SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

ISSUES

Maryam Zafar
M. Phil NUST
President Gold Medalist
 CSS Syllabus
• I. History of Environmental Thought :- Environment and Sustainable Development, History of Environmental Movements,
Industrial and Agriculture Revolution, United Nations Conference on Human Environment 1972, Our Common Future 1987,
Rio Summit 1992, Agenda 21, World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002, Millennium Development Goals.

• Population growth, Poverty,

II. Sustainable Development Issues :-

Biodiversity loss and its Conservation,

Energy security (energy conservation and
alternative energy resources), Urbanization
and sustainable cities, Carrying capacity and
ecological footprint. Food security and
sustainable agriculture. Ecological
restoration.
• III. Interdisciplinary nature of Environmental Science :-Orientation on convergence of various social and natural sciences to
evolve a new discipline of environmental science: Environmental Biology, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Physics,
Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Toxicology, Environmental Economics, Environmental Geology, Environmental
Geography, Environmental Biotechnology, Environmental Sociology.

• IV. Environmental Pollution :-Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Soil Pollution, Noise Pollution, Solid Waste, Water Logging &
Salinity, Deforestation, Desertification, Eutrophication, Global and regional air pollution problems (Greenhouse effect, Global
Warming/Climate Change, Ozone Depletion, Acid Rain).
 cont…..
• V. Climate Change:- Climate Pattern at local, regional and global scale. Different types of climate
including tropical and mid latitude climate, polar climates. Climate change processes, Drivers and
Indicators of Climate Change, Effects of Climate Chang on natural and societal systems. Carbon
foot print. Climate change adaptation and mitigation, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM),
REDD+. Global environmental politics on climate change: role of India, China and USA
(Copenhagen Accord 2009).

• VI. Environmental Governance :- Policy, legal and institutional frameworks for governance of
environment in Pakistan: National Conservation Strategy of 1992, National Environmental Policy
Act of Pakistan 2005, Environmental Protection Act of 1997, Pak-EPA (Review of IEE/EIA)
Regulations 2000, Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005, Pollution Charge Rules, Sample Rules,
Solid Waste Management Plan 2005, Hazardous Substances Rules 2005, National Drinking Water
Policy 2009, Sanitation Policy, National Climate Change Policy 2012.

• VII. Global initiatives:- Brief on some of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements ratified by
Pakistan, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on
Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention),
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS), United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Kyoto Protocol to UNFCCC, Montreal Protocol on
Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD).

• VIII. Environmental Assessment and Management :-Environmental Impact Assessment, Strategic

Environmental Assessment, Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14000), Occupational
Health & Safety management systems (OHSAS 18000), Participatory Approaches to Environmental
Management, Technological Approaches to Environmental Management, Approaches to Solid
Waste Management, Disaster Risk Management, Pollution Control Technologies, Geographic
Information System & Remote Sensing, Natural Resources Management.
Population growth
 Population growth
• A population can be defined as “a
group of individuals of the same
species inhabiting an area”.

• The very great and continuing

increase in human population in
modern times is termed as
Population explosion.
 Population Characteristics
• Nasality refers to the number of individuals added to the population through
reproduction.
• Birth rate is the number of individuals born per one thousand individuals in the
population in one year
• Mortality is the number of deaths per year. In human population studies,
mortality is usually discussed in terms of the death rate, the number of
individuals who die per one thousand individuals in the population per year.
• Population Density is population size in relation to some unit of space and time.
It varies with food availability and climatic conditions.
• Population Age Distribution refers to the individuals of different age groups in a
population.
• Biotic Potential is the maximum reproductive power.
• Emigration: The number of individuals going out from a population to join
another population in a new locality resulting in decrease of the original
population.
• Immigration: It is the addition of new individuals to the population from other
localities.
 Population Growth

• Biological Reasons for Population Growth

• Obviously, the most important determinant
of the rate at which human populations
grow is related to the number of women in
the population who are having children
and the number each will have.

