Environmental Crisis and Sustainable Development.pptx

ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

1. Environmental Crisis and Sustainable Development By the Group 10 Evangelista, Liesse Pauline Pastoral, Liana Grace Tarra, Jenezarie

2. Climate Change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. The impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly.

3. Earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, primarily as a result of human activities. Global climate change has already resulted in a wide range of impacts across every region of the country and many sectors of the economy that are expected to grow in the coming decades.

4. Evidences of Climate Change: Global Temperature Rise Warming Oceans Shrinking Ice Sheets Glacial Retreat Decreased Snow Cover Sea Level Rise Declining Arctic Sea Ice

5. What is the Cause of Climate Change? We Live in a Greenhouse. Life on Earth depends on energy coming from the Sun. About half the light reaching Earth's atmosphere passes through the air and clouds to the surface, where it is absorbed and then radiated upward in the form of infrared heat. About 90 percent of this heat is then absorbed by the greenhouse gases and radiated back toward the surface.

6. Is the sun to blame? Since 1978, a series of satellite instruments have measured the energy output of the Sun directly. The satellite data show a very slight drop in solar irradiance (which is a measure of the amount of energy the Sun gives off) over this time period. So the Sun doesn't appear to be responsible for the warming trend observed over the past several decades . Longer-term estimates of solar irradiance have been made using sunspot records and other so-called “proxy indicators,” such as the amount of carbon in tree rings. The most recent analyses of these proxies indicate that solar irradiance changes cannot plausibly account for more than 10 percent of the 20th century’s warming.

7. The Role of Human Activity On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.

8. The consequences of changing the natural atmospheric greenhouse are difficult to predict, but certain effects seem likely: • On average, Earth will become warmer. Some regions may welcome warmer temperatures, but others may not. • Warmer conditions will probably lead to more evaporation and precipitation overall, but individual regions will vary, some becoming wetter and others dryer . • A stronger greenhouse effect will warm the oceans and partially melt glaciers and other ice, increasing sea level. Ocean water also will expand if it warms, contributing further to sea level rise . • Higher temperatures and shifting climate patterns may change the areas where crops grow best and affect the makeup of natural plant communities.

9. In its Fifth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there's a more than 95 per cent probability that human activities over the past 50 years have warmed our planet . The industrial activities that our modern civilization depends upon have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 280 parts per million to 400 parts per million in the last 150 years. The panel also concluded there's a better than 95 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have caused much of the observed increase in Earth's temperatures over the past 50 years.

10. Future Effects Global climate is projected to continue to change over this century and beyond. The magnitude of climate change beyond the next few decades depends primarily on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally, and how sensitive the Earth’s climate is to those emissions. • Temperatures Will Continue to Rise • More Droughts and Heat Waves • Hurricanes Will Become Stronger and More Intense • Sea Level Will Rise 1-4 feet by 2100 • Arctic Likely to Become Ice-Free

11. World’s Leading Environmental Problems: Ozone Depletion, Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming: Near the earth’s surface, ozone is an increasingly troublesome pollutant but it is also as important to life as oxygen itself. If this layer disappears or thins, all terrestrial life will be annihilated. The thinning and depletion of the ozone layer has generated global concern during the last few years. The main cause of the ozone depletion is generally attributed to the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which are mostly produced by highly industrialized developed countries. CFCs is a source of energy which is needed most in the modern life. The phenomenon commonly known as ‘greenhouse effect’ occurs due to the emission of certain gaseous pollutants (methane, CFCs, water vapour and carbon dioxide are known as greenhouse gases) in the air which after the heating of the atmosphere causes the average global temperature to rise. This is known as ‘global warming’. The increase in ozone layer depletion will invite the lethal ultraviolet rays from the sun which will increase cancer (especially skin cancer), eye damage (increase in cataracts of the eyes), injure plants and animals and marine life. It will also help in the re-emergence of diseases such as cholera and viral fevers. The effects of ozone depletion will be more disastrous on human health, crops and ecosystem. It has its effect on the earth’s climate by adding to the greenhouse effect which ultimately results in global warming.

