...complicated procedure because of the multitude of variables that go into it. Humans obviously need food, water, and shelter. To provide food, there needs to be ways of distribution and production. Food also needs to be nutritious enough so that humans can perform necessary tasks and to remain healthy. Water is necessary for most biological tasks and is also used for many other tasks required in food production, mainly the growing of certain foods. Shelter is key because human’s survivability rate without protection from the elements is low compared to that of the humans who did have shelters. However, humans require more than these bare necessities to survive as a productive, for there is more to life than gaining the bare necessities. Humans are political creatures, in that they naturally tend to form social groups. Social groups increase the sustainability of the human race. They provide emotional and physical support, increase in food production, and easier access to shelter. However, the downfall of social groups is the increase in population growth. With social groupings, population growth increases without bound, we have yet to find a social grouping that has a population growth of zero. However, we live in a finite world, of finite space and of finite resources. To sustain a race that is constantly growing, we need more space and more resources. However, when resources are used innapropriately and without concern, the sustainability of the human race...
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...ORGANIZATION WORKS ON FRESH WATER Outline 1. Summary 2. Introduction of Fresh Water 2-1. Fresh Water Resources 2-2. Fresh Water and Public Health 2-3. Fresh Water Pollution 3. UN-Water 3-1. Governance and Organization of UN-Water 3-2. Programmes of UN-Water 4. References Summary We have finite resources. But world’s population numbered 6.1 billion in 2000 and it is currently increasing at a rate of 77 million per year. By 2025, the estimated total world population will be 7.9 billion. More people means that more consumption. More consumption means that more resources. Again we have finite resources. One of the precious resources is fresh water. Fresh water is key to sustainable development for both economic activity and social role. Without water supply human health fails, food production declines, the natural environment suffers. Freshwater is an important determinant of patterns of economic growth and social development. But due to increasing world population (more consumption), fresh 97water resource is dramatically falling to down. Due to scarcity of fresh water, 500 million people suffering water stress. It will be increase to two-thirds of the world population subjected to moderate to high level water stress in 2025. Also it is very important to improving both quality and quantity of available water supplies. Quality of water supplies effects to human health...
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...WATER CONFLICTS Water Supply Global water supplies are linked to three main physical factors: rivers, systems and geology. Hydrological cycle The hydrologic cycle begins with the evaporation of water from the surface of the ocean. As warm air is lifted, it cools and water vapour condenses to form clouds. Moisture is transported around the globe until it returns to the surface as precipitation. Once the water reaches the ground, one of two processes may occur: 1) some of the water may evaporate back into the atmosphere or 2) the water may penetrate the surface and become groundwater. Groundwater either seeps its way to into the oceans, rivers, and streams, or is released back into the atmosphere through transpiration. The balance of water that remains on the earth's surface is runoff, which empties into lakes, rivers and streams and is carried back to the oceans, where the cycle begins again. CLIMATE The climate is one of the physical factors that affect the global distribution of water. Climates vary in different parts of the world. An example would be that countries closer to the equator tend to be either very dry and suffer from consistent droughts ( Kenya) or like Indonesia experience severe flooding. RIVER SYSTEMS Major rivers around the world store large quantities of water and transfer it across continents. The Amazon and Nile rivers are the worlds’ larges and discharge significant amounts of water from its catchment area into the world’s oceans. However there can...
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...the years. The question is fundamentally about sustainability; whether the resources that drive our lives can be sustained indefinitely can support humanity in the long term. We operate on the assumption that, on a finite planet, nothing physical can grow indefinitely. As our population grows, the fewer resources there are for each of us and members of other species with which we share the planet. Because of the finite nature of the resources and the ability of our planet to provide us infinite resources, we need to, carefully consider some aspects of our existence, like our consumption, acceptable living standards, what technologies make best use of the resources available and explore ways to preserve the ecosystems on which we depend. The primary concern regarding rapid global population growth includes aggravated poverty, starvation, water scarcity, political & social instability and depletion of natural resources. How will we feed 9.2 billion people when high food prices and the global economic recession have pushed 100 million more people than last year into chronic hunger and poverty around 1 billion people starve every day. Factors like climate change, increasing energy costs, and water scarcity will make it harder to grow the crops necessary to feed an expanding population. Increasing soil erosion and the loss of farm land will also add to the challenge of boosting food production. Water scarcity is also a growing concern as we see lakes are...