• The total fertility rate of a population is

the number of children born per woman
per lifetime.
 Some factors that have helped the
population growth are:
• High production of food and better
technologies for storage, processing and
distribution.
• Better medical facilities provided during
childbirth and under five years age by
immunization.
• In the developed countries, population has
started declining because of:
– Better medical and family planning facilities.
– The educated people who know about ‘the
abuses of overpopulation have small family.
 Factors Controlling Population
Growth
• Man is the only one who has regulated his population
by developing new astonishing technologies for better
and secured future on one hand. And on other hand,
it has created a problem of population explosion.

Some factors are:

• Famines in a country or state lead to destruction.
• Natural calamities like floods, droughts, earthquakes
and volcanic eruptions, hurricanes etc. lead to death
of thousands of people.
• Epidemic diseases, endemic diseases wipe a big
number of populations.
• Wars cause heavy casualties.
• Unnatural accidents caused during transportation,
fires etc.
 Human Population: Malthus’s Human Population
Theory

• In 1798 T.R. Malthus published an

essay on population; the great
economist outlined the problem of
population graphically and stated that
human population tends to increase in
geometrical pattern (1-2-4-8.......)
whereas the food production increases
by arithmetic progression (1-2-3-
4.........). This is called as theory of
human population growth proposed by
Malthus.
 Consequences of Continued Population
Growth

• It can lead to depletion of resources.

• Severe competition for food and space.
• Increase in psychological stress and strain.
• Rapid pollution of environment.
• Large scale unemployment.
Measures to Control overpopulation

• To educate the people about the abuses

of overpopulation (Population
education), food production, self-
employment.
• To provide free family planning aids
(Family planning methods).
• Motivating people to undergo
sterilization process (Birth control).
• More incentives to families observing
family planning norms (Limited family)
• By imposing legal restrictions (by laws).
BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
 Biodiversity
• Biodiversity is the vast array of all the
species of plants, animals, insects and
the microorganisms inhabiting the
earth either in the aquatic or the
terrestrial habitats. The human
civilization depends directly or
indirectly upon this biodiversity for
their very basic needs of survival–food,
fodder, fuel, fertilizer, timber, liquor,
rubber, leather, medicines and several
raw materials.
Three fundamental and hierarchically
related levels of biological organisms
• Genetic diversity: It includes the
genetic variations within species
• Species diversity: It includes full range
of species from micro organisms to
giants and mammoth varieties of
plants and animals
• Ecosystems diversity: It studies
variation in the biological communities
in which species live, exist and interact.
 LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
• Natural Causes: Species arise through
processes of mutation, isolation, and
natural selection.
• Human-Caused Extinction: In a
variety of ways through ignorance or
carelessness
Direct impact Indirect impact
Hunting and food Gathering Habitat destruction
Fishing Exotic species Introductions
Trade in Animal Products Diseases
Harvesting wild plants Pollution
Pet and scientific trade
Predator and pest control
 Measuring Biodiversity
• Diversity can be defined as the number of
species found in a community.
• Alpha Diversity: It indicates the number of
species in a single community. The index can be
used to compare the number of species in
different ecosystem type.
• Beta Diversity: It indicates the degree to which
species composition changes along an
environmental gradient.
• Gamma Diversity: It indicates the rate at which
additional species are encountered as
geographical replacements within a habitat type
in different localities
 The Value of Biodiversity
• Direct Values: Direct values account for consumptive and productive uses.
• Food Resources: Grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, condiments, tea-coffee,
tobacco, liquor, oil from plant resources; and meat, fish, egg, milk (and milk
products), honey, etc. from animal resources.
• Other Resources: Medicine, fuel, timber, household accessories, fodder, fiber,
fertilizer, wool, leather, paint, resin, wax, Ornamental plants, rubber, creams,
silk, feathers, decorative items, etc.
• Indirect Values: Indirect values dictate the non-consumptive uses and options
for the future.
• Carbon fixing through photosynthesis, which provides the support system for
species
• Maintaining water cycles, recharging ground water, protecting watersheds
• Buffering from climatic extreme conditions such as flood and drought
• Soil production and protection from erosion
• Maintaining essential nutrient cycles, e.g. carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen and
others.
• Absorbing and decomposing pollutants, organic wastes, pesticides, air and
water pollutants
• Regulating climate at both macro and micro levels
• Preserving recreational, aesthetic, socio-cultural, scientific, educational and
ethical values
 Threats to Biodiversity:

