Challenges of the 21st Century

Flashcards about Challenges of the 21st Century

Challenges of the 21st Century

Population growth, Energy, Water, Climate change, Geohazards

Population Growth

Global population estimates: 1800 - 1 billion, 1900 - 1.65 billion, 1999 - 6 billion, 2024 - 8.1 billion. Population doubles approximately every 48 years.

World Population Growth

The world population is approximately 7 billion, and the rate of exponential growth is declining as time increases (Demographic Transition).

Urbanization

Over 54% of the world population lives in an urban environment, leading to expansion of urban infrastructure and increased exposure to natural hazards.

Energy Consumption

Growth in world population is related to growth in energy consumption.

Peak Oil

There are substantial oil reserves left to extract at the right price, making 'peak oil' a wishful thinking project.

Energy Economics

Supply and demand economics influence the price of oil, with CO2 emissions becoming an increasingly important factor.

U.S. Primary Energy Consumption (2021)

Breakdown includes petroleum (36%), natural gas (32%), renewable energy (12%), nuclear (8%), and coal (11%).

Energy Consumption Variation

Regions vary greatly in energy consumption per capita; industrialized nations consume the most energy.

GDP and Energy Consumption

There is a correlation between GDP and energy consumption; there are no low energy, rich countries.

Canada's GDP Sources

Major contributors include finance, insurance, and real estate; education and health care; and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction.

Fresh Water Resources

Only fresh water (surface & ground water) is affordable to consume; desalination is energy-intensive.

Fresh Water Availability

Total fresh water available is 33.4 × 10^6 km^3, with shallow groundwater as the most usable source.

Groundwater Distribution

Modern groundwater, if pooled above ground, would be less than 1 m to greater than 50 m deep in different regions.

Water and Food

Water is essential for food production. Finite amount of fresh water on earth! (33.4 × 10^6 𝑘𝑚3)

Climate Change

Climate Change from Global greenhouse gas emissions by sector

Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions (2016)

Energy sector accounts for 73.2% of emissions, followed by agriculture, forestry & land use (18.4%), and industry (5.2%).

CO2 and Sustainability

Humans release about 60x more CO2 per year than all volcanic eruptions combined; the key question is what is sustainable.

Geohazards

Flooding, Landslides, Rock Falls, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Volcanoes, Windstorms

Power Law Relations

Small events are much more common than large events.

Aluminum Refinery Reservoir Dam Failure – Hungary (Oct 2010)

Approx. 700,000 cubic metres of toxic mud released.

Earthquake Damage, Iceland

Image demonstrating earthquake damage, Iceland

MEXICO EARTHQUAKE SEPTEMBER 19, 1985

Total Building Destruction - Mexico (1985)

Tsunami Wave Inundation and Runups, Japan, 2011

Image demonstrating Tsunami Wave Inundation and Runups, Japan, 2011

Mt. St. Helens: Before

Southwestern Washington State

Mt. St. Helens: During (May 1980)

Pyroclastic material

Economics of Engineering Design

An engineer must design any structure to withstand: 1. The known-knowns 2. The known-unknowns 3. The unknown-unknowns