SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, ALLIED HEALTH, SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Department of Biology Department of Biology MODULE 3 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT UNIT 1 Environmental Resource Management Environmental Management refers to a goal or vision, to an attempt to steer a process, to the applications of a set of tools, to a philosophical exercise seeking to establish new perspectives towards the environment and human societies (Barrow, 2005). Actual decisions and action concerning policy and practice regarding how resources and the environment are appraised, protected, allocated, developed, used, rehabilitated, remediated, and restored (Zurlini, 2015) A. Environmental Resources Environmental resources are generally described as all abiotic and biotic components of the environment that are used or can be used in the economic system. For example, soil, water, mineral, hydrogen, oxygen, trees, and animals. ➢ Environmental resources can be further classified as: 1. Renewable Resources - These are reproducible and in principle could be maintained perpetually. - Examples are forests, animals, and water 2. Non-renewable Resources - These resources can be regenerated, or the regeneration takes place so slowly that it will not significantly increase the stock of resources in any reasonable time span. - Examples are oil, gas, and minerals 3. Recyclable - resources that do not lose their properties when they are used in economic processes, thus can be reused in the economic system - Examples are minerals, paper, and glass - In theory, 100% of these resources could be recycled but for economic reasons only a fraction is recycled. 4. Non-recyclable - these resources are finite in the sense that once used, their stock is no more available for future use. - Examples are energy resources such as coal, gas, and oil - also include single use items jbliwanag 1 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, ALLIED HEALTH, SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Department of Biology Department of Biology FIG. 3.1.1 Renewable vs non-renewable energy https://www.thinglink.com/scene/618622344792899586 ➢ Considering the stages of development, environmental resources may also be referred to in the following ways: 1. Potential Resource - Resources that exist in a region and may be used in the future. - For example, petroleum may exist in many parts of India, but until the time it is drilled out and put into use, it remains a potential resource. 2. Actual Resource - Actual resources are those that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and are being used in present times. - The development of an actual resource, such as wood processing depends upon the technology available and the cost involved. 3. Reserve Resource - The part of an actual resource which can be developed profitably in the future. jbliwanag 2 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, ALLIED HEALTH, SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Department of Biology Department of Biology B. Management Entities Individuals or groups that are responsible for environmental resource management. 1. Government - provides the legal bases for managing the environment they formulate and implement laws, policies, presidential decrees, prohibitions, and penalties regarding the use of environmental resources 2. Industry - use environmental appropriate methods, meeting legal requirements, and taking proactive attitude towards using sound environmental management practices - The Environmental Management System (EMS) is a cycle involved in programs of organizations to meet their obligations to the environment since all activities are linked to the environment - raw materials – natural resources - production – waste generated (solid waste, air pollution, noise pollution) - transport – land, air, or water pollution - Investors should be encouraged to cooperate and establish a recycling unit to reuse/recycle the waste and produce raw materials/products that can be sold - Applications of Industrial Ecology (IE) concept as a potential method to help the construction industry to become a sustainable responsible business 3. Community - take responsibility for actions, active involvement in managing the environment, “thinking global and acting local” - should practice discipline, active participation, and overall respect 4. Research and Educational Institutions - information dissemination, data on environmental status, providing advice, participating in management initiatives Research institutes and universities should develop solutions to existing environmental problems and promote the concept of sustainable development 5. Church - the responsibility to God as the Creator has been a powerful incentive to proenvironmental concerns the church is tasked to remind, set examples, and initiate environmental project C. Management Principles 1. Environmentally Sustainable Development - Using, conserving, and enhancing the community’s resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now jbliwanag 3 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, ALLIED HEALTH, SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Department of Biology Department of Biology and in the future can be increased - Meeting current needs without compromising future needs, which also means economic improvement for the world’s poorest populations is possible without devastating the environment (Cunningham, 2015) 2. Precautionary Principle - Involves actions that could prevent any harm to the environment - Emphasis must be placed on anticipation and prevention of environmental damage - Precaution affects how science is conducted; how products, production processes, and activities are designed; how information is weighed in deciding, and who is involved in the decision process, all of which are designed to prevent environmental problems 3. Intergenerational Equity - The present generation should ensure that the health, diversity, and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations. - This represents a widely recognized principle of international environmental law providing for the preservation of natural resources and the environment for the benefit of future generations - Example: Paris Agreement: An environmental agreement signed in 2015 by almost all countries, agreeing to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, lowering the global temperature, reducing the negative impacts of climate change, thereby preserving the environment for future generations. 