ENV201 W 9 - 12

WEEK 9 — TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE & CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Triple Bottom Line (TBL)

  • TBL evaluates performance across social, environmental, and economic dimensions.

Three Ps

  • People

  • Planet

  • Profit

TBL methods

  • Monetizing all impacts

  • Using indicators or indexes

Strengths of TBL

  • Broadens accounting beyond profit

  • Improves transparency

Limitations of TBL

  • Measurement difficulties

  • Indicator selection and weighting issues

Circular economy

  • Circular economy aims to reduce waste and resource use.

  • Contrasts with linear economy.

Circular economy principles

  • Reduce

  • Reuse

  • Recycle

  • Redesign

Requirements for circular economy

  • Policy change

  • Product design changes

  • Consumer behavior change

  • Infrastructure investment

WEEK 10 — GHG INVENTORIES, MONITORING & IMPLEMENTATION

GHG inventory

  • Measures greenhouse gas emissions in CO₂ equivalents.

Goals of GHG inventories

  • Establish baselines

  • Track emissions over time

  • Identify emission sources

  • Support mitigation strategies

GHG scopes

  • Scope 1: direct emissions

  • Scope 2: indirect energy emissions

  • Scope 3: other indirect emissions

Monitoring

  • Monitoring is the systematic collection of environmental data over time.

Goals of monitoring

  • Ensure implementation

  • Establish baselines

  • Track conditions

  • Support evaluation and adjustment

Implementation

  • Implementation is putting policies into action.

Implementation challenges

  • Planning problems

  • Knowledge problems

  • Enforcement problems

WEEK 11 — WATER SECURITY & PUBLIC LAND

Water security

  • Water security is access to adequate quantities of water of acceptable quality.

Water use types

  • Water withdrawal

  • Water consumption

  • In-stream use

Water governance

  • Water is both a public good and a commodity.

  • Water management must consider ecosystems.

Great Lakes governance

  • Boundary Waters Treaty (1909)

  • International Joint Commission

  • Great Lakes Charter Annex (2005)

Bottled water

  • Bottled water withdrawals are allowed.

  • Monitoring and regulation vary.

  • Public opposition has influenced governance.

Conservation Authorities

  • Organized by watershed boundaries.

  • Manage water quality, quantity, and flood risk.

WEEK 12 — GREENBELT & URBAN FORESTS

Ontario Greenbelt

  • Protected land surrounding the GTA.

  • Limits urban sprawl.

  • Protects farmland and ecosystems.

Greenbelt governance

  • Provincial legislation

  • Long-term planning

  • Ten-year reviews

  • Passive adaptive management

Greenbelt strengths

  • Ecosystem protection

  • Use of ecological boundaries

  • Public support

Greenbelt weaknesses

  • Political vulnerability

  • Development pressure

  • Not permanently protected

Urban forests

  • Urban forests include all trees and vegetation in cities.

Urban forest ecosystem services

  • Air purification

  • Climate regulation

  • Flood mitigation

  • Mental and physical health benefits

Urban forest equity

  • Benefits are unevenly distributed.

  • Inequities result from historical planning and discrimination.

Urban forest governance

  • Managed by municipalities, NGOs, and communities.

  • Often involves shared governance.