Principles of Sustainability

MODULE OUTLINE

Topic 1: Introduction to Sustainability

What sustainability is, what it is not, and other terms related to it.

Topic 2: History of Sustainability

Topic 3: Global Challenges as ‘Wicked’ Problems

Topic 4: Principles and Concept of Sustainability

Topic 5: Sustainability Issues Social, Economic and Environment

Topic 6: Frameworks for Strategic Sustainable Development

Topic 7: Decision Making tools for sustainable development

Topic 8: Role of the construction industry and civil engineers in sustainable development
 Applicable ECSA Gas

GA 7: Sustainability and Impact of engineering activity

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the impact of engineering activity on the society, economy,
industrial and physical environment, and address issues by analysis and evaluation.

How is Graduate Attribute Outcome Assessed?

Knowledge and understanding of the impact of engineering activity on sustainable development are assessed by:
 Group of learners getting a life project and assessing the sustainability nature using the Triple Bottom Line
approach viz-a-viz the functions of the Civil Engineers on the project.

What is Satisfactory Performance?

Students are expected to obtain a final mark of 50% ensures that the student passes the module.

Test dates

Test 1 - Test 2 -
Topic 1: Introduction
WHAT IS SUSTAINABILTY ?
Defining Sustainability

From the standard dictionary definitions of ‘sustainable’ or ‘sustainability’, although

sustainability does not have a rigid ‘one size its all’ definition, it generally refers to the
ability for something to last for a long time or indefinitely,

 Oxford Dictionary (2011) defines sustainability as being “able to be maintained at a

certain rate or level”

 Cambridge Dictionary (2011) describes sustainability as something that is “able to

continue over a period of time”

 At its simplest level, something is sustainable if it is able to be maintained over time

Defining Sustainability (cont’d)

THE MISCONCEPTION

Sometimes, sustainability is mistakenly assumed to

refer only to the environment . It has often been
defined as how biological systems endure and remain
diverse and productive.

But, the actual definition goes far beyond those narrow

parameters. The idea of sustainability actually stems

from the concept of Sustainable Development.

Defining Sustainability (cont’d)

 Sustainability can be better understood by looking at its most commonly

accepted definition, published by the UN World Commission on Environment
and Development (WCED) in 1987
 The UN Report entitled ‘Our Common Future’ (often described as the
Brundtland Report) says the following …

“Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the

present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs”
Defining Sustainability (cont’d)

 From the WCED definition of sustainable development, the importance of

balancing the needs of people living today (intra generational equity) with the
needs of people that will live in the future (inter generational equity) can be seen.

 Therefore, in the delivery of Civil Engineering projects, care must be taken not to
exhaust the available resource to a point whereby the ability of future generations
to cater for their own need is endangered.
Understanding Sustainability
 Sustainability does not refer to conserving an exact situation.
 We cannot know what the needs of future generations will be -so the only thing we
can do is to abstain from destroying basic prerequisites for needs fulfillment which
serve as a basis for our offspring
 In order to do so, we will need to conserve and enhance our resources
Understanding Sustainability (cont’d)

The WCED Report described 3 dimensions of sustainability also known as the 3 pillars of
sustainability. They are:

1. The environmental component which recognizes the interdependence of living systems

and finite natural resources.
2. The economic component which defines the flow of human capital and man-made
resources as well as the parameters of work and productive human activity.
3. The socio-political component which refers to the relationships between human
institutions, systems and collective decision-making.
Understanding Sustainability (cont’d)

 True sustainability requires the balance of environmental, economic and social

factors.

 This is not a simple task

Understanding Sustainability (cont’d)

What happens when only 2 out of the 3 pillars are achieved?

Social + Economic = Equitable

Social + Environmental = Bearable
Economic + Environmental = Viable

Note: none of the above are true sustainability

Understanding Sustainability (cont’d)
Defining Related Terms
Natural resources
 Natural resources are mainly the natural goods, which are easily accessible
and available to humans in order to fulfill their needs.

 They include the soil, the water, the atmosphere, the sun’s light, and even the
biosphere.
Natural resources (cont’d)

 They are all sources of energy and therefore, in order to achieve sustainable
development, the following objectives should be met

a) The exploitation of natural resources should not exceed the possibility of their
renewal
b) The minimization of the use of depletable natural resources should be a
priority, as well as the efforts to replace those resources with renewable ones
c) The disposal of waste on the environment should not exceed the ability of
their absorption
ClimateChange
 Climate change is the change in climate due to direct or indirect human activities
(UN Framework Convention on Climate Change)
 Climate change can also be considered as a change in the statistical properties of
the climate system when we consider it in long-term, regardless of the cause.
Biodiversity

 This is the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high
level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.
 Unfortunately, there is a reduction of biodiversity on the planet, due to a number of
causes such as 1. environmental pollution, 2. deforestation, 3. desertification of
soils.
Renewable Energy

 This is the energy from a source that is not depleted when used
 The non fossil renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and geothermal energy,
wave energy, tidal energy and waterpower, all belong to the category of Renewable
Energy Sources.
 Their use allows the reduction of emissions of gases that cause the greenhouse effect,
derived from the production and consumption of energy
Green Technology
 Green technology involves a continuously evolving set of methods/processes and
materials that address not only the techniques for power generation but also the
production of non-toxic products.
 The inventions of this kind of technology are environmentally friendly and often include
energy efficiency, recycling, safety and health, renewable resources etc.
Examples of "green technology" are solar cells and photovoltaics
Green Building
Green building refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are
environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle:
from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and
demolition.
Ecosystem

 An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that work together in a system.

 Ecosystems have no particular size it can be as large as a desert or a lake or as small as a

tree the water, water temperature, plants, animals, air, light and soil all work together.

 If there is not enough light or water or if the soil does not have the right nutrients, the plants
will die. If the plants die, animals that depend on them will die. If the animals that depend on
the plants die, any animal that depend on those animals will die…