4. Environmental Considerations in Decision-making - This pertains to the government, industrial, and business sectors that should always take into consideration the impact of their decisions on the environment. - this is like precautionary principle but concentrates more on major projects and actions - The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)) is designed for this purpose; to evaluate the impact of a project on the environment, society, and health. - Example: The proposal to build a dam should be reviewed carefully in the context of its impact on the environment 5. Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecological Integrity - all environmental principles boil down to this fundamental principle - biological diversity is especially important for maintaining the balance in ecosystems - the future of the earth and all generations to come rely on biodiversity 6. Improved Valuation, Pricing, and Incentive Mechanisms - These mechanisms would enable environmental factors to be included in the valuation of goods and service - Valuation helps to manage environmental risks; and reflect the trade-offs and jbliwanag 4 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, ALLIED HEALTH, SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Department of Biology Department of Biology complementarities between environmental benefits and other forms of economic and social activities D. Management Models These are the steps involved in carrying out an environmental management project. It includes the elements of an Environmental Management Program Work Plan (Required by ISO 14001 – This sets out criteria for an environmental management system and can be certified to. The latest being the ISO 14005:2019) 1. Objective - This is the primary aim of a proposed environmental management program. - It includes the associated activity, its environmental aspect, the environmental impact, and possibly even the element of environmental policy that the environmental management program is related to. 2. Targets - This refers to the activities that need to be done to achieve the objective. - It also includes the performance indicators and time frame associated with the targets. - The Environmental Management System (EMS) Committee could also choose to include an explanation of why that particular target was selected, how it fits into a sequence of targets, and how it relates to other environmental targets of the enterprise. 3. Personnel - This refers to the management entities responsible for carrying out the overall program and its principal elements, and for achieving the targets and objective. - These responsible personnel should not be confused with employees who may carry out specific tasks under their supervision. 4. Tasks - A description of the basic tasks, in sequence including, for each task, who does what, the time in which it is done, reports and other documents (such as procedures and work instruction) to be generated, and the expected results. 5. Schedule - This refers to the timeframe for achieving the target and objective. - The only way to figure this out is to estimate, task-by-task, the time required. - Task- by-task schedule will be needed to make revisions in the work plan later - Schedule information could be represented as a bar chart or critical-path graphic. E. Management Mechanisms These are the methods or processes used to ensure proper environmental management from all management entities. jbliwanag 5 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF NURSING, ALLIED HEALTH, SCHOOL OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Department of Biology Department of Biology 1. Acts and Regulations - Acts are legislations passed by the parliament and contain specific regulations or guidelines on how an Act is to be applied - Example: Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act 2. Treaties and Agreements - These are contracts between two or more management entities, whether national or international - Example: Montreal Protocol. Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, and the Philippine Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) 3. Policies and Guidelines - These are sets of sets of statements and plans on what to do in a particular situation, and has been agreed upon by a ruling body - Example: PD 1151 or the Philippine Environmental Policy that contains guidelines on how to protect the right of the people to a healthy environment by requiring an environmental impact assessment (EIA) or environmental impact statement (EIS) 4. Principles - concepts that guide and help understand environmental processes - Examples: Precautionary Principle 5. Strategies and Plans - formulated before the implementation of a project to reduce the impact on the environment - Example: A plan to incorporate the costs of waste management in the operations budget of the company 6. Licenses and Permits - These are written promises to carry out an activity in accordance to laws - Example: Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) is issued if the environmental impact of a proposed project has been addressed or managed F. Environmental Resource Conservation and Preservation Environmental conservation is the objective of sustainable development; use but not abuse. Environmental preservation, on the other hand, is the use of the environment for aesthetic purposes only. No part of the environment should be used for other purposes. KEY CONCEPT: Environmental Resource Management entails the cooperation between and among national and international management entities in order to conserve and preserve the environment as guided by the various environmental principles, models, and mechanisms. jbliwanag 6