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How Can we Reduce Transportation Pollution?

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How Can we Reduce Transportation Pollution?

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Read How Can We Reduce Transportation Pollution? on Epic

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Manufacturing a legacy of safety, sustainability, and skill

Michael Vale, Group President for 3M's safety & industrial business, explores diversity & environmental stewardship in manufacturing ...

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Vietnam becomes main manufacturer for Adidas and Nike footwear

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Manufacturing a legacy of safety, sustainability, and skill Michael Vale, Group President for 3M's safety & industrial business, explores diversity & environmental stewardship in manufacturing ...

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Traffic chaos returns to engulf Hanoi - VnExpress International

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Roads have suffered consistent congestion not only during rush hour but throughout the day as Hanoi adjusts to a "new normal" following the Covid-19 pandemic. Enjoy unlimited articles and premium content with only $1.99

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How many planet Earths we need to keep up with our current rate at which we buy "STUFF"...

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How many planet Earths we need to keep up with our current rate at which we buy "STUFF"...

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The global consumer economy soon requires two planets

From 2017 to 2030 the Ecological Footprint of the world economy is expected to increase from 1.7 to 2.0. That means that by 2030, we will need the equivalent of two planet Earths to provide us with natural resources for our consumption and absorb our waste.

What is the Ecological Footprint?

The Ecological Footprint is a measure of how much "nature" we have and how much nature we consume. The concept was developed in 1990 by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees at the University of British Columbia.

The number represents the number of planets we need to provide the resources for our consumption and absorb our waste, especially carbon emissions. An Ecological Footprint of 1.0 means that nature can regenerate from the impact of humankind. It implies a system in balance. But only just so.

It's not 1. Not even close.

Today, the global Ecological Footprint is over 1.75 meaning that we are very far from being in balance. In fact we would need 1.75 Planet Earths to have a stable ecosystem. The ecological deficit started in the 1970s and has been growing ever since.

A footprint size 200

By 2030 the Global Ecological Footprint is expected to reach two meaning that by 2030 we will need two planet Earths to support our way of life. In case you're wondering, this is not good. What's more, the ecological footprint of western consumers is much higher. If everyone on Earth lived like the average American consumer we would need over 5 planets to support us.

A result of the global consumer economy

Everything we buy requires natural resources. And it all adds up! The problem is that the present consumer economy is (mostly) run as a linear system where the life of a product goes through the process of extraction, production, distribution, consumption, and disposal (waste). Each of these steps have an effect on our planet. For the most part a negative one.

Steps of the linear consumer economy

1: Extraction

Everything we buy requires natural resources. A telephone, for example, contains over 40 different materials. Every single day 16 kilos of resources are extracted from Earth for each of the more than 7.5 billion people on the planet. This is an average. For western consumers up to 57 kilos of newly-mined metals, fossil energy, and minerals are extracted from Earth daily to keep up with our consumption. Besides extracting natural resources this can be highly polluting. For example, on average, when mining gold only 0.00001% of the mined ore is refined into gold. The remaining 99.9999% is waste - much of it is highly toxic.

2: Production

The production of our products requires materials, energy, and labor (people). It can be done responsibly or less so. A few examples to illustrate:

In terms of materials the wide use of plastics is a major problem. Polycarbonate plastic with Bisphenol-A (BPA) has been used to make, for example, refillable plastic water bottles. BPA has been linked to different types of cancer, immune system malfunctions, early puberty, obesity, diabetes, and hyperactivity, among other problems.

With regard to energy, the can containing our soft drinks is made from aluminium. It takes more energy to extract and produce aluminium than any other metal. To make four soda cans requires an amount of energy equivalent to the gasoline of one full soda can.

Concerning labor/people, the production of products such as coffee and chocolate for major global brands has been linked to slavery and child labor. Children as young as five years old have been reported laboring on cocoa farms.

3: Distribution

Most products are no longer produced locally so they need to be transported to reach their customers. To a large extent, this is done by sea. 90 percent of all products have been transported in a shipping container. Most container ships use bunker oil that is a heavy air polluter. Small particles emitted from burning oil at large ships are estimated to cause 60,000 deaths annually worldwide. Following the sea transport products are moved by train or truck adding to the environmental impact of the distribution.

4: Consumption

Some products require energy when used but for many products the actual use / consumption itself is the part of a product's lifecycle with the lowest environmental impact. Of course, the actual consumption is also the part we see as consumers and part of the reason it is so difficult to grasp the full impact of our products. A table can last 50 years without any direct impact from its use. But it might have been produced by forced child labor from unsustainable wood and contain chemicals that will be released when the table goes to waste.

