Influence of The Development of Low Carbon Infrastructure in Future - Essay Example

INFLUENCE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOW CARBON INFRASTRUCTURE IN FUTURE By Introduction Climate change has been an emotive issue in the 21st century given the adverse effects that it has on life on earth. The number one cause of climate change is greenhouse gasses in which carbon is the most emitted element among them. To counter the effects of carbon emissions on the environment, environmental agencies in collaboration with governments across the world have pooled efforts aimed at ensuring the amount of carbon that is emitted to the atmosphere reduced to manageable levels. Mitigation efforts have also been implemented to save the world from the adverse effects that result from the accumulation of carbon compounds in the atmosphere. In the recent years, nearly all global conventions of leaders of the world have climate change as the main agenda for discussion. Substantial amounts of capital have been directed to this course in form of preventive and mitigation efforts to shield the world away from the consequences of environmental degradation resulting from carbon emission (Gopalakrishnan, Steyn and Harvey, 2014). Today even institutions of higher learning have incorporated this discipline as an area of learning to equip students with the relevant skills to ensure the future generation has knowledge of the situation thus further effort to bring the situation under control. Infrastructure is one area that emits a substantial amount of carbon compounds to the atmosphere. The world has experienced trends in infrastructural development of mega-structure in various parts of the world especially UAE. These projects require considerable amount of construction materials most of them rich in carbon, it is upon the engineers of those particular projects to carry out feasibility studies to ensure the cost of putting up the said structures or their benefits outdo the amount of revenue that will be incurred to mitigate pollution by carbon compounds emitted from their use (Un et al., 2010). Key Principles of Sustainable Development The fundamental standards of reasonable improvement make it conceivable to fit the different sectorial and advancement methodologies with the level method on supportable development (hereinafter: Procedure) and they additionally give a general kind of direction for deciding the Techniques needs, all the more particularly characterized objectives and undertakings, the structures and method for execution, in a composed and corresponded way. The essential standards formed, cleared up, and received the most elevated amounts by the applicable collections of both the UN and the EU. Because of their national pertinence the accompanying ought to be highlighted from the complete set of standards: ‘The principle of a holistic approach.’ Things must be seen as an arrangement of between related components, the components themselves likewise being frameworks collaborating with each other. Any intercession may trigger gradually expanding influences even in remote contexts. For this reason, nearby difficulties can be satisfactorily tended to depend on the learning of the most extensive environment and worldwide patterns alike. ‘The principle of intra-generational and inter-generational solidarity.’ The investments of supportable advancement centered on individuals (Gopalakrishnan, Steyn and Harvey, 2014). The principle of social justice. The privilege to satisfactory conditions for living must be perceived and significant human rights ensured for all. All individuals ought to have a level with open doors for gaining learning, and abilities needed to wind up commendable parts of society (Un et al., 2010). ‘The principle of sustainable management of resources.’ Maintainable administration of assets with a perspective to the limits of the convey limit of the earth; by utilizing characteristic assets as a part of a reasonable and thrifty way it safeguards assets needed for future advancement. Biodiversity is likewise a unique asset, and we append high need to its preservation. ‘The principle of integration.’ Over the span of explaining, assessing, and actualizing sectorial approaches, plans, and projects, financial, social, and natural contemplations and their connections should likewise be considered to guarantee that they can commonly strengthen one another (Un et al., 2010). ‘The principle of utilizing local resources.’ Endeavours ought to be made to supply the needs of groups on a neighbourhood level, from nearby assets. Nearby peculiarities and differing qualities ought to be protected. Conservation and economical usage of the man-made environment and social legacy are additionally imperative assignments. ‘The principle of public participation.’ Sufficient access to data influencing social/monetary life and nature, to data on choice making methods accommodated to all. Individuals learning about feasible advancement, its social/fiscal and ecological ramifications, and about reasonable arrangements and methodologies elucidated and improved. Open cooperation in choice making ought to be reinforced (Chen Suzuki and Lackner, 2012). ‘The principle of social responsibility.’ To empower maintainable advancement and to make a higher personal satisfaction conceivable, unsustainable examples of creation and utilization must be changed. Organizations social obligation must be reinforced, alongside participation between the private and general society area. ‘The principle of precaution and prevention.’ The preliminary methodology implies that wherever the likelihood of severe or irreversible harm is seen, an absence of complete exploratory assurance may not be utilized as a reason for deferring dominant activity to forestall harm to the earth or imperiling human wellbeing; i.e. move must be made in perspective of the gravity of the apparent risk. Human activities must be arranged and did in accordance with this safety oriented standard and exercises harming or dirtying nature imperiling characteristic frameworks and human wellbeing must be forestalled and - where it is unrealistic – decreased, lastly, harms must be restored to their unique state the extent that this would be possible. ‘The polluter pays principle.’ Costs must reflect the genuine expenses paid by society for exercises included in utilization and generation and additionally for their effects, including the expenses of utilizing characteristic assets. Those occupied with activities harming/contaminating the earth must pay for the damage brought about by human wellbeing or nature (Gopalakrishnan, Steyn and Harvey, 2014). Education is mainly meant to equip learners with knowledge and skills to make the world a better place. Graduate civil engineers have a role to play in efforts that are aimed at realizing a low carbon infrastructure. They are supposed to establish a high-level methodology for evaluation to be utilized in decision making before any project commences. It will aid the stakeholders in making informed decisions to ensure due diligence is followed before any infrastructural project is implemented thus considerations for minimized carbon emissions be incorporated into the project. Since these professionals are from graduate school, the concept they learned in school are still fresh in their minds (Un et al., 2010). Graduate engineers will implement notions of capital carbon and operational carbon thus ensuring any project that is undertaken the trade-off between the cost of carbon utilized during construction and that one that is emitted once the infrastructure is in operation is within sustainable levels. Thus, it is nearly difficult to achieve zero carbon emission, but some efforts can be made to bring the margin to sustainable levels. Most of the activities that lead to carbon emissions are done deliberately by unscrupulous businesspeople to obtain huge profit margins. Since graduate engineers understand the enormous cost associated with mitigating the effects of carbon emissions it is prudent that they will ensure all due process is followed when laying out projects to meet the low carbon standards to avoid costs for mitigating later on (Gopalakrishnan, Steyn and Harvey, 2014). Low carbon infrastructure is not something that is unachievable with proper planning and mobilization of resources infrastructural projects can attain this directive. Graduate civil engineers should always conduct feasibility studies before any project has commenced exploring all the available options to ensure the decision that will arrive meets all the conditions. Some infrastructural projects are implemented when they are actually not necessary thus emitting carbon compounds to the atmosphere in unwarranted instances. The engineers should advise investors on the need to utilize with low carbon content embodied in them. The move will make steps in realizing green infrastructure in order to achieve low carbon infrastructures. Those notwithstanding materials should be used sparingly to ensure fewer are utilized without any wastes. The result of the move will be less carbon emission as only the required amount of materials will have been employed hence avoiding unnecessary emissions (Chen Suzuki and Lackner, 2012). Climate change Climate change is threatening human life on earth with its effects already being felt in some parts of the world. Massive pollution occasioned the change of climate in the world through human activities on land that resulted in the ozone layer being damaged thus exposing the world to extreme weather condition. Climate change is a threat to all nations of the world a reason government have pooled efforts to contribute billions of dollars to militate against the adverse effects associated with climate change. Civil engineering will be among the sectors to fall causality for the impact of climate change since most of its structures are laid on the surface where all changes will be occurring (Gopalakrishnan, Steyn and Harvey, 2014). For instance, the changes will lead to stronger storms being experienced in Western nations hence indicating the damages associated with such storms will be increased. It will be a challenge to civil engineers as they will be tasked to come up with techniques that will ensure structures are strong enough to withstand those storms thus preventing any potential losses. Floods will be a dominant phenomenon and in this case they will be occurring in high intensity. The likes of tsunamis and typhoons will be an ordinary occurrence in coastal regions. Since these events are characterized by strong winds and massive displacement of water masses engineers will have to come up with contingency mechanisms that will ensure structures that are constructed along the coastline are not swept away (Chen Suzuki and Lackner, 2012). Nations in desert and semi-arid regions will be experiencing extreme weather conditions characterized by scorching days and freezing night conditions. These conditions are very difficult to accommodate when developing major structures. Vast amounts of resources have to be deployed to ensure cutting edge technology is utilized to make provisions for those kinds of conditions. Dubai, for instance, is a desert city that is purely constructed on sand. With the heat that is experienced in that region the temperature during the day are too high for people to bear them in a building. Civil engineers came up with a cooling mechanism for the skyscrapers that ensure average temperatures are maintained throughout the day and at night heating is done to subvert freezing. These are the kind of conditions that are expected with the change in climate. It means that only the developed nations that have got substantial amounts of resources will be able to undertake such projects to sustain its people from the effects of global warming. On the other hand, the developing nations will have to bear with the situations leading to mass casualties since they cannot foot for such infrastructures. Civil engineering will have to deploy new concepts to ensure that the structures will be safe from the effects occasioned by the changes in climate. International conventions have already made a recommendation regarding carbon emissions. Conversely, the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 made restriction of the maximum volume of carbon that should be emitted to ensure sustainability on earth. The move is, however, a disadvantage to the developing nations since they will resort to capital intensive mechanism to drive their economies under the new restrictions (Gopalakrishnan, Steyn and Harvey, 2014). References Chen, W.-Y., Seiner, J., Suzuki, T., & Lackner, M., 2012. Handbook of climate change mitigation: with 586 figures and 205 tables. Gopalakrishnan, K., Steyn, W. J., & Harvey, J., 2014. Climate change, energy, sustainability, and pavements. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44719-2. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2015]. Un, W., Miao, C., Ye, G., & Chen, H., 2010. Advances in civil engineering materials: the 50-year teaching and research anniversary of Prof. Sun Wei: Nanjing, China, October 15, 2008. Bagneux, France, RILEY Publications. Read More