GS 5 UNIT: 7
Overview
Key unit competence: To be able to propose solutions about the impact human activities have on the environment.
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- 1. CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Environmental pollution is caused by several sources including mainly human activities. The sources include factories, transportation vehicles like cars, trains and plane. Types of pollution are the following:
- Air pollution
This refers to the contamination of air by smoke and harmful gases, mainly oxides of carbon, sulphur and nitrogen.
Some examples of air pollution include: exhaust fumes from vehicles; the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil or gas; harmful gases from things such as paint, plastic production; radiation spills,etc
- Land pollution
This is the degradation of the earth’s surface, caused by misuse of resources and improper disposal of waste.
Some examples include: litter found on road side; illegal dumping in natural habitats; oil spills that happen inland; logging practices such as deforestation; mining, …
Note that: Land pollution is responsible for damage done to natural habitat of animals, deforestation and damage to natural resources and general ’uglying’ up of our environment.
- Light pollution
This refers to the brightening of the sky inhabiting the visibility of stars and planets.
Some examples include: street lamps; unnecessary light around home; cities that run lights all the night.
- Noise pollution
This is any loud sound that is either harmful or annoying to humans and animals. Some examples include: air plane, helicopters and vehicles, construction and demolitions, human activities such as sports and music.
- Water pollution
This is the contamination of any water body like lakes, rivers, oceans, ground water, etc
Some examples of pollutants include: raw sewage, industrial waste pills, farm runoffs, illegal dumping of substances in water bodies.
- 2. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Some effects of pollution on sustainable development are the following:
- Effects on human beings
- Pollution can lead to premature death
- It can cause upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma
- Outbreak of cholera and other waterborne diseases
- It causes irritation to eyes, nose and throat infections, etc
- Effects on animals
- Acid rain harms animals and fish and other aquatic lives.
- Death of animals
- Outbreak of waterborne diseases, etc
- Effects on plants
- Acid rain destroys plant leaves and kills trees
- Ozone gas destroys some types of vegetation
- Polluted water can cause plant diseases, etc
- Effects on ecosystem
- Acid rain makes the soil unfit for living things that depend on it as a habitat or for nutrition.
- Acid rain destroys sea ecosystem
- Pollution of water can cause disruption of food chains
- Destruction of ecosystems, etc
Briefly, these kinds of environmental pollution are linked to health issues in human, animals and plants life.
- 3. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The table below shows the relationship between poverty and environmental issues:
Poverty indicator | Environmental issues |
| With poor housing, the level of hygiene is very low. This often leads to water pollution and outbreak of diseases. |
| The overpopulation leads to very dirty environments that expose the inhabitants to many health hazards. |
| Lack of access to clean water leads to very dirty houses and environment. |
| Due to high level of poverty, there are no facilities such as waste disposal facilities. This leads to unhealthy living environments. |
- 4. PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Some of the major principles of environmental management are the following:
- Polluter pays principle(PPP): this is a practice in which those who produce pollution are required to bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health and the environment. E.g : Some factories.
- Protection principle: This is the principle that aims at protecting important areas and habitats. E.g: wetlands, forests, parks.
- Sustainability and intergenerational equity principle: This is a principle that addresses sustainability by looking at the past injustice and establishing how they affect present-day social, economic and ecological aspects of society. E.g.: Improvement of resource management, social cohesion, governance, etc
- Cooperation principle: This is the principle that requires the contribution of all society’s members to do their part in environmental management.
- Sensitization principle: This principle aims at creating awareness among members of the society about the need for environmental management and ways of doing it.
E.g: In Rwanda, sensitization principle is achieved through campaigns on environmental conservation.
- 5. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
Environmental Management Standards are set of voluntary environmental management standards guided by ” International System Organisation (ISO)” which specifies the requirements for protecting the environment. They guide operating practices, products and services by:
- Maintaining excellent public relations
- Obtaining insurance at reasonable cost
- Improving cost control by identifying and eliminating wastes
- Reducing consumption of material and hence minimizing wastes
In our country, Rwanda, we have “Environment Management Authority” (REMA) .
