activities
Multidimensional
Integration of all tasks in planning, resource mobilization
implementation, operation and maintenance, monitoring and
continuous evaluation
Integration of traditional and scientific knowledge and funds
Integration of responsibilities of different factors like private,
public sector, local self, state and national governments, regional
and international institutions
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Challenges to sustainable development
Philosophy of inter-generational equality
Need for a higher level of conscience to respect not only the
right of the present generation to a healthy environment but
also the right of future generations to inherit a healthy
environment from the present generation
Capital accumulation is not a feature of the sustainable
development
Installing this philosophy in the mind of wealthy and
influential people is a challenge
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