Habitat Destruction
Invasive Species
Pollution
Population
Overharvesting
Commercial Products and Live Specimens
 Adoption of conservation approaches
• In-situ conservation: It can be defined as the conservation of
plants and animals in their native ecosystem (natural habitats)
or even man made ecosystem, where they naturally occur. This
type of conservation is applicable to wild flora and fauna as
conservation is achieved through protection of populations in
their natural ecosystems. The concept of protected areas falls
under this category e.g. National Parks, Sanctuaries and
Biosphere reserves etc.

• Ex-situ conservation: It can he defined as the conservation of

plants and animals away from their natural habitats, which
includes collection of samples of genetic diversity and their
treatment in the laboratory, where they are cultured. The
concept of ‘gene banks’ has primarily become the talk for ex-
situ conservation as it is important for conservation of
agricultural crops and forestry based aforestation programmes.
 Protected areas of Pakistan:
Conservation of Biodiversity
• According to International Union for
conservation of Nature, (IUCN), on 3
March, 2018, there are 69 Wildlife
Sanctuaries, 28 National Park, 62
Biosphere Reserves in Pakistan.
• National Park: Lal suhanra national park
• Sanctuary: Cholistan
• Biosphere Reserves: Lal Suhanra Biosphere
Reserve and Ziarat Juniper Forest
 Legislation

• Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species (CITES) 1975

• Convention on biological diversity

1992
 Holistic approach
• Conservation biologist R. E. Grumbine suggests
four remanagement principles for protecting
biodiversity in a largescale, long-range approach:
• Protect enough habitat for viable populations of
all native species in a given region.
• Manage at regional scales large enough to
accommodate natural disturbances (fire, wind,
climate change, etc.).
• Plan over a period of centuries so that species
and ecosystems may continue to evolve.
• Allow for human use and occupancy at levels
that do not result in significant ecological
degradation.
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
 Renewable Energy Resources Non-Renewable Energy Resources
The resources which are being continuously The Non-Renewable resourcesdo not
consumed by man but are renewed by nature replenish and cannot be renewed.
The Renewable energy resources are abundantly Nonrenewable resources exist in a fixed
available in nature. quantity
present in the atmosphere of the earth. typically found in the underground layers
of the earth
replaced by nature itself in a very short period. cannot be replaced by nature during the
time of human life span.
obtained free of cost or at very less cost in nature. very costly and not easily available.
do not affect the environment of the earth and don't seriously affect the environment and
cause any climate changes in the atmosphere. cause climate changes in the
environment.
do not cause pollution pollute the earth
'Clean and Green 'Green House' gasses
Renewable energy resources promote “Sustainable Degradation of the natural capital
development.” provided by non renewable resources is
an illustration of unsustainable living.
do not cause any health problems adversely affect the health of the living
beings
promotes the balance in the nature and natural disrupts the balance in nature
habitat of the earth.
Examples Examples
• Solar energy, Wind energy, Tidal energy, Hydro • Coal, Mineral Ores, Metal Ores,
power, Geothermal energy, Biofuels Crude Oil, Nuclear Energy
 Ways to save energy:
• Solar collectors:
– passive heat absorption, using natural
materials or absorptive structures with no
moving parts to simply gather and hold heat.
– Active solar systems generally pump a heat
absorbing, fluid medium (air, water, or an
antifreeze solution) through a relatively small
collector
– Photovoltaic cells generate electricity directly
 Biomass Energy
• Photosynthetic organisms have been
collecting and storing the sun’s energy into
chemical bonds in organic molecules
• 15 to 20 times the amount we currently
get from all commercial energy sources.
• It would be ridiculous to consider
consuming all green plants as fuel, but
biomass has the potential to become a
prime source of energy. It has many
advantages over nuclear and fossil fuels
because of its renewability and easy
accessibility.
 Hydropower
• Falling water as an energy source
• By 1925, falling water generated 40 percent
of the world’s electric power.
• water power is now only 20 percent of total
electrical generation
• Norway, for instance, depends on
hydropower for 99 percent of its electricity.
• There are other problems with big dams,
besides human displacement, ecosystem
destruction, and wildlife losses.
 Wind
• The World Meteorological Organization
estimates that 80 million MW of wind power
could be developed economically worldwide.
• Now China dominates both the global solar
and wind power markets. Wind could meet all
our energy needs.
• Wind has a number of advantages over most
other power sources. Wind farms have much
shorter planning and construction times than
fossil fuel or nuclear power plants. Wind farms
are modular (more turbines can be added if
loads grow) and they have no fuel costs or air
emissions.
 Geothermal energy
• The earth’s internal temperature can
provide a useful source of energy
• High-pressure, high-temperature
energy exists just below the earth’s
surface.
• geothermal energy is experienced in
the form of hot springs, geysers, and
fumaroles.
• Yellowstone National Park is the
largest geothermal region in the
United States.
 Tidal energy
• Ocean tides and waves contain
enormous amounts of energy that can
be harnessed to do useful work.
• A tidal station works like a
hydropower dam, with its turbines
spinning as the tide flows through
them.
 Public policy can promote renewable
energy
• Energy policies in some states include measures to encourage
conservation and alternative energy sources. Among these
are:
• “distributional surcharges” in which a small per kWh charge is
levied on all utility customers to help renewable energy
finance research and development.
• “renewables portfolio” standards to require power suppliers
to obtain a minimum percentage of their energy from
sustainable sources.
• “green pricing” that allows utilities to profit from
conservation programs and charge premium prices for energy
from renewable sources. Perhaps one state may has some or
all of these in place.
– Iowa, for example, has a Revolving Loan Fund supported by a
surcharge on investor-owned gas and electric utilities.
 Green buildings: cutting energy costs
by half
• Innovations in “green” building have been
stirring interest in both commercial and
household construction. New houses can also
be built with extra-thick, super insulated walls
and roofs. Windows can be oriented to let in
sunlight, and leaves can provide shade.
Double-glazed windows that have internal
reflective coatings and that are filled with an
inert gas (argon or xenon) and ten times as
efficient as a single pane window.
• Super insulated houses now being built in
Sweden require 90 percent less energy for
heating and cooling than the average
American home.
Urbanization and Sustainable cities
 urbanization
• Shifting of populations from rural areas
to urban residency gradual increases
the proportion of people living in urban
areas called urbanization.
• To UN, over the next three decades
about 3 billion people will crowd into
cities. Some areas—Europe, North
America, and Latin America—are
already highly urbanized. Only Africa
and Asia are below 45 percent
urbanized.
 Causes for growth of cities
• Improved living standard
• Immigration driven by push and
pull factors
• Government policies
• Population explosion
• Employment
• Refugees
 Urban Challenges
• Traffic congestion and air quality
• Insufficient sewage treatment
• Lack of adequate housing
• Urban sprawl
• Waste management
 sustainable city