5: Disposal (waste)

The consumer economy produces enormous amounts of waste. The amount of urban waste is estimated to triple between 2015 and 2025 and reach 2.2 billion tonnes globally per year. A lot of it toxic. We produce more than 400 million tons of hazardous waste each year and 10% of the 100 million tons of plastic we use every year end up in the oceans. This plastic is broken down and enters into the food chain. Plastic microparticles (including nylon, polystyrene and polyethylene) have been found in fish and shellfish all over the world. Scientists at Ghent University in Belgium estimate that shellfish lovers eat up to 11,000 tiny plastic fragments in their seafood each year. This plastic builds up in our bodies.

System error!

Running such a linear system is a problem. The result of this system is that more than 80 percent of the world is now running ecological deficits, using more natural resources than what can be renewed by nature. We cannot run a linear system forever in a world of finite resources.

''Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.''

- Kenneth Boulding.

Everything is connected

We are all part of the world consumer economy. Globalization implies that all parts of the economic systems are connected. The cost of a simple meal can illustrate.

The cost of delivering a meal to one person:

10 kilos of topsoil

800 litres of water

1.3 litres of diesel

0.3g of pesticides

3.5 kilos of carbon dioxide

Earth overshoot day

The ecological deficit that our consumer economy is running can be illustrated by "Earth Overshoot Day". That is the day of the year when we have used up more ecological resources and services (through overfishing, overharvesting forests, carbon dioxide emissions) than nature can regenerate in one year.

Running a subprime loan from August to December

In 2020 overshoot arrived by 22 August. This is the equivalent to someone living on a loan from the 19th of every month. Not viable. And every year the day arrives a little earlier. In the Global Footprint Network's "business as usual scenario" by 2030 Earth overshoot day will come already on june 28 meaning we will have used up one years resources in just under 6 months. In the "change" scenario it will come on September 16. Better, of course, but still a long way to go.

New thinking needed
The impact on nature must be taken much more seriously. We must understand that we are part of a global system and that every time we buy something we interact with this system. This is often forgotten.

"The word consumption increasingly lost its earlier connotations of destroying, wasting, or using up, and came instead to refer in a positive way to the satisfying of human needs and desires."

- Stephanie Coontz

We need to regain the understanding that consumption comes with a prize.

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From 2017 to 2030 the Ecological Footprint of the world economy is expected to increase from 1.7 to 2.0. That means that by 2030, we will need the equivalent of two planet Earths to provide us with natural resources for our consumption and absorb our waste.

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Why do cities overheat? That's one of the questions being addressed by educators in the Czech municipality of Brno as they teach children about sustainable architecture.
The importance of sustainable architecture has become a widely discussed topic around the world as people have recently begun to understand its value and importance.

As part of the second year of the Festival of Architecture 2021, Brno has utilised the HQ of the municipal police by opening an educational trail, 'When buildings work with nature', which shows children how building sustainably influences the future of our cities.

I t presents children and adults with the influence of architecture and construction on the future of the city. Get to know the green roof and walls up close, the production of electricity from the sun, the conversion of waste into building materials and other steps that lead to improved cooperation between the builder and nature.

The entire trail was created with the significant support of the Department of Motivational Programs of the City of Brno and will be located in the area until the end of September this year. The house with a green roof, as a play element for children, will remain located at the traffic playground even after that.

Explaining why cities overheat

The trail explores several subjects, including why cities are often warmer than the countryside. In other words, children will understand how walkways made of certain materials such as concrete can result in high temperatures while greenery absorbs heat. What is more, they will also be taught about the production of electricity and the conversion of waste into building materials.

One of the most impressive structures from the educational trail is a large house with a green roof and photovoltaic panels. With this structure, children are shown how the panels can charge electric bicycles. In addition to this, the house contains an adjacent tank where rainwater is collected for future use.

A house with a green roof

Essentially, the educational trail seeks to teach children how electricity can be obtained from the sun and why it is better than using coal. Although "When buildings work with nature" will be open until the end of September, this particular house will remain for a longer period of time.

"When buildings work with nature" has been created alongside the Department of Motivational Programs of the City of Brno. Undoubtedly, the educational trail will inspire children to think about the importance of sustainable actions in other areas besides architecture. In this way, they will grow up to make choices that benefit the city and the planet.