12. Desertification : UNCED defines desertification as ‘the diminution or destructing of the biological potential of land, which can ultimately led to the desert-like conditions’. The causes of desertification are numerous. The important ones include: climate change, overgrazing, deforestation and expansion of agriculture. About 35 per cent of the earth’s area (about 6.1 billion hectares) and 900 million people are affected by the problem of desertification. Desertification leads to loss of vegetation which forces men to migrate for their livelihood while the women are left behind to struggle on.

13. Deforestation : Deforestation is one of the important issues of environmental change and degradation of soil. About 30 per cent of earth’s surface is covered by forests. South America, especially Brazil, West Central Africa and South-East Asia, are home to regions of dense forests. The main cause of deforestation is commercial exploitation of forests. Besides this, as a part of developmental drive, large dams are constructed across many rivers thereby destroying forests. The forests play a pivotal role in maintaining the oxygen and carbon balance of the earth. There has been a growing concern among professional foresters along with social workers about the rate of deforestation everywhere. FAO, UNDP, World Bank and other government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have expressed their opinion about deforestation and suggested plans to protect and renewal of forests. In India, the Chipko Andolan and Narmada Bachao Andolan are the two popular movements which have developed consciousness among the people to raise voice against the ruthless destruction of forests.

14. Loss of Biodiversity: According to an estimate, 20 to 75 species are becoming extinct each day because of deforestation. This loss of biodiversity is mainly due to the degeneration of life support system. It provides the basis for life on earth. Biodiversity means the variety of life on earth. Biological diversity encompasses all species of plants, animals and micro-organisms and the ecosystem and ecological processes of which they are a part. The increasing interest in biodiversity is a result of concern regarding species extinction, depletion of genetic diversity and disruption to the atmosphere, water supplies, fisheries and forests. Some bird species such as vultures and kites became almost extinct. The main causes identified for the loss of biological diversity are : ( i ) Habitat loss, fragmentation and modification ; ( ii) Over exploitation of resources; and ( iii) Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and oil pollution.

15. Disposal of Wastes : The high energy consumption and high population densities of the urban societies give rise to large quantities of waste water and sewage as well as household rubbish. Industrialization and urbanization are the main causes of domestic, industrial and nuclear wastes. The contaminated water supplies cause many diseases of epidemic nature. The industrial waste consists of chemicals, detergents, metals and synthetic compounds besides the solid waste and garbage. Thousands of tonnes of mercury, nitrogen, phosphorus, cadmium, lead, zinc and other waste is dumped every day in the river and sea waters.

16. The increased nuclear fuel is becoming as one of the sources of non-conventional energy. The nuclear waste contains radioactive isotopes which generate large quantities of heat. The domestic, industrial and nuclear wastes are serious health hazards and may endanger the biosphere as well. Many rivers of India including the long seashore are the victims of this disposal of waste. Because of dumping of heavy waste, it is now very difficult to get a cup of totally uncontaminated water from the so-called sacred rivers like Ganga and Yamuna. Inadequate system of solid waste disposal causes adverse impact on health, infant mortality and the birth rate.

17. Human Fingerprint in Greenhouse Gases Greenhouse gases occur naturally and are essential to the survival of humans and living things, by keeping some of the sun’s warmth from reflecting back into space and making Earth liveable. A fter more than a century and a half of industrialization, deforestation and large scale agriculture, quantities to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have risen to record levels not seen in three million years.

18. As populations, economies and standards of living grow, so does the cumulative level of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emission. These are some of the basic well-established scientific links: The concentration of GHGs in the earth’s atmosphere is directly linked to the average global temperature on Earth; The concentration has been rising steadily, and mean global temperatures along with it, since the time of the Industrial Revolution; The most abundant GHG, accounting for about two-thirds of GHG’s, carbon dioxide (CO2), is largely the product of burning fossil fuels.

