Urban Un-sustainability - Research Paper Example

?Urban un-sustainability Our globe has been in the ‘fast mode’, with people having to make crucial choices for their survival and success. That is, with population burgeoning and opportunities for livelihood drying up, people are adopting various options. One of the important options is the immigration of people to big cities from the rural areas and from the surrounding suburbs in search of livelihood. This immigration and other factors are initiating urbanization process all over the world. “Whereas by turn of century almost half of the world’s population is lived in urban areas; it is expected that this figure will reach to 8.1 billion -60.5% of world population- by year 2030.” (Masnavi, 2007). This unavoidable urbanization brings out both benefits and challenges. The phenomenon of urbanization has been making quite a good ‘impression’ on the skylines of many cities all over the world, and on the lives of people living there as well as on the ones who are migrating to there. However, on the other hand, unstable immigration and the resultant urbanization are negatively affecting the migrating people and importantly the natural environment of that urban area. That is, in the urban areas, there are heightened industrial developments and other developments including the maximal use of automobiles and other energy driven tools. All these ‘developments’ can play a destructive role as well, with various emissions and other byproducts making the urban areas ecologically unsustainable. So, this paper will discuss how today's urban regions are becoming un-sustainable ecologically, focusing on the principal causes of this urban un-sustainability. Urbanization and Sustainability As urbanization involves development of industries and other career options for the people, and also various social and entertainment options, it entices sizable population. It results in immigration of large scale population to the developing or existing urban areas causing 'physical' growth or expansion of natural land into urban areas. This immigration develops those urban areas and positively impacts the people living there including their standard of living, economic status, etc. “Cities have traditionally provided more jobs than rural areas because cities are the sites of industry, economic development, and educational and cultural opportunities.” (Berg, 2006). However, during this process of urbanization, the urban areas kind of becomes ‘hot spots’, as heightened immigration is leading to the establishment of more industries, more vehicles on the road, in total it leads to the establishment of more environment destructive entities and processes. Ironically, the above mentioned destructive or development activities cannot be avoided or stopped, as it has been providing many developments and comforts to all sections of the society particularly in the urban areas. In that case, the most feasible option is carrying out those developmental activities in a sustainable way. Sustainable way or sustainability in the sense, if those developmental activities are carried out taking into consideration various social aspects and importantly environmental aspects for not only the current times but also the future, then it constitutes sustainable way. “Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.” (“What is sustainability?”, n. d). Among these aspects, protecting the environment during all these development activities forms a key part of sustainability. That is, all the development activities have be carried out taking into consideration that the environment is not affected by those activities. “Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.” (“What is sustainability?”, n. d). However, there are sizable activities that are happening in the urban areas that are causing un-sustainability. That is, these activities and importantly the byproducts of those activities are negatively affecting the environment in one way or other. Thus with sustainability not being fully followed, un-sustainability is becoming visible in various ‘spheres’ of urban life. Social and economic changes and the resultant heightened infrastructure development or construction is causing urban un-sustainability Large number of urban population will be mainly dependent on factories and commercial enterprises for their livelihood. Actually, the existing population continues to reside in the urban areas and the rural population moves into urban areas mainly for that livelihood purpose. So, when this urbanization and urban un-sustainability is viewed sociologically, the increasing divide between the economic growth in the urban areas vs. poverty and non-development in the rural areas, appears to be one of the reasons for un-sustainability. This perspective was pointed out by Wassung (2009) who stated that social aspects are the keys to urban sustainability, because due to governments’ lack of efforts to deal with poverty and inequality in the rural areas or the countryside in a way contributes to urbanizations, and thus the un-sustainability in the urban areas. The other related aspect is the economic aspect of finding financially better careers and livelihoods than the currently available vocations in the rural areas. This is particularly visible in the post-globalization period. That is, with globalization creating many business opportunities mainly in the urban areas, it made people to migrate en-masse to these areas. The other negative effect of globalization is, with globalization facilitating the entry of ‘foreign’ firms into newer territories, these foreign firms have null or minimal concern for the local environment. Although, many firms as part of their CSR are carrying out sizable CSR based initiatives for the local population and environment, still these foreign firms may not fully carry out sustainable actions, thus leading more urban un-sustainability. This was validated by Wassung (2009) “Urban unsustainability is driven in part by this globalisation as business are not always locally owned, and thus can be unresponsive to local sustainability needs and regulations…are often prepared to let ecological and social standards slide in order to generate employment and fiscal income”. The bottom line that arises because of these social and economic aspects