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...The Immediate Need of Resource Depletion and Discrete Complaints of Global Warming LaMonica Austin Geo/155 March 5, 2011 Katherine Ripley The discussion of world resource depletion has been pushed aside because of the increased public and political focus, which is mainly the depletion of fossil fuel energy with the possibility of terrible impact on world food production. The International Energy Agency (IEA) appears to have stated untruthfully, the information on world fossil fuel depletion, as a result of telling the truth about how world energy resources may have already, in relation to may have already faced a point in production and are beyond limits by demand could result in skyrocketing oil prices and rush the world into a new recession. It will be along time after depletion of finite resources such as oil, gas, useable water, and minerals impact on world GDP, before the impacts of global warming occurs. The two combined are likely to restrict seriously world food production, mainly in countries with dense measurements of high population or not enough fertile lands. In these countries food nutrition follows the extensive “land and water grab” of foreign citizens who exists across the developing world (RA Leng, 2010). Governments from all over the world has handled the recession by increasing the amount consumed to prevent job losses, which has raised demand for insufficient resources in order for country’s businesses to return to development as normal...
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...medium, high incomes; and (5) mostly medium incomes. Marketers must pay careful attention to major changes in incomes, cost of living, interest rates, savings, and borrowing patterns because they have a strong impact on business and PepsiCo is always aware of economic environment for Pepsi. Natural Environment: In the natural environment, marketers need to be aware of raw materials shortages, increased energy costs and pollution levels, and the changing role of governments in environmental protection. The earth's raw materials consist of the infinite, the finite renewable, and the finite nonrenewable. Infinite resources, such as air and water, are becoming a problem such as water shortages. Finite renewable resources, such as forests and food, must be used wisely. Forestry companies are required to reforest timberlands in order to protect the soil and to ensure sufficient wood to meet future demand. Finite nonrenewable resources - oil, coal, platinum, zinc and silver will pose a serious problem as the point of depletion approaches. Dramatic rise in oil prices can also create a renewed search for alternative energy forms. Some industrial activity will inevitably damage the natural environment. About 42 percent of U.S. consumers are willing to pay higher prices for "green" products. This creates a large market for pollution-control solutions, such as scrubbers, recycling centers, and landfill systems. Governments vary in their concern and efforts to promote a clean environment. Many...
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...current cost of crude oil and other forms of energy? What else have you learned about these resources? What is the political environment for these energy sources? NATURAL GAS Advantages • • • • • • • Burns clean compared to cola, oil (less polluting) 70% less carbon dioxide compared to other fossil fuels helps improve quality of air and water (not a pollutant) does not produce ashes after energy release has high heating value of 24,000 Btu per pound inexpensive compared to coal no odor until added Drawbacks • • • not a renewable source finite resource trapped in the earth (some experts disagree) inability to recover all in-place gas from a producible deposit because of unfavorable economics and lack of technology (It costs more to recover the remaining natural gas because of flow, access, etc.) Other information • • 5,149.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserve left (more than oil but less than coal) 23.2% of total consumption of natural gas is in the United States WATER POWER Pros • • • • • • • Provides water for 30-30% of the world’s irrigated land Provides 19% of electricity Expands irrigation Provides drinking water Supplies hydroelectric energy (falling water used to run turbines) Easier for third world countries to generate power (if water source is available) It is cheaper Cons • • • • • • • • Destabilizes marine ecosystems Water wars (up river and down river; e.g., the water war between...
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...Environment Crucial To Us Today? The resources of this planet are finite and limited – as also its capacity to absorb and dispose of all the waste and garbage we generate. ‘Growth’ ‘Progress’ and ‘Development’ have spelt out one thing: increased consumption of material goods. Increased consumption of material goods has led to irreversible exploitation of natural resources: wood, fossil fuels, water to mention only a few. Rapid industrialization and global trends ↓ Grave problems of ecological imbalance and environmental degradation Environmental destruction is the result of man’s interference with Nature. We all require clean air, fresh, unpolluted water and a healthy habitat. But we also want large houses, all the latest gadgets, big cars and all other material amenities. Modern industry has provided us with unprecedented material prosperity. It has also created unparalleled environmental threats to us and our future generations. Modern technology has enabled us to manipulate and control nature – e.g. quick yielding seeds, artificial rain, BT vegetables and cereals, multiple crops etc. But this has led to increased pollution and severe depletion of natural resources. - Pollutants are pumped into the air - Toxic wastes are produced and dumped into soil, water and seas Major problems facing the world in the 21st century: - Population growth - Global warming/ rising temperatures - Falling water tables - Shrinking agricultural land ...
