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Introduction to Environmental Management
Environmental Management
Bath Spa University
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Introduction to Environmental Management
How the planet is changing - effects, drivers, and consequences
Effects coasts , ice melt, inland lakes, glaciers melting, urbanisation, agriculture drying out land, movement of rivers Drivers Demand for food, energy (solar panels), tourism, population growth, economic growth, hazard defence, climate change, technological advancement, need for natural resources Consequences Higher sea level, decrease in biodiversity, decrease in natural resources, decrease in soil fertility, increase in pollution, habitat loss
Outline What is environmental management? - systematic approach to environmental protection in all aspects Typically occurs in complex socio-political settings, involving competing stakeholders made in highly politically charged settings and often under uncertainty Environmental management often demands a multidisciplinary approach
A typical process will include these core steps: - Identify goals (rarely easy, different perceptions, trade offs) - Establish whether these goals can be met - Develop means by which these goals can be implemented - Monitor and review Historical development Pre-1970s - environemental studies was somewhat unstructured 1969 - environmental protection act - usa Top down enforcement (fines, closures) Steady evolution towards a more holistic approach - greater inclusion of social issues Increasing importance of ethics, standards, codes, etc. A more integrated and adaptive approach with positive reinforcement
Acquire and sift evidence Distinguish between accurate and inaccurate data Advise, lobby, and educate stakeholders to win their support for seeking the best env. Management option Reconcile the conflict between the desire to adequately research and act quickly Delay may be costly, potentially legally Env. management demands coordination skills, foresight, and the ability to devise trade offs
The murray darling basin One of the OZ largest lowland basin river systems Interplay between social, economic, and ecological drivers is typically complex. Irrigators wanted to use lots of water Mechanisms for trading water rights were forced due to drought
Blood diamond Set in a sensitive landscape The producers were anxious to minimise the env impact of the activities on this fragile location. Env. impact plan, env. Management plan
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
NCC GROUP
Look them up you shit
Key concepts Sustainable development is development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Proactive env management is the implementation of practices and initiatives that reach beyond the minimum level of legal compliance Why? Avoidance of legal prosecution, preemption of legislative changes, be an industry leader, increase in productivity and cost savings.
The precautionary principle When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the env, precautionary measures should be taken, even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically General principle in law, but not actual law.
Polluter pays principle
Social and ecological resilience - how quick a social or ecological unit can return to normal after some level of interference.
MODULE FORMAT AND ASSESSMENTS
Any problems, talk to Ian Thornhill Individual report on env aspects, 3500 words - 3/6/2019 (based on one of the fieldwork bits) Group presentation - something different to the fieldwork we’ve done - 14/5/ This seems like a lot of work and is v stressful This module is already scaring me a bit.
Okay looking at the trips and stuff does make me feel a little better than i did, the trips seem quite fun and insightful, and i should be able to get the help i need if i ask for it. I just have to remember to not be lazy on the trips.
The 3500 word essay being 70% is still terrifying though. I need all the luck i can get.
Remember to take lots of photos and upload them to drive!!!
Flue gas desulphurisation plant 400MW powerstation, was 1/10 of britain's total energy demand at one point. Now has been converted to wood chip combustion, and is trying to capture carbon
Environmental fates of chemicals - where do they end up? Physical dispersal following release Physio-chemical properties largely determine the distribution of chemical across environmental phases - land, water, air, and living organisms. Test example - partition between water and organic solvent (Octanol) and how lipophilic they are.
How toxic is toxic? Usually toxicants are compared on a mg (of toxicant) per kg of body weight basis <1mg/kg - extremely toxic 50-500mg/kg - moderately toxic 5-15g/kg - relatively non-toxic
Terms used to describe toxicity Lethal Dose (LD) or Concentration (LC) - LD50 = a dose that is likely to kill 50% of a given species under specified conditions - A dose is known amount administered in some way, concentration is a measure of the chemical in the surrounding environment Lab based testing on organisms, not what we do anymore
Manifestation of effects - Effects are influenced by many variables - ACUTE - results from high dosage over a short period, eg via an accident - CHRONIC - exposure to a small dose over a long period of time - BIOMARKERS - measurable biological response to exposure to a chemical or toxic effects, eg. inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, or eggshell thinning
Accidents - Pesticides Bhopal, India (1984) - Union carbide - Release of methyl isocyanate
- At least 1,000,000 people affected/disabled
- Up to 25000 deaths attributed to date Petroleum/Oil Products
- Deep water horizon in 2010
- Recovery of sea bed 4 years on
- What about ecosystem as a whole?
- Small spills can be less sensational, but still locally damaging Persistent Organic Pollutants
- You remember persistence, right??
- Bioaccumulate
- Risk to human health and the env.
- Subject to long range transport
- International action needed. Example - the Peregrine flacon
- Uk population halved between 1939 and 1972
- Ratcliffe (1975) established a link between DDT and eggshell thickness.
- Decline greatest where they fed on areas of arable land (southern england)
Dog-whelk - Tribultyltin and imposex - Endocrine disruption - increased or decreased hormonal responses eg. imposex/androgeny - TBT: 4-5 ng/l can cause imposex - 500 ng/l found in Solent. Community and Ecosystem level responses to toxicants Use mesocosms in ecotoxicological studies: - artificial ecosystems, closed or partially closed systems. We can monitor important processed eg photosynthesis, respiration, competition, predation, nutrient cycling, etc.
What do environmental chemicals affect? Disruption or destruction of cell structure, chemical combination with a cell constituent, affect enzyme function, and a secondary effect - eg through the release of another damaging chemical in cells/tissues
Consequent effects - Narcosis - death of cells, tissues, organs - Neurotoxicity - inhibition of nerve transmission or overstimulation (inhibition of acetylcholinesterase) - Increased energy expenditure on metabolism, sequestration and excretion and so increased metabolism - Birth defects (damage to embryonic cells/foetal tissues) - Alter DNA and so genetic code - mutagenic - Uncontrolled cell division - cancer - carcinogenic - Immune system responses - immunosuppression and hypersensitivity - Reduced IQ
To predict biological effects Important to know - relationship between exposure and dose, bioavailablility (portion of environmental chemical that is available to be taken up by an organism), biomagnification
Introduction to Environmental Management
Module: Environmental Management
University: Bath Spa University
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