Sustainable Development and Its Overall Impact - Assignment Example

Task The various principles d in the document are very precise and in accordance with the ones learnt earlier however a few very important principles are missing and must be added because they act as foundations of the process of sustainable development. The principles stated do not include the international aspects of sustainable development. Sustainable development is a global phenomenon therefore without the consideration of the activities which take place at global level ensuring sustainable development is not possible (Schrijver and Weiss, 2004). It is an evident fact that the industrial development in one country of a region can create environmental issues in the region and thus the other countries of the region are equally affected by these activities (Muschett, 1997). Therefore one of the most important principles of sustainable development is formulation of international laws to protect the environmental impact beyond borders. The members of the international community should cooperate with each other to ensure better economic growth, which ultimately leads to the achievement of various goals of sustainable development; however this cooperation should not be limited to economic growth and nations must extend support to each other for ensuring global peace and security as it is also an important aspect of sustainable development (Guruswamy and McNeely, 1998). Another important principle of achieving sustainable development is creating awareness among the masses about the advantages associated with it. A large majority of people in the world is not aware about sustainable development; under these circumstances the efficient use of resources in the world is not possible. Measures should be adopted to clear the doubts in the minds of people about the advantages of sustainable development. The large initial cost which occur due to the incorporation of sustainable development practices in various industrial and construction projects stop investors from adopting them because they are unaware of the long term financial incentives thus creating awareness is of prime importance to ensure sustainable development. Social capital i.e. the role of people in sustainable development is not given the due importance in the principles mentioned in the document. People should learn to accept responsibility to preserve the resources and climate of the planet for future generations. Accepting responsibility is an important principle as, along with creation of awareness, it is the most basic step towards achieving the goals of sustainable development. Effective communication and sharing of knowledge about sustainable development is only possible if an individual recognizes his responsibility towards the planet and future generations (Mock and Wernke, 2011). Task 2 Industrial activities in any region, for the utilization of natural resources, are bound to affect the local environment and ecological systems in one way or the other. Such activities always pose a threat to the biodiversity of the area by harmfully affecting the natural habitats of local species. A good strategy to prevent such damaging effects is to recognize the benefits a business itself can obtain by conserving the local environment. One such strategy is developed and effectively implemented by Eskom, a South African electricity utility. The biologists in the area identified the serious threat posed by electricity infrastructure to the local avian fauna. As much as 605 bird mortalities were observed in a period of six years (1996 to 2002) in the area due to interaction of birds with electricity installations. Eskom administration took the initiative and developed joint programs with local environment protection agencies. These programs aimed at studying the mortality cases and suggesting useful recommendations to avoid bird mortalities. Many practical recommendations were suggested and implemented by Eskom energy e.g. installation of bird flappers on power cables. The bird mortality rate went down appreciably after implementation of such preventive measures protecting many of the endangered avian species of region. Apart from saving Eskom a big fortune, which would otherwise be wasted in maintenance activities, it earned the company a good reputation through recognition at forums such as Energy Globes Awards. The most important aspect of this entire activity was that a strategy could be devised for the mutual benefit of both the investor and the local environment making it a big success. This is a good example for any government or industry seeking a balance between nature and human activity. Investors can be easily convinced to spend money and be more considerate towards conserving biodiversity of a region if the short term benefits that they get are also highlighted. Another good example is set by Mount Owen mining company in Hunter Valley, Australia. The coal reserves in Hunter valley at the heart of its floral and faunal habitat at Mount Owen. To access the reserves, engineers had to slash down a large number of trees destroying the local habitat and hence drastically affecting plants and animal species. Hence it was decided that the species shall be provided a new habitat by planting a forest situated at an area of more than 400 hectares. The native fauna was encouraged to move to this new habitat, called as the ‘New Forest’, re-establishing the balance of natural ecosystem. As a result of this effort, mining company earned an extension of twenty one