Reviewer for Finals in Environmental Science, Study notes of Environmental Science

Download Reviewer for Finals in Environmental Science and more Study notes Environmental Science in PDF only on Docsity! Fin R E V I E W E R Eninta Sne Environmental Management Environment - coined from the French word “environia”, which means "to surround". - includes all the living and non-living components close to us and with whom we have daily interactions which are necessary for our survival. Management - identifying or planning issues, doing or implementing the planning outcomes, and checking, or verifying the implemented arrangements that are topped by review and improvement of all the phases of the management cycle. Environmental Management - is dened as the process of safeguarding the environment by monitoring humans’ interaction with their environments and the various components in them - We can evaluate the impact of human activities on the environment through it - helps us to control and limit the damage caused to the environment due to such activities. - involves environmental protection and sustainability, wildlife management, forest management, soil management, human resource management, water resource management, natural resource management, etc. - also includes the components of the biophysical environment and the human environment, like the social, cultural, political, and economic environments. - approach to environmental stewardship which integrates ecology, policy-making, planning and social development - refers to decisions and actions regarding how to allocate or develop resources; and how to use, restore, rehabilitate, monitor or evaluate environmental change. - involves decisions, strategies, programs and projects to use or protect the environment in order to meet broader social objectives - Goals: 1. the prevention and resolution of environmental problems; 2. establishing limits; 3. establishing and nurturing institutions that eectively support environmental research, monitoring and management; 4. warning of threats and identifying opportunities; 5. sustaining and, if possible improving, existing resources; 6. where possible improving ‘quality of life’; Reel | 1 7. identifying new technology or policies that are useful. - Importance: 1. reduces the chances of risk of environmental incidents like oil spills in oceans or forest res, or the blowing up of coal mines, thereby ensuring environmental protection. 2. helps improve public health and the overall health of the ecosystem by minimizing the harm done due to the negligence of big companies and promoting environmental protection. 3. achieving optimum utilization of resources by following proper order and maintaining consistency throughout the process. Harmful Activities Leading to Many Severe Changes in Our Environment 1. Extinction and endangerment of various species of plants and animals that are necessary to maintain balance in the ecosystem. 2. It is leading to the pollution of oceans and the drying out of dierent water bodies like seas, rivers, and lakes. It is melting snow and ice on mountains due to global warming. 3. Depletion of the ozone layer, wiping up fossil fuels, emission of harmful gasses like chlorouorocarbon (CFC), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), and other toxic gasses into the air from factories and vehicles. 4. Accumulation of plastic waste in every layer of the lithosphere, and dangerous wildres are destroying acres of forests. Such harmful activities have been going on for generations, leading to many severe changes in our environment. and millions of animals in it. Environmental Management System (EMS) - a system that manages the environmental risks and impacts within a company or organization. It involves legislation and operational practices - essential set of processes and practices that enable an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating eciency. - The EMS provides a framework that helps a company achieve its environmental goals through consistent control of its operations. - The EMS itself does not dictate a level of environmental performance that must be achieved; each company’s EMS is tailored to the company’s business and goals. - 3 types: a. ISO 14001 - All types and sizes of organizations can use this system. - It describes the various requirements necessary for environmental management certication, including formulating policies and objectives, signicant environmental aspects, prevention of pollution, and improved overall environment. Reel | 2 3. LAWS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT (INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL LAWS) PHILIPPINE CLEAN AIR ACT OF 1999 (R.A. 8749) - The law aims to achieve and maintain clean air that meets the National Air Quality guideline values for criteria pollutants, throughout the Philippines, while minimizing the possible associated impacts to the economy. 4. TOXIC SUBSTANCES, HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTE CONTROL ACT OF 1990 (R.A. 6969) - The law aims to regulate, restrict or prohibit the importation, manufacture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures the present unreasonable risk to human health. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) STATEMENT OF 1978 (Presidential Decree 1586) - Facilitate the attainment and maintenance of rational and orderly balance between socio-economic development and environmental protection. Climate Change - Refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. - These shifts may be natural - 1800s - Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Weather - The state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc. - It can be observed only for a short period of time. - It may dier from just cities or provinces. Climate - The weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period. - Climate can be the same for an entire region or nation. Causes of Climate Change 1. Greenhouse eect - Sunlight passes through the atmosphere to earth. At earth’s surface it’s reected back through the atmosphere to space, but after it is reected, greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere 2. Greenhouse Gasses - act like a big blanket around the earth, trapping heat after it is reected from earth Reel | 5 - occur naturally in the atmosphere - Without them, the earth would be very cold ( about minus 18°C). All water on earth would freeze, the oceans would turn to ice and life as we know it would not exist. 3. Human Activities - Greenhouse gases have rapidly increased in the atmosphere due to human activities - Electricity from coal or diesel generators and industry or pollution from factories contribute the most 4. Global Warming - greenhouse gases trap more heat in the atmosphere which leads to global warming - 1880 - global temp has increased by almost 1°C - Increased of global warming depends on how greenhouse gas is released - Temp could rise by almost 5°C by 2100 (IPCC, AR5). However, countries around the world agreed to keep this below 2°C - Humans have added so much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere, that even if all emissions stopped today, the planet would still continue to warm for decades to come 5. Global Warming and Water Cycle - Global warming intensies the water cycle - Higher temps increase evaporation of water from sea, lakes, rivers - Warmer air holds more water vapour, resulting in more intense rainstorms. This can lead to ooding - More oods where water runs o into rivers and streams, does little to dampen the soil. This and increased temps can lead to drought - Weather patterns across the world are eected over time Hazards and Impacts of Climate Change - exacerbating a range of weather related hazards around the world - makes some hazards more frequent - makes some hazards more intense - impact people around the world Reel | 6 Eect Hazard Impact Changing Seasons - Delayed Seasons - Season’s may be intense - Crops may die - Income may be lost - Water availability Drier and longer droughts - Water shortage - Desertication - Increase rate of wildres - Crops and animals may die - Less water supply - Migration High temperature and heat waves - Heat stroke - Water shortage - Sea level rise - People and animals may die - Food shortage - Damage to forests Melting glaciers - Sea level rise - Increased warming - Flooding - Biodiversity loss Climate Change Mitigation - Action taken to stop climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Climate Change Adaptation - Action taken to deal with climate change impacts and reduce the eects on lives, livelihoods and ecosystems. EL NIÑO and LA NIÑA El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO Cycle) - scientic term that describes the uctuations in temperature between the ocean and atmosphere in the east-central Equatorial Pacic (approximately between the International Date Line and 120 degrees West). - La Niña is sometimes referred to as the cold phase of ENSO - El Niño as the warm phase of ENSO - These deviations from normal surface temperatures can have large-scale impacts not only on ocean processes, but also on global. - El Niño and La Niña episodes typically last nine to 12 months, but some prolonged events may last for years. - They often begin to form between June and August, reach peak strength between December and April, and then decay between May and July of the following year. - While their periodicity can be quite irregular, El Niño and La Niña events occur about every three to ve years. - Typically, El Niño occurs more frequently than La Niña. El Niño - ''The Little Boy'', or Christ Child in Spanish. 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