• Transformation of a mess urban

agglomeration into a sustainable
system is called sustainable city.
Globalization of Environmental Problems
and Sustainable Development:
• A series of UN conferences over the last forty years have
highlighted the increasingly global character of
environmental problems. Until the Stockholm
conference in 1972, environmental problems were
mainly seen as local issues. They were created locally
and had local effects. But over the last 40 years, it has
become increasingly clear that this is not the case. The
Brundtland commission report from the World
Conference on Environment and Development put the
concept of sustainable development on the agenda, and
the subsequent conferences in Rio and kept it there.
Under the slogan “think global, act local,” the Agenda
21 action plan clearly pointed to the importance of local
implementation and action to abate global
environmental and social problems.
 Characteristics of sustainable cities
• Smart Growth
– Smart growth is a term that describes such
strategies for well planned developments
that make efficient and effective use of
land resources and existing infrastructure.
• Green urbanism planning
– While new urbanism has promoted livable
neighborhoods and raised interest in cities,
critics point out that green urbanism
developments, like garden cities and new
towns, have often been Greenfield
developments
 New urbanism
• Rather than abandon the cultural history and
infrastructure investment in existing cities, a group of
architects and urban planners is attempting to redesign
metropolitan areas to make them more appealing,
efficient, and livable. Some design principles of this
movement include:
– Limit city size
– Determine in advance where development will take place
– Locate everyday shopping and services so people can meet
daily needs with greater convenience, less stress
– Increase jobs in the community
– Encourage walking or the use of small, low-speed, energy
efficient vehicles (micro cars, motorized tricycles, bicycles,
etc.) for many local trips now performed by full-size
automobiles.
– Promote more diverse, flexible housing as alternatives to
conventional
– Create housing “superblocks” that use space more efficiently
and foster a sense of security and community.
 Challenges for Smart Sustainable
Cities
• Strategic Assessment
• Mitigating Measures
• Competence
• Governance
Carrying
Capacity
 Carrying Capacity

• The carrying capacity of an area is the

number of individuals of a species that can
survive in that area over time. In most
populations, four broad categories of factors
determine the carrying capacity for a
population. These factors are:
– the availability of raw materials,
– the availability of energy,
– the accumulation of waste products and their
means of disposal
– interactions among organisms.
 Capacity of Earth:
• Lester Brown of the Earth Policy
Institute has said: "It would take
1.5 Earths to sustain our present
level of consumption by 2050”
• Human Population Growth
• Uncertainty in growth patterns
• Factors Influencing the Size of the
Human Population
 Factors governing carrying capacity
• large or critical portions of any complex system
• food and similar resources may affect planetary carrying capacity to
some extent
• Purchases also impact regions thousands of miles away. For example,
carbon dioxide from an automobile travels to the upper atmosphere.
This led Paul R. Ehrlich to develop the, I = PAT equation.
– I=P∙A∙T
– where:
– I is the impact on the environment resulting from consumption
– P is the population number
– A is the consumption per capita (affluence)
– T is the technology factor
• An increase in the population growth can lead to over-exploitation of
necessary natural resources
• Technology
• use of fossil fuels
• Agricultural capability
Ecological footprint
 Ecological footprint
• A related indicator is the ecological
footprint, an ideal definition of it is,
“the aggregate area of land and
water in various ecological categories
that is claimed by participants in the
economy to produce all the resources
they consume, and to absorb all the
wastes they generate on a continuing
basis, using prevailing technology.”
 ecological footprint calculation
• Redefining Progress, a nongovernmental
environmental organization, has developed a
measure called the ecological footprint to
compute the demands placed on nature by
individuals and nations.
• A simple questionnaire of 16 items gives a
rough estimate of your personal footprint.
• According to Redefining Progress, the average
world citizen has an ecological footprint
equivalent to 2.3 hectares (5.6 acres)
• Furthermore, one may check out his own
ecological footprint by going to
www.redefiningprogress.org/.
 Effects of Ecological Footprints on
Earth
• Environmental degradation
• Pollution
• Resource depletion
• Habitat destruction
• Threatened biodiversity
World Food and Nutrition
 World Food and Nutrition
• to meet the basic nutritional needs
of every person-2,200 kcal per day,
on the earth, and thus to provide
them with food security
• food insecurity—living with chronic
hunger and poor nutrition, which
threatens their ability to lead
healthy and productive lives.
 Reasons of food insecurity
• Poverty
• Famines
– FAO reported that 58 million people in 36
countries (two-thirds of them in sub-
Saharan Africa) need emergency food aid.
• Environmental degradation
– Tragedy of commons
• Political and social causes
– No democratic country with a famine
• Dietary imbalances
Effect on environment
 Ways to deal with Food Insecurity
• Sustainable Food production
• Policies to protect the land
– Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• Genetic engineering
• Dietary balances
• Use of vitamins
• Replacement of some crops
– Sorghum and millet-drought resistant
• Less use of meat
– In developing countries, meat consumption has
risen from just 10 kg per person per year in the
1960s to over 26 kg today
• Recognizing the role of women
– developing world-women do 50 to 70 percent
 sustainability
• Industrialized agriculture produces large
amounts of food at reasonable prices. But
to a growing number of analysts, this form
of agriculture is unsustainable, because it
violates the three principles of
sustainability.
• It relies more on fossil fuels than on
naturally available sunlight; reduces
biodiversity and agro biodiversity; and
does not emphasize conservation and
recycling of nutrients in topsoil—the
irreplaceable base of all food production
on land.
 Sustainable agriculture
• Organic Farming
• Shift from non renewable to renewable
• Strategies to help farmers
– First, greatly increase research on sustainable organic
farming
– Second, set up demonstration projects
– Third, set up an international fund to give farmers in poor
countries
– Fourth, establish training programs in sustainable
agriculture
– Fifth, replace government subsidies for environmentally
harmful forms of industrialized agriculture with subsidies
that encourage more sustainable agriculture.
– Sixth, mount a massive program to educate consumers
about the true costs of the food they buy
• Pest management
Ecological Restoration
 Ecological Restoration
• To return a biological community as
nearly as possible to a pristine,
predisturbance condition