19. The World’s Leading Environmental Problems 1 . D epredation caused by industrial and transportation toxins and plastic in the ground; the defiling of the sea, rivers and water beds by oil spills and acid rain; the dumping of urban waste. 2. Changes in global weather patterns (flash floods, extreme snowstorms and the spread of deserts) and the surge in ocean and land temperatures leading to a rise in sea levels (as the polar ice caps melt because of the weather) plus the flooding of man lowland areas cross the world.

20. 3. Overpopulation 4. Exhaustion of the world’s natural non-renewable resources from oil reserves to minerals to potable water. 5. Waste disposal catastrophe due to excessive amount of waste (from plastic to food packages to electronic waste) unloaded by communities in landfills as well as on the ocean; and the dumping of nuclear waste. 6. Destruction of million year old ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity (destruction of the coral reefs and massive deforestation) that have led to the extinction of particular species and the decline in the number of others.

21. 7. Reduction of oxygen and the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because of deforestation, resulting in the rise in ocean acidity by as much as 150 percent in the last 250 years. 8. D epletion of the ozone layer protecting the planet from the sun’s deadly ultaraviolet rays due to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the atmosphere. 9. Deadly acid rain as a result of fossil fuel combustion, toxic chemicals from erupting volcanoes, and the massive rotting vegetables filling up garbage dumps or left on the streets.

22. 10. Water pollution arising from industrial and community waste residues seeping into underground water tables, rivers and seas. 11. Urban sprawls that continue to expand as a city turns into a megalopolis, destroying farmlands, increasing traffic gridlock, and making smog cloud a permanent urban fixture. 12. Pandemics and other threats to public health arising from wastes mixing with drinking water polluted environments that become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and disease carrying rodents and pollution. 13. A radical alteration or food systems because of genetic modifications in food production.

23. United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development/Rio Summit UNCSD took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It resulted in a focused political outcome document which contains clear and practical measures for implementing sustainable development. To reconcile worldwide economic development with protection of the environment. The Earth Summit was the largest gathering of the world leaders as of 1992. By means of treaties and other documents signed at the conference, most of the world’s nations nominally committed themselves to the pursuit of economic development in ways that would protect the earth’s environment and non-renewable resources .

24. UNCSD/Rio Summit 3 Objectives of the Conference Year 2012 Secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development Asses the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development Address new emerging challenges

25. UNCSD/Rio Summit 2 Theme of the Conference Year 2012 A green economoy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication The institutional framework for sustainable development

26. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UN family is at the forefront of the effort to save our planet. In 1992, its “Earth Summit” produced the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as a first step in addressing the climate change problem. The ultimate aim of the C onvention is to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system.

27. Paris Agreement Is an agreement within (partnered with the) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance. Reached a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. Brings all nation into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so.

28. Negotiated by representatives of 197 parties at the 21 st Conference in Paris. As of 2019 194 states and the European Union have signed the Agreement. 186 states and the EU, representing almost 97% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2016 China and United States are the highest producers of greenhouse gas emission with a combination of almost 40%. (issued both statement confirming that both countries would sign the agreement). As per terms of the Paris Agreement only the UNFCCC member states are entitled to become parties to the Paris Agreement.

29. Article 28 of the agreement enables parties to withdraw from the agreement after sending a withdrawal notification after sending a withdrawal notification to the depositary, but the notice can be given no earlier than three years after the agreement goes into force for the country. Withdrawal is effective one year after the depositary is notified. Alternatively the withdrawal from the UNFCCC would also withdraw the state from the Paris Agreement.

30. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Was set up by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment to provide an objective source of scientific information. Body of United Nations, dedicated to providing the world with an objective, scientific view of climate change, its natural, political and economic impacts and risks, possible response options. In 2013 the IPCC provided more clarity about the role of human activities in climate change when it released its Fifth Assessment Report. It is categorical in its conclusion: climate change is real and human activities are the main cause.

31. THE END THANK YOU….