CIVIL & STRUCTURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING & BUILT ENVIRONMENT

THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA

REPORT OF PROJECT SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING
SEMESTER II, SESSION 2013/2014

KKKH4284 SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING

Assignment Title:
GLOBAL WARMING
(TASK 6)
Lecturers:
PROF. IR. DR. RIZA ARIQ ABDULLAH BIN O.K RAHMAT
Dr. MUHAMAD NAZRI BIN BORHAN
Pn NORLIZA BT MOHD AKHIR

NAME : MUHAMMAD SAFUAN BIN CHE AHMED
MATRIC NO : A133024



Question:

Supposed you are living in a coastal city. The city administrator has noticed that the mean sea
level has been rising for the past 50 years. The raising is small but over a long period of time it
may cause problems in the city centre as the level of that part of the city is quite low. If you are
hired as a consultant, write a plan of action on what can be done to reduce or mitigate the
problems.

Answer:

Global warming is one of the major issues nowadays. Global warming refers to an unequivocal
and continuing rise in the average temperature of Earth's climate system. Many problems could
result from global warming. One of the biggest problems is rising sea level. This could result in
the flooding of low lying coastal areas and cities, such as Egypt, the Netherlands, and
Bangladesh. Some countries might even disappear completely! Another problem caused by
global warming is changes in weather patterns. Many areas of the world are experiencing
increased hurricanes, floods, and other unusual weather. A third problem associated with global
warming is the effect on animals. Fish populations could be affected, while some insects which
spread disease might become more common.

First of all, we need to understand the major factor that cause the global warming which
is he release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The rise of the
emission of this gaseous to the atmosphere in these few decades have causes the energy of sun
trapped inside the world atmosphere. This causes the temperature of the atmosphere rises.
Burning of fossil fuels enhanced this process as fossil fuel is one of the major energy sources in
this era. These have caused the iceberg in the north and South Pole to melt down, increasing the
sea level around the world.

There are several things we can do to solve the problem of global warming. Some of the
mitigating step should be taken to reduce the effect of global warming are:

1. Future Fuels
Replacing fossil fuels may prove the great challenge of the 21st century. Many contenders exist,
ranging from ethanol derived from crops to hydrogen electrolyzed out of water, but all of them
have some drawbacks, too, and none are immediately available at the scale needed. Biofuels can
have a host of negative impacts, from driving up food prices to sucking up more energy than they
produce. Hydrogen must be created, requiring either reforming natural gas or electricity to crack
water molecules. Biodiesel hybrid electric vehicles (that can plug into the grid overnight) may
offer the best transportation solution in the short term, given the energy density of diesel and the
carbon neutral ramifications of fuel from plants as well as the emissions of electric engines. A
recent study found that the present amount of electricity generation in the U.S. could provide
enough energy for the country's entire fleet of automobiles to switch to plug-in hybrids, reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in the process.
But plug-in hybrids would still rely on electricity, now predominantly generated by
burning dirty coal. Massive investment in low-emission energy generation, whether solar-
thermal power or nuclear fission, would be required to radically reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. And even more speculative energy sourceshyper efficient photovoltaic cells, solar
energy stations in orbit or even fusionmay ultimately be required.

2. Plant more trees.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, which is not a greenhouse gas. So by planting
the trees and other plants it can slow or stop the global warming. The plants will take in the
carbon dioxide and will release the oxygen. The deforestation of rainforest is a large contributor
to global warming and CO2 emissions, but by planting the trees even in our own backyard it can
help to offset this problem

3. Use less energy
In order to reduce the effect of global warming, we must reduce the fossil fuel use. The first
challenge is eliminating the burning of coal, oil and, eventually, natural gas. This is perhaps the
most daunting challenge as denizens of richer nations literally eat, wear, work, play and even
sleep on the products made from such fossilized sunshine. And citizens of developing nations
want and arguably deserve the same comforts, which are largely thanks to the energy stored in
such fuels.