years in their mining contract from local authorities. Important lessons can be learnt from these examples by both the environment regulatory bodies and investors in UK. Such partnerships should be developed which, apart from conserving the local biodiversity, can promise attractive rewards to the investors (Wood, Stedman-Edwards and Mang, 2000). Task 3 Projects like mining and exploration of natural resources which are carried out in remote areas very often affect the local population in the form of relocation or environmental impact of the projects being carried out there. Sometimes the financial benefits of the exploration and mining work are not readily made available to the local population and therefore they do not see the projects doing any good to them. The overall impact of this scenario is very negative and results in a feeling of dislike among the local population towards the mining companies. Under these circumstances it becomes imperative for the employees of the mining companies to recognize themselves to be the part of the local community and indulge in community activities. There are a number of benefits of doing so; most important being the development of a sense of goodwill in the local community about the employees of the mining company. A healthy and peaceful working environment at the site is necessary for achieving the set targets and for this the local community at the mining sites should feel contented about the ongoing works. The benefits of getting involved in community services have been successfully demonstrated by the employees of Kennecott Energy Company. The employees took the initiative by becoming a part of the community and indulging in volunteering activities, impressed with the effort the company management adopted a systematic approach by introducing a five year community program devised to carry out volunteering activities and for providing necessary donations within a particular community. Taking part in community services is not only beneficial for the organization but also for the individual employees because they start considering them the part of the local community which provides them with a motivational force while working (Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector). Community projects can be of different types as demonstrated by the employees and management of E.ON UK. The employees at E.ON UK carry out a number of volunteering activities which include teaching in local schools, mentoring students while the management offers matched funding to recognize the employees’ fundraising efforts while working with organizations like Business in the Community (BITC) and UK National Trust to provide teams of volunteers for community work. Engaging in community projects is a very healthy activity and can generate a number of long term benefits. Cultivation of trust is perhaps the most important benefit because the exploration companies and the developers need the support of the local community for a number of tasks which are mandatory for the success of the projects. Community services help in fostering a coalition between the various parties of the project to work as one large community for the benefit of all. Community projects can ensure the fulfillment of the various principles of sustainable development; providing local residents with vast opportunities, preserving the environment and generating revenues at the same time. The managers of the companies can depict their leadership and governance skills through community projects because in this way they can develop employees and workforce for the future, manage the resources in the best possible way while preserving the environment and generating profits at the same time (Business in the Community). Task 4 Thermal power is the main source of electricity in most of the African countries particularly in Southern Africa. Water is very frequently used in thermal power stations for cooling purposes and therefore thermal power stations also involve the use of water. Changing climatic conditions of the world has rendered water as a scarce resource and therefore water management has become a major recommendation for ensuring sustainable development. Various measures are being taken to reduce the use of water in thermal power stations in South Africa and the results are quite encouraging as the electricity production through thermal sources rose by 43%, the corresponding increase in water consumption was 27%. Dry cooling technology is perhaps the most effective technique for reducing the use of water in thermal power stations as it does not involve direct use of water for cooling purposes but works on the principle of a vehicle radiator. The technique is very effective for reducing the use of water in thermal power stations as depicted by the figures; dry cooled power station only needs 0.1 to 0.08 liters of water per kWh as compared to 1.9 liters per kWh in a wet cooled power station, but the initial financial capital required is considerably high. A deep analysis must be carried out before deciding between wet or dry cooled power station as the competition is between water scarcity and economic burden (Drbal, Boston and Westra, 1996). Desalination is also a very good technique which can considerably reduce the use of water in thermal power stations because the water is treated to be reused again in the power station. This method is more environment friendly than dry cooled power station however the issue is again the high initial capital required for implementing the technique