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The importance of sustainable architecture - for children

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Why do cities overheat? That's one of the questions being addressed by educators in the Czech municipality of Brno as they teach children about sustainable architecture. The importance of sustainable architecture has become a widely discussed topic around the world as people have recently begun to understand its value and importance.

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How electricity is made and delivered to your home

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It’s always there whenever you flip a switch or plug in a cord, but electricity has to travel a long way to get to your house. In fact, the generating station where your electricity is made might be hundreds of miles away!

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There are three main types of forest in the world: Tropical, Temperate, and Boreal. In total, the world's forests are home to around 3 trillion trees.

From 2001 to 2019, a total of 386 million hectares of forest were lost globally (in all forest types combined). This loss represents an almost 10 % decrease in tree cover since 2000.

One type of tropical forest is the rainforest. Rainforests cover only a small part of the Earth but are home to at least half of all species in the planet.

Sadly, our rainforests are disappearing. And disappearing fast. In 2019, 11.9 million hectares of tropical forest was lost. Primary rainforest made up nearly a third of that loss (3.8 million hectares).

In 100 Years, there will be no Rainforests...

Already in 2000, half of the world's rainforest had been wiped out. If the rate of deforestation continues, we will have no rainforests left at the end of the century, according to NASA.

When you see paper and wood, what do you think of? Do you think of the tree that was felled to make the product?

Before we started to build cities many centuries ago, they say that 60% of the Earth was covered in Forests. Now, there is less than 10% left.

Deforestation is when forests are converted for other purposes by cutting down the trees to clear the land for other use. With a world population that will reach 10 billion people by 2056, we need more land to build cities, raise livestock and grow food. People also make money by clearing the forests and selling the lumber and wood to be converted into other products, such as paper.

What you need to know about Deforestation

Can you imagine Earth without forests? Here are some deforestation facts for kids that can be shared to raise their awareness about our environment:

1. 13 million hectares of forest have been cleared for other uses or by natural disaster. By the year 2030, we might only have 10% of our forests left... and if we don't stop deforestation, they could all be gone in 100 years.

2. Agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation. We clear the land to raise livestock or to plant other crops that can be sold, such as sugar cane and palm oil.

3. There are 5 major rainforests:

a. The Amazon in South America

b. The Congo in Central Africa

c. Southeast Asia

d. New Guinea

e. Madagascar

1. Rainforests cover only 6% of the world's surface... yet they are home to more than 50% of the plant and animal species on Earth.

2. A patch of rainforest measuring 4 square miles can contain as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 400 species of birds, 750 species of trees and 150 species of butterflies. Not counting the other living things living there.

3. Every minute, forests the size of 20 football fields are cut down.

Why are Rainforests Important?
More facts:

1. They are home to plants and animals. It took 60 to 100 million years for Rainforests to evolve and it is the home of over 30 million species of plants and animals. When we clear the forests, they all die.

2. 2) Trees help absorb the harmful carbon dioxide that we humans release in the atmosphere and they provide the oxygen that we need to breathe.

3. More than 25% of our medicines today come from rainforest plants. We have only explored 1% of the plants available. Just imagine what diseases the 99% that have not been explored can cure!

4. They soak up a lot of rainfall. The rainwater is filtered through the forest floors and supplies water to rivers and irrigation systems. They also help prevent erosion, where the soil is washed away causing blockages that in turn causes floods.

5. They are home to indigenous people. Many tribes still live in the rainforests.

Rainforests help regulate the Earth's temperature and weather patterns. Did you know that 20% of our oxygen is produced in the Amazon? But that's not all they're good for:
What can you do to help save our forests?
If we don't stop deforestation, more than half of our plant and animal species will be extinct. It is the oldest ecosystem on Earth and they are impossible to replace. It took millions of years for rainforests to develop... how can we replenish fast enough to cope with the rate of deforestation?

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. If we recycle the products that come from trees such as paper, then we can use them over and over again. There will be a lower demand for products made from trees.

Buy from companies that are environment friendly. They don't ruin our environment just to make money.

Try to eat less meat which requires grazing lands - another reason why forests are cleared.

Buy products made out of recycled materials.

Do not buy newspaper or magazines. Read them online.

Buy furniture and wood that is Certified. This means that the wood was legally cut down.

There are many ways to help save the forests that are remaining.

Deforestation contributes to climate change

Since trees remove CO2 from the air, the loss of trees also means more CO2. The deforestation from 2001 to 2019 released 105 gigatons of CO2 into the atmosphere - the same as almost two and a half years of total CO2-emissions globally.

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In 100 Years, there will be no Rainforests...