Environmental Process Based Education and Research for Better Life and Enactment of International Environmental Impact Laws - 2012

摘要

Environment Science is 'Applying knowledge from many disciplines to the study and management of the environment. It deals with the analysis of the conditions, circumstances and influences affecting life and how life in turn responds'. This subject encompasses many disciplines each having varied concepts and principles. Environmental related process based education could be pursued through different disciplines. During the last two centuries along with advancement of Science, Engineering and Technology, there has been considerable developments in different sectors viz., industry, agriculture, entrepreneurship, business, infrastructures, utility services etc. Subsequently, it was realized that there were many adverse impacts on environment and society. These developments have sustained the environmental growth. Sustainability of design and development, quality of life, safety on earth and continuous improvement of our environment is of utmost important. Sustainable development means industrial development should occur and must be continued without damages to the environment. Hence, hectic industrial developmental activities during the last two centuries have caused considerable environmental and social impacts. These impacts can be measured, monitored and mitigated by imparting environmental process based education and research for better life. While planning and decision making process of developed and developing of the most of the world projects, the potential adverse impacts on environment and society should be scrupulously assessed, evaluated and mitigated. Therefore, project planning and decision-making should include the integrative consideration of engineering or technical, economical, environmental, ethical and social factors. The most important of these considerations can be referred to as "Concept of the Four Es and 1 S" which must be involved in any organizational planning and decision making process. As per the recent research results in some case studies, environmental contamination and pollution has reached beyond safe limits which seriously affects the life on the earth. Toxic emissions from industries, thermal power plants, auto exhaust pollution in large metropolitan areas, photo chemical smog etc., have been poisoning the atmosphere beyond the permissible levels which causes serious health hazards. Air pollution problems result in adverse environmental health and social impacts. Mindless disposal of untreated industrial wastes, radio-active wastes, municipal wastes, solid wastes, agricultural wastes, domestic wastes etc. have contaminated and polluted the water, soil and land beyond the tolerable limits, which adversely affects land fertility, water quality , vegetation , aquatic and marine life. This is proving more and more hazardous as this development continuously damaging the environment viz., melting of glaciers, climate change, carbon tetra chloride emission , green house gas emission, ozone layer depiction etc.. For example, due to continuous increase in CO_2 concentration in the atmosphere due to industrial emission which lead to climate change. This decrease in glaciers contribute about 29.5 % of sea level rise since 1991. Water supplies stored in the glaciers were projected to decline. Besides contaminating and polluting air, water, soil and land, intensive technological activities lead to depletion of natural resources. What was required was to bring our energy and intellectual capacity in tandem whereby we can meet the challenge effectively and efficiently without major disruption, without compromising on the livelihood of future generation of their needs. Development would have occurred without damages to the environment and major disruption, and the process of industrialization would have occurred in an innocuous manner by utilizing the resources effectively and efficiently in an environmental friendly manner. Now, these environmental problems are the present environmental challenges and opportunities for improvement. We have to be conscious about these environmental issues individually. In order to overcome these environmental problems and to move forward, will require new and more effective and efficient solutions, technologies, processes and products alongside behavioral change. Reemphasizing that prior to the enactment of National Policy Act on Environmental 1970 in USA, only technical or engineering and economical factors dominant the planning and decision making process in most of the world projects. As per the research results in some case studies elucidate that project planning and decision-making process must include the integrated consideration of engineering or technical, economical, environmental, ethical and social factors. This important consideration can be referred to as "Concept of the Four Es and 1 S " in organizational planning and decision making process . There are ecological and biogeochemical principles and tools such as energy flows and material cycling, element ratios, mass balance , element cycling etc. available in order to solve major environmental problems that we face in our world today such as global warming, acid rain, environmental pollution, and increasing greenhouse gases. Based on research conducted on this principles and tools, it may be noted that about 80% of the biogeo cataclysm disasters are preventable.