followed by high maintenance costs. Water metering and monitoring is also an effective technique through which the efficiency of using water in power plants can be increased however this cannot be a long termed solution as the amount of water required for power generation will still be sufficiently large even if used efficiently. Development of water infrastructure is the best option for solving this issue because the water scarcity in some of the regions of Africa, South Africa particularly, is self created because the natural water resources are not being harvested well. There are numerous sites on which dams can be built for storing water for various purposes but lack of water infrastructure results in passing down of huge amounts of usable water into the ocean every year. The development of water infrastructure will not only solve the issue of water scarcity but will also be helpful in preventing devastations of floods in the region (Goosen and Shayya, 2000). Task 5 Development of low pollution technologies and measures is one of the most important strategies essential for sustainable development because pollution is the main issue behind all the environmental problems being faced by human beings and planet Earth. The various barriers in the way of sustainable development are caused by technologies which pollute environment because pollution is the root cause of global climate change which has forced us to move towards sustainable development. Therefore sustainable development is impossible without the introduction of low pollution technologies and measures (Araujo, 2007). Energy and resource efficiency is also an imperative strategy for sustainable development because one of the very basic reasons behind the adoption of sustainable development is the scarcity of resources in the world. It is now an evident fact that the various natural resources in the world are coming to an end and therefore each and every resource must be used in the most efficient manner because most of the natural resources are essential for life. Efficiency in the use of energy is important because mismanaged use of energy and large energy leakages will result in increasing the exergy level of the world to such an extent that there will be no useable energy left in the world even if generated from renewable resources (Spoolman and Miller, 2011). The awareness about sustainable development among the people can only be developed through the promotion of community engagement projects. Each and every individual in this world needs to understand the fact that sustainable development is the only solution to the problems faced by man today and this understanding can be developed through close interaction with the community in the form of community engagement projects (Dalal-Clayton, 2002). These projects can be devised to work for the benefit of downtrodden people so that they can identify the opportunities available for improvement and work for the collective benefit of the whole world. Consultation of stake holders and provision of information regarding the various steps taken for the benefit of the society and the community is essential for sustainable development because this is the way of gaining popular support for taking big steps in pursuit of sustainable development because it is a global issue and the desired targets cannot be achieved without the collective effort of all stake holders and communities (Neefjes, 2000). Supporting Research and Development and Training is the best way to educate the people in the current scenario. Sustainable development is only possible through the development of innovative technology which can serve as alternative to the existing technology. R & D can ensure innovation in technology however the implementation of this technology in the best possible manner is only possible if people are properly trained. References Araujo, G. (2007) Strategies for Sustainability: scientific, social and legal aspects, global context – comparative view, Editora Pleiade Business in the Community, Vision and Values: how we work, [Online], Available: http://www.bitc.org.uk/about_bitc/vision_and_values/index.html [10 December 2011] Dalal-Clayton, D. and Bass, S. (2002) Sustainable Development Strategies, OECD Publishing. Drbal, L., Boston, P. and Westra, K. (1996) Power Plant Engineering, Springer. Goosen, M. and Shayya, W. (2000) Water Management, Purification and Conservation in Arid Climates, Technomic Publications. Guruswamy, L and McNeely, J. (1998) Protection of Global Diversity: converging strategies, Duke University Press. Mock, T. and Wernke, T. (2011) The Universal Principles of Sustainable Development, [Online], Available: www.triplepundit.com/2011/02/universal-principles-sustainable-development/ [9 December 2011] Muschett, F. (1997) Principles of Sustainable Development, Saint Lucie Press. Neefjes, K. (2000) Environments and Livelihoods: Strategies for Sustainability, Oxfam. Office of the Community and Voluntary Sector, Benefits of Community Participation, [Online], Available: http://www.goodpracticeparticipate.govt.nz/benefits-of-community-participation/index.html#top [10 December 2011]. Schrijver, N. and Weiss, F. (2004) International Law and Sustainable Development: principles and practice, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. Spoolman, S. and Miller, G. (2011) Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections and Solutions, Cengage Learning. Wood, A., Stedman-Edwards, P. and Mang, J. (2000) The Root Causes of Biodiversity Loss, Earthscan. Read More