is more people are coming into urban areas to work in the urban industries, and these urban industries are developed and made to function without focusing on environmental concerns thus leading to urban un-sustainability. One of the common images of the industries is of long towers emitting smokes. Although, due to government regulations, these industries have minimized this emission of smoke and the associated pollutants, sizable of them are still emitting. However, in current times, these polluting industries are being shifted or established outside the urban areas. Still these types of industries operate within the urban limits, but the issue of environmental damage happens more during the construction of various industries and other infrastructures. The use of eco-damaging products and faulty coordination during the construction of many of these industries and importantly even during the development of housing (with high influx of people, housing sector is witnessing heightened development) is leading to urban un-sustainability. “The Stern Report, by Sir Nicholas Stern, the World Bank’s former chief economist, says the lack of co-ordination between elements of the industry creates poor quality, energy-inefficient buildings…” (Miller, n. d). Starting from constructing new infrastructures to electrifying the infrastructure all the development based activities lead to emissions of Greenhouse gases (GHG) particularly carbon emissions. GHG emissions affect the environment causing phenomenon like global warming and importantly urban un-sustainability. It will also affect the humans by causing them various health problems like cancers, lung diseases, etc. That is, GHG particularly carbon is released during the manufacturing of various products needed for construction industry including cement, steel, etc. Cement, which is only used for the preparation of concrete and other purposes during construction, is a major contributor to GHG emissions. Although, it does not directly emit GHG, during the manufacturing of the cement a lot of GHG particularly carbon emissions happen. “Making traditional cement results in greenhouse gas emissions from two sources: it requires intense heat, and so a lot of energy to heat up the ovens that cook the raw material, such as limestone. That then releases further CO2 as it burns.” (“British Engineers”, 2009). On the same lines, a lot of Carbon emissions occur during the steel production as well. As manufacturing involves a lot of burning and usage of energy, it results in high Carbon emissions. During the occupancy of the infrastructure also, more emissions occurs because of the necessity to provide the electrical power to that infrastructure. Electrical power is one of the main needs to sustain or accelerate the economic development. For that crucial electrical power, UK is focusing on the main Carbon emitter of Coal as its primary source. The problem with coal is, it has the highest carbon intensity among fossil fuels, and so the coal-fired plants have the highest output rate of CO2 per kilowatthour. (“Carbon Dioxide Emissions”, 2000). Thus, it is clear that, emissions during and even after the construction of infrastructures in the urban areas, negatively impacts the environment and thereby leads urban un-sustainability. Role of transportation or automobiles in urban un-sustainability “Probably one of the most influential drivers of urban unsustainability is the heavy reliance on the long-distance transport of people, food, water, energy and materials” (Wassung, 2009). The transportation system and the associated automobiles form an integral part of urban areas and life, even being considered as the “veins and arteries of the anatomy of urban life.” (Nathan and Reddy, 2011). It is difficult to visualize an urban life without the automobiles plying people as well as products. Although, the automobiles are making positive impact on the urban areas, it is “not one way traffic”, as the same motor vehicles can make negative environmental impacts, due to their high consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of problematic gases, thus causing urban un-sustainability. “In urban areas, where intense transportation activities are associated with high spatial concentrations of people and activities, these socio-economic-environmental impacts are more pronounced.” (Nathan and Reddy, 2011). Although, automobiles running on cleaner energy sources are being introduced nowadays, majority of the cars depend on the energy source of oil. With automobiles increasing in numbers, and traveling long distance, the consumption of fossil fuels have accentuated, and that results in heightened carbon emissions as well. “The world consumes more oil than any other primary energy, and transportation accounts for more than half of the total primary oil demand, but at the same time, it also accounts for 23% of total CO2 emissions, of which 73% is generated by road transport” (Nathan and Reddy, 2011). When such high levels of emissions happen, it enters the environment, affecting various natural forms and in turn causes urban un-sustainability. This dependence on motor vehicles and the dangerous emissions from these vehicles including Carbon Dioxide, Sulphur Dioxide, etc., totally affects the environment, we live in and is causing a lot of heath and ethical issues to the people and other living things. Thus, the un-sustainable patterns in the transportation system in the urban areas not only lead to health hazards, but also act detrimental to the human life. That is, heightened automobile activities in the urban areas also leads increased rates of accidents, with pedestrians and other road users also getting involved and dying in high numbers. As stated by WHO “road traffic accidents contribute around 1.3 million deaths annually, with the degradation of the built urban environment – particularly for pedestrians and cyclists – has been cited as a key risk factor.” (“The urban environment”, n. d). The availability of the fossil fuels along with other technological developments only fueled industrialization and thereby urbanizations from the 20th century, and it is continuing now itself. However, as discussed above, due to its high emission levels, fuel is making negative impacts on urban living, and thereby major impacts on urban