WSU 101 - SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES, CHALLENGES & PROSPECTS Balancing Economics and Ecology Provide knowledge on the characteristics and concepts of sustainable development Exposing students to sustainability projects Provide skills to students to manage a program oriented to sustainable development COURSE SYNOPSIS & OBJECTIVE S • This course present the important of environmental sustainability with economic growth and welfare • This course present introduce the principles and applications of sustainable consumption and production concepts Enable students to apply sustainable development education in their respective disciplines To increase students' awareness in practicing sustainable development for guaranteeing the continuity of future 2 generations COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES CLO 1 CLO 2 CLO 3 Present the topic of the assignment effectively Perform tasks in groups. Adhere to moral and ethical values in meeting the needs of course learning activities. 3 The combination of a growing population and increased economic activity all come at a cost to the environment. As our populations increase, so do solid waste and pollution. As our economies grow, so does the appetite for resources extracted from the earth. Non-sustainable use of natural resources, without accounting for their value, could become a major threat to the long-term economic growth. “Growth in materials use, coupled with the environmental consequences of material extraction, processing and waste, is likely to increase the pressure on the resource bases of our economies and jeopardise future gains in well-being.” Angel Gurría, formal OECD Secretary-General 4 • The United Nations Environment Programme’s sixth Global Environment Outlook, or GEO-6, is the world's most comprehensive environmental report • The Regional Assessment for Asia & the Pacific (2016 UNEP’s GEO-6) indicated that the region’s material consumption accounted for more than 50 percent of global consumption in 2015. • UNEP’s the Resource Efficiency: Economics and Outlook (REEO) report (2011) confirmed that material resource consumption would increase 3 times in 2050 compared to 2005 in Asia-Pacific region. • Even if resource and energy efficiency increase by 50%, resource consumption continues to expand with supply demands. • UNEP’s GEO-6 2019 calls on decision makers to take immediate action to address pressing environmental issues to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals as well as other Internationally Agreed Environment Goals, such as the Paris Agreement. Source: https://www.unep.org/resources/global-environment-outlook-6 Developing economies need to increase its resource efficiency Developed economies need to shift policy and investment for systems innovation towards decreasing 5 resource consumption. Facts Each year, an estimated one third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices. If people worldwide switched to energy efficient light bulbs the world would save US$120 billion annually Should the global population reach 9.6 to 10 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets could be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles. At least 1.5 billion people consume products and services through e-commerce platforms, and global e-commerce sales reached US$26.7 trillion in 2019, according to a recent UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report Source: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal8; https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12 Resource Efficiency and Sustainable Development • Natural resources are critically important for economic development, poverty eradication and environmental sustainability - all three pillars of Sustainable Development • Sustainable Development Goal 8…..Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all • 8.4 improve progressively through 2030 global resource efficiency in consumption and production, and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation… • Sustainable Development Goal 12….. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns • 12.2 By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources… 7 Resource Efficiency • Resource efficiency means using the Earth's limited resources in a sustainable manner while minimizing impacts on the environment. • Resource efficiency is defined as the efficiency with which materials and energy are used throughout an economy – that is, the added value per unit of resource input or emissions output • It allows to create more with less and to deliver greater value with less input. 8 Material footprint calculator Have some fun with this calculator https://www.ressourcen-rechner.de/?lang=en ACTIVITY Calculate and summarize the amount of raw materials being consumed by a lifestyle. It considers five domains: consumer goods, housing, leisure (including travel), nutrition, and mobility.. Share with us… Submit to open-learning. The results give the user’s result, compared to the average, and to the sustainable target for 2030. 20XX PITCH DECK 9 World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. The UN General Assembly designates 5 June 1972 as World Environment Day, marking the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. The event led by UNEP and held annually since 1973, has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. World Environment Day puts a global spotlight on the pressing environmental challenges of our times. It has become the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. 