Environmental Issues and Solutions
2) Hydrosphere
Understanding Systems and Resilience in a Changing World
Integrated Sustainability
Integrated sustainability uses an integrated systems approach to simultaneously address:
- Social Responsibility: Evaluating the direct or spillover effects of a decision on all stakeholders.
- Ecological Integrity: Maintaining healthy, biodiverse ecosystems that human well-being depends on.
- Value Creation: Economic value + social value.
Systems Thinking
Systems thinking identifies the interconnectedness and interdependent elements of dynamic systems.
What is a System?
A system is
Read MoreEnvironmental Disasters: A Comprehensive Overview
Natural Disasters
The land has never been a safe place. Anyone who wants a quiet life will be better off on another planet. Tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteorite impacts, to name a few, are increasingly frequent natural disasters. Our planet is constantly changing. But what can we do to prevent, minimize, or help the inhabitants of this planet? So far, we haven’t been transferred to another, quieter one.
The prevention of certain risks, such as earthquakes, is currently not
Read MoreWaste Definition, Categories, and Hazardous Properties
1. Waste Definition and Categories
Waste: Any substance or object belonging to a category of waste specified in the First Schedule [of the Waste Management Act] or for the time being included in the European Waste Catalogue which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard, and anything which is discarded or otherwise dealt with as if it were waste shall be presumed to be waste until the contrary is proved.
Categories:
- Q1 Production or consumption residues not otherwise specified below
- Q2
Renewable & Non-Renewable Energy Sources: A Comprehensive Guide
Renewable Energy Sources
Renewable energy sources are those that come from sources that cannot be exhausted.
Solar Energy
- Photovoltaic solar panels are made up of materials capable of producing electricity when the Sun’s rays hit them.
- Thermal solar collectors are used to heat water, which can then either be used directly or indirectly. Thermal solar collectors can also generate electricity by making turbines rotate.
Wind Energy
Wind energy comes from the wind. Wind turbines are used to produce energy.
Read MoreEnergy, Technology, and Environmental Impact: A Comprehensive Guide
Energy
Energy is a property of any body or material system that allows it to be transformed by changing its position or state, as well as act on other systems, originating from other transformation processes.
Forms of Energy:
- Kinetic Energy: Energy possessed by a moving body.
- Potential Energy: Energy associated with the position of a body relative to a reference point.
- Thermal Energy: Energy due to the vibratory motion of molecules within matter.
- Radiant Energy: Energy associated with electromagnetic