Sustainability

1
Sustainability a task for everyone (especially
engineers)

• Gerry Te Kapa Coates
• IPENZ Past-President 2003-2004

2
Sustainability What is it?

• Many definitions as well as
  Brundtlands
• It concerns the long term survival
  of humanity not just biodiversity
• About managing change which is likely to degrade
  the planet
• Paradigm shifts in thinking needed

3
Sustainability Principles

• Principle 1
• Maintaining the viability of the planet
• Principle 2
• Providing for equity within and between
  generations
• Principle 3
• Solving problems holistically

4
Sustainability Engineering

• Managing changes
  in the environment over a long time scale
• Equity and safety of engineering activities
  quality of life and consultation
• Problem solving using systems thinking
• Past problems remediation

5
Engineers What can we do?

• IPENZ Task Committee 2004
  reported on
• Sustainable Resources and Production
• Sustainable Energy
• Sustainable Transportation
• Sustainable Water
• Sustainable Solid Waste

http//www.ipenz.org.nz/ipenz/members/virtual-
networks/Sustainability/uploads/
Sustainability20Task20Committee20Conference20d
ocuments.pdf
6
Sustainability of Resources and Products

• The use and waste of resources is increasing
  significantly
• For every kilogram of product many more kilograms
  of material are moved, consuming energy and
  polluting soil, water and air
• In order to achieve sustainability, we will have
  to reduce our resource consumption by a factor of
  10-50 fold

• This will need rethinking the technologies and
  products we produce and the services they provide
  not just cleaner production, recycling or reuse
  

7
Renewable Energy Essential for Sustainable
Development

• Sustainable use of energy resources must
  support the wellbeing of present and future
  inhabitants.
• The mix of energy sources needs to change.
• Sustainable energy sources must account for 75
  of all energy use by 2050. (Around 29 of total
  consumer energy in NZ is from renewable sources).
• There will be costs involved in moving towards
  less dependence on fossil fuels. But there will
  be a much bigger price to pay if we dont!

8
Risks for Present Energy Strategies

• Climate change is inevitable and has
  begun. We must stop further damage.
• Combustion of carbon will still be a problem
  whatever.
• Sudden climate change could result in
  catastrophic breakdown in international security
  and fighting wars over food, water energy.
  (US Pentagon Report 2003)

9
Sustainable Transportationfor New Zealand

• Transportation produces
• 40 of NZs CO2 emissions
• 15 of Greenhouse Gases
• Fastest growing source of GHG emissions
• 30 of motor vehicle trips lt 2 km 60 lt 5 km

• NZ policy framework
• Transfund and Transit to achieve an integrated,
  safe, responsive and sustainable land transport
  system

10
Transport Implications for Engineers

• Cant build our way out of
  congestion
• Need to move beyond predict and provide
• Transportation is increasingly unsustainable
  from
• fuel, emissions, pollution
• land use
• congestion and economics (resources)
• collisions, safety and health
• We need to work at many levels
• transportation policy, planning and funding
• land use planning
• traffic engineering practice
• day-to-day road maintenance operations

11
Sustainable Water Resources

• Traditional approaches under question
  (e.g. costs to upgrade and expand,
  potable water for toilet flushing)
• Process-thinking to reflect the water cycle
  (integrated, localised, dynamic process)

• Water Supply
• Stormwater
• Wastewater

• NZ Policy framework
• Legislative frameworkoutdated and conflicting
  (Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment,
  2001)

12
Sustainable Water Implications for Engineers

• Reflect Sustainability Principles
  (e.g. integration, ecological integrity, full
  cost, efficiency, community involvement)
• Manage demand with efficient use
• Low-impact, water-sensitive designs
• More sustainable water technologies make them
  competitive off the shelf

13
Sustainable Solid Waste Management

• Traditionally
• waste collection and disposal
• Recent focus
• waste hierarchy and minimisation
• Sustainability future tasks
• waste minimisation
• manage material flows and recycle
• engineer products and processes

• NZ policy framework
• NZ Waste Strategy 2002 Towards zero waste and
  a sustainable NZ

14
This Conference Summing Up

• There are still many unknowns, but that shouldnt
  prevent us taking action
• There may be many parallel paths to a sustainable
  world
• The laws of thermodynamics are non-negotiable
• Achieving sustainability will involve ethics
• What level of growth can we manageably allow, and
  for whom?
• Engineers and innovation alone wont get us to
  sustainability without a paradigm shift in
  thinking