sustainability. Sustainable way The infrastructure development process can be made sustainable if apt products are used and sustainable designs are incorporated into the buildings. Speaking about apt products, instead of using the traditional cements, what is called the ‘green cement’ can be used by the builders. Green cement is made from magnesium silicates and other special mineral additives instead of calcium carbonate, or limestone. (“British Engineers”, 2009). Magnesium silicates do not release CO2 during the Cement manufacturing process and more importantly after its usage in the building will start absorbing the greenhouse gases including CO2 as it ages. Sustainable designs can also be incorporated in waste and water management plans. In addition, the energy resources of the buildings can be garnered through sourced or even in-house renewable energy options. Taylor (2000) asserts that buildings must thus generate their own energy and treat all of their captured water. With these initiatives, the constructed buildings can become Carbon neutral in the nearest possible futures, and that will result in the minimization of its contribution to environmental problems or degradations like global warming. In response to the fact that global warming is a matter ought to be addressed by man to avert the impending possibility of climate change, invention of construction and design with less impact on the environment has become obligatory (Hiemstra, 2008). The challenge for urbanization comes in the form of increased usage of motor vehicles by the economically settled urban people. In today’s world, reducing fossil fuel consumptions has become one of the greatest challenges faced by industrialized and economically advanced countries. It is an issue of concern since there is a very important link between the usage of fossil fuels and the economic conditions of individual. It is necessary for countries including UK to come up with alternatives to fossil fuel. The new practices that would benefit in reduction of fossil fuel consumption include the use of bio fuels which may be implemented easily in diesel cars. The usage of electric and battery operated cars could also be encouraged to lessen the dependence on fossil fuels, and thereby sustainability in urban areas. In addition, public transit can be introduced in an effective manner. When public transit in the form of buses or light rails are used by the population to go to work and to shop, dependence on motorized vehicles will decrease a lot. With decrease in motor vehicles' usage, the associated pollution will reduce a great deal. Also, when maximum people enter the urban areas in a controlled way, the rural areas, they have left, will become less congested. The rural areas thus will have an unpolluted natural environment, to which the immigrants can return whenever. Conclusion From the above analysis, it is clear that due to increasing urbanization and the resultant changes in the infrastructure sector as well as in the automobile sector, the environment is maximally affected, leading to urban un-sustainability. Although, urbanization is viewed negatively in some circles, the fact is, it has brought on and is also bringing in many favorable changes to the urban area, its people and also indirectly the rural areas as well. However, the key is urbanization should be carried out in a well planned, controlled and importantly sustainable way. For that to happen, there has to be fullest cooperation as well as coordinated actions by all section of the population, with the key decision making entities like governments and business companies optimally contributing to it. Sustainable development can be viewed as a social movement—“a group of people with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals.” (Kates, Parris and Leiserowitz 2005). These urbanization initiatives carried out with the fullest cooperation of the local people, sound financial management and effective governance has and also is overcoming all the challenges of urbanization. If sustainable development is carried out, it will safeguard the health of the people as well as that of the environment in the current times as well as in the future, thus showcasing how sustainable development is the only way forward. References Berg, L. R. and Hager, M. C. (2008). Visualizing Environmental Science. NJ: Wiley. “British Engineers have developed a new environmentally friendly Cement that is Carbon-negative” (2009). Eco Worldly. Retrieved from: http://ecoworldly.com/2009/01/02/cement-that-eats-carbon-dioxide-invented- by-british-scientists/ “Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Generation of Electric Power in the United States.” (2000). U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved from: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html Hiemstra, G. (2008). Sustainable housing for Universities and Colleges. Retrieved from: http://www.futurist.com/articles/environment-and-energy/sustainable- housing-for-colleges-universities Kates, A.A., Parris, R.W and Leiserowitz, T.M. (2005). What is Sustainable development? Goals, Indicators, Values and Practice. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development. 47 (3): 8-21. Masnavi, M. R. (2007). Measuring Urban Sustainability: Developing a Conceptual Framework for Bridging the Gap Between theoretical Levels and the Operational Levels. International Journal of Environmental Research, 1(2): 188-197 Miller, V. (n. d). Construction industry under fire over global warming. Retrieved from: http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=29&storycode=3076590&c= 2 “The urban environment”. (n. d). Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/heli/risks/urban/urbanenv/en/ Nathan, H. S. & Reddy, B. S. (2011). Urban Transport Sustainability Indicators. Retrieved from: http://www.igidr.ac.in/pdf/publication/WP-2011-022.pdf. Taylor, S. 2000, Green technology: Creating organic buildings together, Journal for European Architects, 8: 420-433. Wassung, N. (2009). Moving towards Urban Sustainability. Retrieved from: http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.net/newsdocs/documents/doc_download/368 -natalie-wassung-ecological-design-the-case-of-seoul-south-korea. “What is sustainability?” (n. d). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm Read More