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...| A Drink of Water | Christopher J. Barrett | | SCI-275 | 3/24/2013 | | Sanitation and drinking-water are universally accepted as being essential for human life, dignity and human development (World Health Organization, 2012). Water is required for life to exist; it is the most basic of sustaining building blocks. Global access to clean (sanitary) and sustainable water supplies continues to be a challenge in an age of ever-increasing population and development. Despite the ongoing challenge, the scarcity of global water resources has only begun to be addressed by the United Nations and other not-for-profit charitable organizations. One of the most important recent milestones has been the recognition in July 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly of the human right to water and sanitation. The Assembly recognized the right of every human being to have access to sufficient water for personal and domestic uses (between 50 and 100 liters of water per person per day), which must be safe, acceptable and affordable (water costs should not exceed 3 per cent of household income), and physically accessible (the water source has to be within 1,000 meters of the home and collection time should not exceed 30 minutes) (United Nations, 2013). UN system activities specially focus on the sustainable development of fragile and finite freshwater resources, which are under increasing stress from population growth, pollution and the demands of...
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...by the year 2050 if it is to avoid wide-scale famine and malnutrition. The earth's finite resources of land, water, and energy pose an unparalleled challenge in meeting this goal. It is expected that food production must increase seventy to one hundred percent by 2050 to feed the world's population while the amount of land available for agriculture will remain stagnant due to land degradation and climate change. Food waste, difficulties in distributing food to where it is needed, and greater demand by those with money account for why food production must rise beyond the fifty percent increase in worldwide population. People living in more developed countries with expected rising wealth will demand "better" food, often meat-based, that will place greater strain on meeting the world's goal. Meanwhile, historically over the last one hundred years, water use has grown at twice the rate of population growth. The competition for water will be severe in the future due to agricultural use, accounting for seventy percent of worldwide water usage; urbanization of the world's population; and other water needs such as generating hydroelectric power. Climactic changes may cause flooding, drought, and a shifting of worldwide rain distribution, further exacerbating the problem. These sobering statistics highlight the need for a multi-faceted approach to increase efficiency throughout the food and water chain as will be further discussed below. Trends in Agricultural Production ...
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...Degradation The planet on which we live is dying, harsh: yes, but true. The sustaining capacity of the globe is shrinking a little bit every year and soon, if the population trend continues at the current rate the sustaining capacity will have reached its peak. The ignorance of humanity has lead all to believe that the planets resources are infinite well, I'm here to tell you that research, study, and observation has proven that it is in fact very finite. The population explosion has its roots in developing countries such as China and India, the two most populous countries in the world. The basic fact is people are having more children than their surrounding environment can support. Overpopulation is creating severe problems to the air quality, water supplies, and cropland sustainability; cultural views pose as road blocks to taking steps toward destroying this epidemic. Should the population continue at its current rate of expansion there will be an estimated 50 billion people on the planet by the dawn of the next century according to Arthur McCormack in his 1970 book The Population Problem (9). The question now is are we as a species destined to die from resource depletion or are there ways to stop this growth before it becomes a global catastrophe? Walter K. Dodds, author of Humanities Footprint, mentions the case of Easter Island as "One of the most dramatic cases of humans harming the ecosystems that support them"(35). The Polynesians arrived on an island paradise, but...
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...matter and energy cannot be consumed, so consumption is conceived as transformations of matter and energy with increased entropy. For economists, consumption is spending on consumer goods and services and thus distinguished from their production and distribution. For ecologists, consumption is obtaining energy and nutrients by eating something else, mostly green plants or other consumers of green plants. And for some sociologists, consumption is a status symbol when individuals and households use their incomes to increase their social status through certain kinds of purchases” (Kates 13-14). Once I had a better understanding of the topic, my group decided that we should compare two countries based on their population, land area, biological resources, and consumption. Being that we live in United States, we chose to evaluate the United States as well as India because it has a larger population and land area than the United States. To start off, we all found as much information about these two countries as we could. Some of the significant information consisted of: the population,...