4. Reduce waste
The production of garbage contributes to global warming both directly and indirectly. The
decomposing waste in landfills will produce methane another greenhouse gases. Other than that,
the waste also requires energy to manufacture in the first place. Therefore by reducing our
consumption patterns and reusing the items whenever possible minimizes our carbon footprint,
since fewer new items need to be made. Recycling the metal, plastic, glass and paper will lowers
greenhouse gas emission, since recycled items take far less energy to manufacture than items
produced from scratch. So, the city administrator should provided the recycling bins to dispose
of glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and other recyclable items at the city. Other than that, we also
can use the cloth shopping bag instead of getting paper or plastic bag at the grocery store. We
also can use the refills instead of buying the new jar or bottles each time. This can reduce our
consumption and it was cheaper too.

5. Green Transportation
The transportation sector's emissions have increased at a faster rate than any other energy-using
sector over the past decade. Around 30% of all carbon dioxide emission comes from vehicles
that transport us and transport our goods and services. More than 90%of this travel is by car.
While fuel efficiency has declined in the past 10 years, gas prices have risen and created a new
market for more efficiency cars. One way to dramatically curtail transportation fuel needs is to
move closer to work, use mass transit, or switch to walking, cycling or some other mode of
transport that does not require anything other than human energy. There is also the option of
working from home and telecommuting several days a week.
Cutting down on long-distance travel would also help, most notably airplane flights,
which are one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions and a source that
arguably releases such emissions in the worst possible spot (higher in the atmosphere). Flights
are also one of the few sources of globe-warming pollution for which there isn't already a viable
alternative: jets rely on kerosene, because it packs the most energy per pound, allowing them to
travel far and fast, yet it takes roughly 10 gallons of oil to make one gallon of JetA fuel.
Restricting flying to only critical, long-distance tripsin many parts of the world, trains can
replace planes for short- to medium-distance tripswould help curb airplane emissions.
Taking the public transport also removes the stress of long road commutes and gives us a
great opportunity to read, think and relax. We also can save on parking money and time wasted
looking for parking spaces. It also same as taking the bike instead of the car is a very simple
solution. Even we may experience such problems as lack of suitable bike path, having a deal
with congested traffic or hilly terrain, but these are challenge that we can overcome with a little
determination. The local government can make more bike trails in the area and make sure that
bicyclist are kept safe from traffic in the same way that pedestrians are afforded this right.

6. Surge Barrier
Storm surge barriers and closure dams are hard engineered structures with a primary function of
preventing coastal flooding. Their secondary role is to shorten the required length of defences
behind the barrier. This reduces the risk of defense failure and reduces the cost of providing the
additional defences. Surge barriers are movable or fixed barriers or gates which are closed when
an extreme water level is forecast in order to prevent flooding. The city administrator also can
build the sea gates and surge barriers at the sea side to prevent high tides. Any surge barrier
would have to be able to open for passing ships, while also doing the least to disturb the natural
ecosystem and it could be closed in advance of a storm. While the inner side can become the
marine bay which can be improved the tourism of the city. Other than that, the drainage system
must cost-effectively manage flooding, control stream-bank erosion and protect water quality.
So, the designers must integrate conventional flood control strategies for large, infrequent storms
with three basic storm-water quality control strategies for small frequent storms where as
infiltrate runoff into the soil, retain runoff for later release and convey runoff slowly through
vegetation.



Conclusion
In conclusion, the impacts of a global warming are already being felt by people around the globe.
If climate change continues unchecked, these impacts are almost certain to get worse. From sea
level rise to heat waves, from extreme weather to disease outbreaks, each unique challenge
requires locally-suitable solutions to prepare for and respond to the impacts of global warming.
Unfortunately, those who will be hit hardest and first by the impacts of a changing climate are
likely to be the poor and vulnerable, especially those in the least developed countries. Developed
countries must take a leadership role in providing financial and technical help for adaptation.
Therefore, start from now, if we make small changes now in the way we live, we can avoid huge
changes in the future. Scientists, governments and individuals must work together to overcome
this threat.