10 Nature and biodiversity loss • Ecosystem degradation affects the well-being of an estimated 3.2 billion people, or 40 per cent of the world’s population. • Restoring 15 per cent of converted lands while stopping further conversion of natural ecosystems can prevent 60 per cent of expected species extinctions. • Every year, we lose ecosystem services worth more than 10 per cent of our global economic output • Around one-third of the world’s farmland is degraded, about 87 per cent of inland wetlands worldwide have disappeared since 1700 and one-third of commercial fish species are overexploited. • Food systems are responsible for 80% of biodiversity loss, and 80% of all agricultural land is for livestock and its feed, while providing only 20% of calories. 11 Source: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/did-you-know/facts-figures Pollution • Air pollution causes about 7 million premature deaths every year, one in nine of all deaths. • Nine out of 10 people breathe unclean air, making it the most significant environmental health risk of our time. • Only 57 per cent of countries have a legal definition for air pollution. In 2019, 92 per cent of people experienced air pollution in excess of safe World Health Organization guidelines. • The most recent SDG monitoring cycle revealed that over 3 billion people are at risk because they don’t know enough about the health of surface and groundwater resources. • Fossil fuel and the production of iron and steel, and construction materials lead to large energyrelated emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollution. Metals extraction and use have a wide range of polluting consequences, including toxic effect on humans and ecosystems. • All major pollutants impact the climate, and most share common source with greenhouse gases. Improving air quality will improve human and environmental health while mitigating climate change. 12 Source: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/did-you-know/facts-figures Waste • Marine litter and plastic pollution endanger human, wildlife and ecosystem health and alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystem’ ability to adapt to the climate crisis. • Under a business-as-usual scenario, annual plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14 million tons in 2016 to 23-37 million tons by 2040. • The total global economic cost of marine plastic pollution on tourism, fisheries and aquaculture is estimated to have been US$6-19 billion in 2018. The ocean generates US$2.5 trillion in goods and services a year and directly contribute to approximately 31 million full time jobs. • From 1950 to 2017, an estimated 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic was produced, 7 billion tons of which has become waste. 13 Source: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/did-you-know/facts-figures Climate change • To limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. • There is a 50 per cent chance that global warming will exceed 1.5°C in the next two decades. • Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is responsible for more than 25 per cent of the warming we are experiencing today. • The climate crisis causes extreme weather events that kill or displace thousands and result in economic losses measured in the trillions. • Investments in renewable energy can deliver high economic multipliers, have high potential to crowd-in private investment and are an important step on the road to economy-wide decarbonization. • Even under the most optimistic scenario where net-zero is reached by 2050, global warming will continue in the short to medium term, potentially levelling off at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 14 Source: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/did-you-know/facts-figures The Big Picture • We are using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our current way of life, and ecosystems cannot keep up with our demands. • The gap between what we need to spend to adapt and what we are actually spending is widening. Estimated costs of adaptation continue to rise and could reach US$280-500 billion per year by 2050 for developing countries alone. • Individuals and civil society must play a key role in raising awareness and urging governments and the private sector to make large-scale changes. 15 Source: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/did-you-know/facts-figures #beatplasticpollution #WorldEnvironmentDay World Environment Day is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. It calls for collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet. Since the 1970s, the rate of plastic production has grown faster than that of any other material. If historic growth trends continue, global production of primary plastic is forecasted to reach 1,100 million tonnes by 2050. We have also seen a worrying shift towards single-use plastic products, items that are meant to be thrown away after a single short use. However, do you realise the impact the plastic you use makes on the world around you? If you can't reuse it, refuse it. Watch the resource here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw-uYRKNJ_w This video calls for collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet. ACTIVITY We have seen a lot of positive action, but the truth is that we all need to do more and turn off the tap on plastic pollution at the source. THE FUTURE IS A DECISION. YOURS. Make it a world-changing one. Acknowledge and promote those who are creating better real solutions to plastic pollution. 1. Take a photo or video of the solution 2. Share it in open learning and tag in your social media with the line: Hi @...... thank you for doing better to #BeatPlasticPollution this #WorldEnvironmentDay! World Environment Day on 5 June is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by UNEP and held annually since 1973, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. The 2023 World Environment Day campaign #beatplasticpollution. It is a reminder that people’s actions on plastic pollution matters. 17 ANY QUESTION? THANK YOU Ir. Ts. Dr. Chang Chun Kiat +604-5995468 redac10@usm.my 19