• Role of ecologists in restoration

• Role of nature in restoration
Elements of Ecological Restoration
• Removing physical stressors. The first
step in most restoration efforts is to
remove the cause of degradation or
habitat loss. Physical stressors such as
pollutants, inadequate moisture, or
vehicle traffic may need to be corrected

• Controlling invasive species. Often a

few aggressive, “weedy” species
suppress the growth of other plants or
animals.
• Replanting. Restoring a site or
ecosystem usually involves some
replanting of native plant species.
• Captive breeding and reestablishing
fauna.
• Monitoring.
 Benefits of Ecological restoration
• Ecological Balance: Forests and wildlife are essential to maintain
ecological balance of an area.
• Renewable Natural Resources: Forests are important renewable
natural resources.
• Eco-system: Trees dominate forest ecosystem; their species content
varieties in different parts of the world.
• Economic Development: Forest contributes to the economic
development of the country because they provide goods and
services to the people and industry.
• Environment Quality: The forest enhances the quality of
environment by influencing the life supporting system.
• Safeguard against Pollution: Forest check air pollution and soil
erosion. Thus, they exercise safety and against pollution.
• Soil Conservation: Forest saves the hill-slopes from landslides.
• Wind Erosion: In deserts, trees reduce wind erosion by checking
wind velocity.
 Cont….
• Check the Extension Balance: The forest keeps the soil intact
beneath the roots of trees and thus checks extension of desert.
• Maintains Ecological Balance: The forest check pollution of air
through increasing oxygen content of the air.
• Attract Rainfall: By causing condensation of water vapor in
clouds, forests attract rains.
• Control Floods: The floods are controlled because forests dry
up rainwater like sponge.
• Linked with Cultural and Civilization: Forests are linked with
our cultural and civilization.
• Supply of Raw Material: Forest supply wood, which includes
fuel; raw material for various industries as pulp, paper,
newsprint, board; timber for furniture items; for preparing
matches, sport goods etc.
• Minor forest products: Some examples of minor forest
products are canes, gums, resins, dyes, medicines, fibres etc.
THANK YOU