MT

Environmental Management

Hazards

  • potential source of harm

  • potential threats to humans and their welfare (ex: infrastructures, food supplies, economy)

  • ex: typhoon, flood, earthquake

Risks

  • likelihood that harm from a specific hazard will occur

  • probability of occurring and severity of an adverse effect to health, property, or the environment

  • risk = hazard * exposure

Exposure

  • the people, property, systems, or other elements present in hazard zones that are thereby subject to potential losses

  • hazard + exposure = risk

Vulnerability

  • the inability to resist hazard or respond effectively when a disaster occurs

The Risk Triangle

  • D. Crichton, 1999

  • if any of these sides increases, then the amount of risk also increased

Disaster

  • levels of disruption and lose beyond a community’s ability to cope by themselves (without external assistance)

  • ex: 2013 Typhoon Yolanda (6,200 deaths)

           July 16, 1990 M7.8 earthquake in Luzon (1600 deaths)

#NonNaturalDisaster

  • a hazard can only become a disaster once it impacts on society or community that is not adequately protected and whose population is vulnerable as a result of poverty p, social exclusion, or social disadvantages

  • hazards may be natural, disasters are not

Increased Occurrence of Disasters

  • serious environmental degradation

  • lack of planning and foresight

  • lack of consciousness

= deforestation in the uplands + clogging of waterwars due to improper waste disposal + poor urban planning

Environmental Management

  • orchestration of human activities towards the common goal of balancing

    • environmental, social, and economic objectives

Nature of Environmental Problems

  • environmental problems are complex and long term

  • environment is a system

  • effective environmental management has to be integrative and holistic

  • when two species share an ecological niche (they require the same resources), one will outcompete the other, potentially leading to decline or extinction

  • competitive exclusion theory

    • two species competing for the exact same resources cannot stably coexist

    • effective environmental management aims to manage ecosystems to prevent competitive exclusion

Key Elements in Integrated Environmental Management

Ecology

  • there has to be a minimum degree of environmental literacy or basic understanding of ecology

  • there is a need to understand, respect, and work with the laws of nature to which all human activities are subjected

  • important environmental principles

    1. everything is connected to everything else

      • organisms and ecosystems are all linked in complex webs of interaction

      • human activities have direct and indirect consequences

      • short-term and long-term effects on the local fish populations → local economy → regional economy

        • short-term: loss of habitat, disruption of food supply, water quality degradation

        • long-term: decline in fish population, loss of biodiversity, disrupted ecosystem balance, reduced fishery yields

    2. everything goes somewhere

      • “linear thinking”

      • unlimited source of raw materials, highly consumptive lifestyle, easy waste disposal, wastes will just disappear

      • but… nature’s processes are cyclical

    3. nothing is free

      • every action in an ecosystem has a cost, often with trade-offs that impact other species or the environment as a whole

      • we may choose to ignore these costs but sooner or later we’ll have to pay for them

Economics

  • student of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

  • law of scarcity

    • resources are scarce and therefore there is a need to manage them

<aside> 💡

In the past, economics was not seen within the context of ecology. But now we understand that our macro and micro economies are all governed by the laws of ecology. We should not only pay attention to economic growth and decline but to environmental, social and human health impacts.

</aside>

  • full-cost pricing

    • pricing strategy that incorporates all direct and indirect costs associated with the production, distribution, and environmental impact of a product or service

    • aims to reflect the true cost of a product

      • when water is abundant or free, people tend to waste it

      • price of safe and potable water should reflect the cost of maintaining watersheds and protecting water bodies

    • typical price of gasoline

      • extraction, refining, and distribution costs

      • costs related to GHG emissions, air pollution, or health effects

        • full-cost pricing and additional costs would be reflected to encourage a shift toward cleaner energy sources

  • economic incentives and disincentives

    • examples:

      • a. a paper company that has imported a water recycling technology from Germany may be exempted from import tax

      • b. selected industries surrounding the Laguna Lake are required to pay a fee for draining their wastewater into the lake

      • c. the greater the volume and the more polluted the wastewater drained = the higher the fee

Law and Policy

  • deals with the protection, conservation and management of natural resources

  • while laws are important in environmental management, these are not sufficient to address environmental problems

  • forestry law of 1863

    • enacted by the Spanish Colonial Government

    • aims to manage and protect the Philippines’ forest resources, which were abundant but increasingly at risk due to exploitation

  • Philippine Environmental Policy (Presidential Decree 1151)

    • signed in 1977; first comprehensive environmental policy in the country landmark legislation that laid the foundation for environmental protection, management and enhancement in the Philippines

    • purpose: to protect and improve air quality in the country through comprehensive pollution control measures

    • key provisions: sets emission standards for motor vehicles and industries, promotes alternative fuels, and enforces air quality monitoring systems

  • Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9275)

    • purpose: to protect the country's water bodies from pollution and to ensure sustainable management of water resources

    • key provisions: Regulates wastewater discharge, establishes water quality standards, and mandates the development of local water quality management areas

  • Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 9003)

    • purpose: to provide a comprehensive and ecological waste management program

    • key provisions: promotes waste segregation at the source, mandates recycling and composting programs, and enforces penalties for improper waste disposal

  • Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (Republic Act No. 9147)

    • purpose: to conserve and protect wildlife species and their habitats key provisions: regulates hunting, collection, and trade of wildlife; mandates the creation of wildlife sanctuaries; and imposes penalties for violations

  • Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (Republic Act No. 9513)

    • purpose: to promote the development and use of renewable energy sources in the country

    • key provisions: offers incentives for renewable energy projects, establishes Renewable Portfolio Standards, and promotes net metering for small power generators

  • Climate Change Act of 2009 (Republic Act No. 9729)

    • purpose: to address climate change through a framework for adaptation and mitigation

    • key provisions: establishes the Climate Change Commission, promotes local climate adaptation plans, and integrates climate change considerations into national and local development plans

Science and Technology

  • science: systematic study of the natural world

  • technology: application of scientific knowledge to create tools, systems, and solutions that solve problems or improve processes

  • in the past, environmental problems were looked upon as mostly technological problems

    • air pollution industrial emissions → scrubbers, filters vehicular emissions → catalytic converters technological solutions are not enough

  • recall: landfill technologies

    • waste problems still continue

    • also a social, cultural, and political issue

  • many environmental problems we have today have been brought about by technologies that make production fast and efficient

    • high resource extraction, high waste accumulation

  • renewable energy development

    • science: scientific foundation on renewable energy sources

    • technology: technological advancements in solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage allow for more efficient and widespread use of renewable energy

  • climate change mitigation and adaptation

    • science: climate science informs us about the causes and effects of climate change and potential adaptation strategies

    • technology: carbon capture and storage, renewable energy solutions, resilient infrastructure development

Ethics

  • discipline dealing with moral duty and obligation

  • science of the ideal human character

  • most of the problems we have today can actually be linked to how we view the world and our ethics

  • we need an environmental ethic that has roots in:

    • traditional cultures

      • value the environment

      • prescribe practices meant to preserve harmony with the environment

    • social responsibility

      • dictate that all people have the right to benefit equitably from the environment

      • includes intergenerational equity

    • religion

      • respect the environment as the creation of a supreme being