- 6. TOOLS USED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
As it is cited above, REMA is the principal agency responsible for the management of the environment in Rwanda. But there are other tools used for environment management.
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): it is the process used to prevent negative effects and encourage positive impacts and assist the rational use of natural resources to maximize the benefits of socio-economic development projects and ensuring sustainable development.
For example: construction and repair of roads, large bridge, industries and factories, public dams for water conservation, large hotels,etc
- Environmental reporting tool: this is used to find out if there are threatened species such pollutant emissions in an area.
- Environmental inspection tool: this tool helps individuals to determine whether their area of interest has natural environmental significance and whether it is protected.
- Environmental audit tool: this is whereby waste management systems are audited to ensure accountability of the environment impact assessment processes.
- Environmental education tool. Global issues such as environment degradation, pollution, soil erosion, growing population are of concern to parents, educators, other stakeholders and government.
The above tools are important as they help in environmental planning and auditing management system, standards, labeling and lastly minimizing environmental impact.
- 7. EVOLUTION OF INDUSTRIES
There has been an evolution of industries over time. The following are some of the stages in this evolution:
i) Hunting and fishing stage/ family stage
At this stage, the work of getting goods was done mainly in the single family. Each family produced most of the things which its members consumed. This stage was marked by the following characteristics:
- There was little exchange or transfer of goods
- There was little division of labour
- There were no economic classes and no industrial conflicts
- There existed hunting tribes and fishing tribes
ii) Pastoral stage
This is the stage where man had learned the art of making a few simple tools like bows and arrows and primitive stone implements to make hunting and food preparation easier. This stage was marked by the following developments:
- Domestication of animals for food
- Migration in search of pasture for domesticated animals
- Community/ tribe land ownership
- The origin of exchange( barter trade system)
iii) Agricultural stage
This is the stage where man learned how to manage plants and how to grow them for food. This stage was marked by the following developments:
- Agriculture, as a means of support, was added to the keeping of flocks and to the hunting.
- Private ownership of land starts
- Trade, influenced by the love of luxury, took place in a low scale.
- Laws and customs reflecting ideas and defining how to live
iv) Handicraft stage/ Guild stage
This is the stage where man learned how to make things with his hands. This stage was marked by the following developments:
- Weaving fabrics and fashioning things in wood and metal
- Division of occupation: blacksmiths, shoemakers, weavers, etc
- Commerce expanded
- Introduction of money in form of gold, silver or other acceptable forms of trading
- Emergence of cities on the coasts and major rivers
v) Domestic stage/ Cottage stage
At this stage, work was done at home, hence the name domestic. The following were the major developments in this stage:
- All manufacture of products like textiles was done at home and on a small scale
- Major activity was converting wool to clothes
- If a worker did not work in his own home, he could work in a small workshop.
- Coal mines to fuel local cottage emerged.
vi) Present stage/ Factory stage
This is the stage where the factory system developed because of industrial revolution, which completely changed the methods of production of goods. The following were the major developments in this stage:
- Requisite products or goods were produced in large scale in the buildings
- The modern system of production satisfies the economic needs of individuals, communities and countries by manufacturing products/goods in factories.
- This system utilizes men, materials, machines and methods to meet the market demands.
IMPACT OF PROGRESS OF SCIENCE( INDUSTRIES) ON CLIMATE CHANGE
- High temperatures are projected to bring increasingly severe imputes on global scale which include; low lying coastal areas leading to migration of people and growing risk to human health.
- Damages to sensitive ecosystem such as wetlands that regulate water flows.
- Global warming that has led to temperature increase due to emission of carbon dioxide and the greenhouse gases from human activities.
- Shift in animal habitats such as migration of birds and mammals
- Decreased sea ice habitat, hence leading to droughts
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
1. The first major health impact is rise in rates of mortality and diseases caused by extreme weather changes. These include floods, droughts, tsunami, e.t.c.
2. Higher temperatures pose major health risks to older people such as farmers and builders who suffer from heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
3. Effect on human society and economic development raising rates of multinutrition and mental health due to crop failure which results to hunger.
4. Infectious diseases spread faster under extreme weather conditions.
5. Aquatic life perishes
6. Mass migration of animals, birds and people to new habitats which can be unsafe