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...corporations consider taking on global privatization of water for the well being and greater good of the people. However, the track record of publicly funded private water projects shows that the private sector doesn’t find it profitable to invest in the infrastructure really needed to ensure that communities have access to clean and affordable water. Water companies have found that their niche is seeking efficiency solutions through hiking prices and cutting spending on infrastructure investment. Corporations don’t have a social or development mission. The cumulative grave effects of privatizing water as a global commodity are appalling. The underprivileged and poor people pay 5 to 10 times more for water than those living in high-income areas of those same cities. This kind of unfairness and inequity is obscene. Women in places in Africa where privatized water is beyond their limit walk miles to obtain dirty water from rivers and then too often die along with their children from contamination and disease. Asian farmers are losing their livelihoods if they are unable to receive state funded irrigation. The human suffering caused globally by wealthy private corporations from North America and Europe exploiting people from Third World nations for pure profit is nothing less than pure psychopathic evil. We need to ensure access to water for everyone, while also encouraging people to value it as a finite resource. Water should be regulated responsibly with regard to pricing...
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...statement illustrates the importance of taking care of the earth, not merely to avoid global warming, but to preserve the natural balance of the planet. Some of the most pressing problems are the destruction of natural habitats, the depletion of natural resources, and the polluting of rivers, lakes, and oceans. One idea now debated is whether or not the government should require communities to participate in recycling programs. Although some argue that individual communities are free to choose if they take part, many people believe that due to the interconnectedness of the planet, governments have an obligation to encourage and require communities to participate in the recycling effort. Some overly optimistic people contend that natural resources are for the most part replaceable, such as trees, or too abundant to worry about, such as oil. However, the fact is that currently trees are being cut down faster than it is possible to repopulate the forests. Furthermore, water is a finite resource that is polluted from oil refining and the creation of many modern products, for example plastic. In fact water shortages and water pollution are both problems affecting most every country around the world. Certainly, without clean, fresh water, life would not be possible. Some people assert that it is too difficult or complicated for citizens to recycle. However, logistically recycling requires only a separate trash bin for tossing in plastic, glass, aluminum and steel products. Newspaper...
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...Year 2 CVEN2301 Mechanics for Solids CVEN2401 Sustainable Transport & Highway Engineering CVEN2501 Principles of Water Engineering Year 3 Commerce Course 5 Year 4 CVEN3101 Engineering Operations & Control CVEN3202 Soil Mechanics Year 5 CVEN4030 Honours Thesis A or CVEN4002 Design Practice A Professional Elective 1 Year 6 Commerce Course 13 Commerce Course 6 Commerce Course 14 MATH1131 Maths 1A or MATH1141 Higher Maths 1 A PHYS1121 Physics 1 or PHYS1131 Higher Physics 1A Semester 2 CVEN1300 Engineering Mechanics for Civil Engineers ENGG1400 Engineering Infrastructure Systems MATH1231 Maths 1B or MATH1241 Higher Maths 1B MATS1101 Engineering Materials and Chemistry Commerce Course 7 CVEN3303 Steel Structures Professional Elective 2 Commerce Course 15 MATH2019 Maths 2E Commerce Course 8 CVEN3501 Water Resources Engineering Commerce Course 10 Commerce Course 16 Commerce Course 1 Commerce Course 2 CVEN2002 Engineering Computations for Civil Engineers CVEN2101 Engineering Construction CVEN2303 Structural Analysis & Modelling CVEN3031 Civil Engineering Practice CVEN3203 Applied Geotechnics and Engineering Geology CVEN3304 Concrete Structures CVEN4031 Honours Thesis B or CVEN4003 Design Practice B Professional Elective 3 Commerce Course 3 Commerce Course 11 Commerce Course 4 Commerce Course 9 CVEN3502 Water & Wastewater Engineering Commerce Course 12 Honours Students can enrol in Design A & B as a professional elective ...
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