Industrial Ecology - Essay Example

________ ________ Env. S ____ (Day), (Time)______ INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY INFORMATIONAL Industrial pollution is one of the major causes of concern both in developed and developing nations. The depletion of nonrenewable resources and degradation of renewal resources and degrading ecological health can endanger the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Industrial ecology is a systematic approach which will provide a holistic view of environmental problems, making them easier to identify and solve. Industrial ecology will aid industry in minimizing harmful waste and in maximizing the economical use of waste and also use of products at the ends of their lives as inputs to other processes and industries. This paper highlights few important issues on industrial pollution and also provides sustainable solution through industrial ecology. (# of words = 115) KEY ISSUES AND FACTS 1. The industrial sector is one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy and plays an essential role in economic development and the alleviation of poverty. 2. If environmental considerations are not effectively integrated into the design of industrial processes, the implications can be manifold. 3. Industries, in general, consume 37 per cent of the world’s energy and emit 50 per cent of world’s CO2, 90 per cent of world’s SO2 and nearly all of its toxic chemicals. 4. The severity of some of the local impacts of industry and the high cost of remediation industry is becoming an increasingly sensitive issue. 5. Developing economies with low levels of industrialization are gradually shifting their dependence from agriculture to the industrial sector, while developed economies, with a high level of industrialization, are shifting from the industrial to the service sector. 6. The production of industrial chemicals has been shifting to the developing world (mostly South Asian countries). In 1990, this industry’s annual rate of growth was 5.6 per cent in the developing countries, compared with a mere 1 per cent in the developed world (State of the Environment - South Asia 2001, 71-86). 7. Water supplies are falling while the demand is dramatically growing at an unsustainable rate. Over the next 20 years, the average supply of water worldwide per person is expected to drop by a third. 8. By the middle of this century, seven billion people in 60 countries may be faced with water scarcity (at least 2 billion in 48 countries will face such a harsh reality). 9. One litre of wastewater pollutes about eight litres of freshwater. An estimated 12,000 km³ of polluted water worldwide, which is more than the total amount contained in the world’s ten largest river basins at any given moment. Therefore, if pollution keeps pace with population growth, the world will effectively lose 18,000 km³ of freshwater by 2050 – almost nine times the total amount countries currently use each year for irrigation, which is by far the largest consumer of the resource. 10. Asian rivers are the most polluted in the world, with three times as many bacteria from human waste as the global average. These rivers have 20 times more lead than those of industrialized countries. 11. Food industry: Producing a fast food lunch--hamburger, french fries, and a soft drink--uses 1500 gallons of water. This includes the water needed to raise the potatoes, the grain for the bun and the grain needed to feed the cattle, and the production of the soda (WWF International, 2003). 12. The Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years. Scaling this time down to 46 years we have been around for 4 hours and our Industrial Revolution began just 1 minute ago. During this short time period we have ransacked the planet for ways to get fuels and raw materials, have been the cause of extinction of an unthinkable amount of plants and animals, and have multiplied our population to that of a plague (Save our earth). 13. According to Scorecard, over 20,000 industrial facilities in the US produce over 4 billion pounds of toxic chemicals that could leak into our environment.  In 1996, total production-related waste from industries amounted to 23 billion pounds.  As of 2002, the two top industrial polluters in the US were involved in metal mining.  Other common polluters published in this top 100 list were companies that offer sanitary services as well as electricity and gas utilities.  Chemical pollutants harm us in two major ways: destroying and depleting the earth’s ozone layer and creating cancer, non-cancer and toxicity-related illnesses (Grassroots.org, 2006). KEY TERMS AND PHRASES 1. Industrial ecology is the shifting of industrial process from open loop systems, in which resource and capital investments move through the system to become waste, to a closed loop system where wastes become inputs for new processes. 2. Sustainable development is a process of developing (land, cities, business, communities, etc) that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" according to the Brundtland Report, a 1987 report from the United Nations. One of the factors which it must overcome is environmental degradation but it must do so while not forgoing the needs of economic development as well as social equity and justice. 3. Ecology is the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how these properties are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment. The environment of an organism includes both the physical properties, which can be described as the sum of local abiotic factors like climate and geology, as well as the other organisms that share its habitat. 4. Environmental pollution is the release of environmental contaminants, generally resulting from human activity. Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides produced by industry and motor vehicles are common air pollutants. 5. Pollutants are substances which directly or indirectly damage us or the environment. Many of the compounds which are dangerous to the environment can also be harmful to us in the long-term and come from mineral and fossil sources, like petroleum (Wikipedia, 2006). SOLUTIONS 1. Zero emission: chances and ways to move from leaky to looped systems, and plausible scenarios for the transition from leaks to loops, especially for energy. 2. Materials substitution: opportunities for changes in material properties to reduce environmental burdens and the time scales for improved or new materials to occupy markets. 3. Dematerialization: trends in delivering equal or more services with less stuff. 4. Decarbonization: evolution of the energy system for more service while burning less carbon, through more low-carbon fuel (natural gas) or no-carbon fuel (hydrogen) and through more efficient generation, distribution and use. 5. Functionality economy: conceiving industries anew as satisfying wants (e.g., floor coverings) rather than selling goods (e.g., carpets). 6. The report also explores methods for discovering and measuring progress, including: Materials flow and balance analyses (pioneered at RFF, see accompanying article by Allen Kneese): Comprehensive accounting for industrial ecosystems at several levels (firm, sector, region) by elements (such as chlorine or cadmium) and by sectors (such as wood products or automotive). 7. Indicators: Intensity-of-use, waste-to-product ratios and a suite of other metrics or compasses need to be developed and tested to guide the economy to get more out of material and leak less. (Ausubel, 130:14) CONCLUSIONS, ANALYSIS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Environmental pollution caused by the growing number of industry is a major cause of concern. Environmental problems are systemic and thus require a systems approach so that the connections between industrial practices/human activities and environmental/ ecological processes can be more readily recognized. It is essential to begin with understanding the primary goals of industrial ecology which is to promote sustainable development at the global, regional, and local levels. Key principles inherent to sustainable development include: the sustainable use of resources, preserving ecological and human health, and the promotion of environmental equity. Finally, industrial ecology is meant to promote the sustainable use of renewable resources and minimal use of nonrenewable ones. Industrial activity is dependent on a steady supply of resources and thus should operate as efficiently as possible. Although in the past mankind has found alternatives to diminished raw materials, it can not be assumed that substitutes will continue to be found as supplies of certain raw materials decrease or are degraded. Thus, depletion of nonrenewable and degradation of renewable must be minimized in order for industrial activity to be sustainable in the long term (Ausubel, 130:14). Every industry needs to give top priority for industrial ecology and need to preserve the environment. It is equally important for implementing laws to regulate the waste disposal systems of industries. Sustainable development will not only help the present generation but also the future generations. REFERENCES Ausubel, J.H. Industrial Ecology: A Coming of Age Story Resources 130:14 (Winter 1998). 2 March 2006. Grassroots.org, 2006 Which Industry Pollutes the Most? 2 March 2006. Save our earth, Facts and Figures Did You Know? 2 March 2006. State of the Environment - South Asia 2001, Industrial pollution. 71-86, 1 March 2006. Wikipedia, Industrial ecology 1 March 2006. WWF International, 2003, Water Facts and Figures 1 March 2006. Read More