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Introduction to Environmental Technology
Preserving the Legacy
Introduction cont.Developed in the early 70s
Pollutant, a general terms that refers to any substance introduced to the environment that adversely affects that environment.
Contaminant, a more specific term that refers to specific substance or features (whether physical, chemical, biological or radiological) that has an adverse affect on air, water or soil.
Environmental ConsciousnessDeveloped in the early 70s
Environmental health is now a national and global priority
New government agencies set standards and enforce compliance with regulations
Environmental TechnologyKnowledge and skills necessary to manage, work with and control hazardous materialsAlso refers to an industry that has developed around the skills and knowledge base that has developedCan be very technical or more politically developed.What do I mean by political?
Hazardous materials substances that may cause an increase in death or irreversible illness in the population or pose a hazard to human health or the environment when handled improperly
Hazardous waste hazardous material for which there is no further use
Environmental CompartmentsAlso called an environmental medium
Includes air, water, soil and biota
A spill of hazardous material that evaporates quickly could contaminate air and soil immediately, migrate to ground and surface water, and be ingested by animals and humans
Primary Federal AgenciesEPA Environmental Protection Agency
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration
DOT Department of Transportation
Historical PerspectivesDuring colonial times our national resources were viewed as an unlimited supply of raw materials for our developing nation
Concern for the environment and reverence for nature were first expressed by people such as Thomas Jefferson and Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David ThoreauInfluenced policy makers during the 19th centuryWilderness was vital to human existenceIt was neither an enemy to be conquered or a resource to be exploitedContributed to the establishment of the first nation park at Yellowstone in 1872
John MuirA geologist and botanist, was the first president of the Sierra Club in 1892
Contributed to the formation of six more national parks including Yosemite
Has become a force in shaping US conservation policies
Post WWIIRise of automobile based urban culture
Era of abundance and consumption
Petrochemical products plastics, pesticides, additives for food and fuels, detergents and solvents
Rachael CarsonBiology teacher and researcher for the Bureau of US Fisheries - Wrote Silent Spring in 1962
Accumulation of pesticides such as DDT had caused disruption of the reproductive processes in birds
Public health and the environment are inseparable and should be regulated by government
Environmental AwarenessPublic concern about the environment increased Colleges began to offer courses in environmental science
Paul Erlich wrote The Population Bomb in 1968We will talk about this further, were his predictions accurate?
First Earth Day - April 22, 1970 A national teach-in on the crisis of the environment
Love CanalFirst highly publicized environmental crisis occurred in the late 1970s
Casual dumping of highly toxic industrial chemicals and municipal waste
Citizens group led by Lois Gibbs forced the government to address the problem
The area was declared a federal disaster area by Jimmy Carter in 1978
Love Canal before and after19511980
More Love Canal photos19782007
SuperfundIn 1980 Love Canal led to the enactment of CERCLA
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
Identifying sites and the responsible parties as well as selecting cleanup technologies
Exxon ValdezMarch 24, 1989
of a quarter million ton load of crude oil was spilled into Prince Edwards Sound
Resulted in changes in the regulation of oil transport
Consequences of our ActionsMany of our environmental problems today are a result of activities that were once perfectly acceptable
DDT was considered a miracle chemical!
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) were used in aerosol propellants and refrigerants
Today we recognize that they are depleting the ozone layer, exposing us to dangerous ultraviolet radiation
What present practices and activities will be found to have harmed the environment we leave for our children and grandchildren?
Population and Sustainable DevelopmentEconomic productivity is no longer considered the ultimate measure of success
There has been little incentive to develop long-range plans for sustainable resource use
Many of the global problems that we face are interconnected
Poverty, population growth, industrial development and destruction of the environment
What is a carrying capacity?What is sustainable growth?What is per capita consumption?
Population GrowthAt present and projected growth rates our world population today of 6.6 billion
May increase to 10-12 billion by 2050
However, new estimates indicate a slowing of population growth w/ a peak of ~ 9.4 billion
90% of this growth will occur in the worlds poorest countries
United Nations data on projected world population growth
Linear growth; where the rate of growth remains constant
Exponential growth: where the rate of growth is non-constant but instead varies at a compounded percentage rate
Population Growth IIhttp://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2002/WPP2002-HIGHLIGHTSrev1.PDF
http://www.unfpa.org/6billion/
http://www.un.org/popin
http://www.un.org/esa/population/unpop.htm
The US represents 5% of the worlds population
We consume 25% of the worlds energy resources
Sustainable DevelopmentA global goal for the 21st century
Management of resources to enable us to meet our current needs without jeopardizing the ability of the earths future inhabitants to do the same
And without degrading the environment
Career OpportunitiesOccupational health and safetyRegulatory agenciesIndustryTransportationPublic ServiceEnvironmental consulting firms
Environmental cleanup contractorEducation/trainingBankingEnvironmental laboratoriesInsurance
Changing Nature of Environmental RegulationsThe scope and strictness of regulations has increased over the years
This regulation forms the backbone on which environmental work is conducted in the private sector
Small businesses, farms and municipalities are being affected by regulation at a higher level
Use of toxic substances and disposal of hazardous waste are now a major concern
Higher drinking water standards, protection from leaking underground storage tanks (LUST), and now increasing regulation of non-point source pollution
Radon contamination and the removal of asbestos
It is estimated that municipalities will have to charge an additional $100 per year to each household to cover the additional regulatory burden
Many small businesses may be unable to absorb the additional cost of compliance
Business, industry and the general public need to educate themselves and provide input in the process of regulation