ENVR101 Sustainable Resource Use

Growing population and technological advances lead to increased resource use, approaching environmental limits.
Tipping points: Shifts from one state to another (e.g., permafrost melting, sea level rise, loss of coral reefs).
Planetary boundaries: Safe operating space for humans at a continental level, with novel entities (plastics, chemicals) exceeding the boundary.

Current resource use is unsustainable, necessitating a shift towards sustainable practices.
Circular economy: Aims to achieve economic growth without environmental damage (biodiversity loss, pollution, impacts on human well-being).

Natural resources: Used for economic production/consumption.
- Mineral and energy, soil, water, and biological resources.
- Depletable vs. renewable resources (sunlight, wind, water, biomass).
- Non-renewable resources: Coal, oil, fossil fuels, minerals.

Renewable: Water (abundant, unevenly distributed), wind, biomass (timber, meat, wool), treasured flora and fauna.
Non-renewable: Minerals (metallic and non-metallic), oil and gas (Taranaki), gravel and sand (West Coast, Auckland).

1970s: Increased global focus on resource exhaustion and future needs.
1972: First UN conference on the environment highlighted resource depletion.
Resource extraction and processing cause 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress.
1970-2017: Global materials use tripled per person, leading to biodiversity loss, water stress, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Decoupling: Separating economic activity from environmental degradation through resource efficiency and sustainable consumption.
Circular economy for materials like cement, steel, plastic, and aluminum can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%.

Issues: Over-allocation, unknown usage, conflicts over purpose (environmental flows vs. irrigation).
Uses: Drinking water, irrigation, industry, hydroelectric dams. Competing demands between irrigation and hydroelectricity.
Drivers of change: Increased irrigated land (Canterbury), decreased rainfall.
Effects of water extraction: Altered river ecology, reduced flows, degraded ecosystems, cultural impacts, saltwater intrusion.
Options for reducing water consumption: Education, reduced use in agriculture/industry, recycling of water (sewer mining).

Global environmental crisis: 50 billion tons used globally, exceeding natural production rates.
Impacts: Biodiversity loss, water quality changes, altered landscapes, transport emissions, socioeconomic and cultural impacts.
Examples: Land reclamation in Singapore and Dubai, tourism projects in Vietnam, reclamation in Littleton Harbour (NZ), Auckland's foreshore development using volcanic cones.
Solutions: Policies, taxes, reducing environmental/social impacts, supporting recycling and alternative materials.

Aims: Eliminate waste and pollution by ensuring that resources are used efficiently and products are designed for durability, reuse, and recyclability. The goal is to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible, whether through reuse, repair, remanufacturing, or recycling.
Regenerating natural systems involves enhancing the health and resilience of ecosystems by reducing pollution, restoring degraded land, and promoting biodiversity. This also includes using renewable resources sustainably and minimizing the impact of human activities on the environment.
Shift from a linear economy, where resources are extracted, used, and then discarded, to a circular economy that focuses on designing out waste and pollution. This involves rethinking product design, production processes, and consumption patterns to minimize resource use and maximize the lifespan of products and materials.

Reduce resource unit per economic activity.
Decrease the environmental impact.
Re-manufacture, refurbish, repair and directly reuse industrial products.
Retain the value of the resources used in them along every step of the production process.
Reduce costs, cut greenhouse gas emissions and boost jobs.