CDB4233/4233Z – Sustainable Engineering

INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

DR. NURUL AINI AMRAN

Office : 04-03-06
Phone : +605-368 7563
Email : nurul.amran@utp.edu.my

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this session, you should be able to:

1 Comprehend the concept of sustainable development

Discuss the criteria of social, environmental and

2
economic sustainability
Evaluate the features of sustainable development and
3
its challenges
DEFINITION
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?

“Sustainable development is the

development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
needs”
(The World Commission on Environment and Development, United
Nations,1987)

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WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO
SUSTAIN?

285037
IDENTIFY THE ELEMENTS IN SD

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THE PILLARS OF SD

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PEOPLE, PLANET, PROFIT

(Planet)

(People) (Profit)

Another common way of saying this is “people, planet, profit”

THE NEEDS & CONCEPTS – HOW THE THREE RELATED?

Environment gives resources,

raw materials to the Economy
for production activities.

Production by Economy and

Consumption by Society Economy creates
lead to the environmental products and sells it
problems!!! to society for use.
THE THREE PILLARS
SD GOALS BY 2030
LETS START WITH : SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
A community or society that wants to pursue sustainability will try to:

1 Maintain residents’ quality of life.

2 Enhance local economic vitality.

3 Promote social and intergenerational equity.

4 Maintain the quality of the environment.

Incorporate disaster resilience and mitigation into its

5 decisions and actions.

Use a consensus-building, participatory process when

6 making decisions.
1. MAINTAIN RESIDENTS’ QUALITY OF LIFE.
Quality of life has many components: income, education, health care, housing,
employment, legal rights. Each locality must define and plan for the quality of life it
wants and believes itcan achieve, for now and for future generations.
2. ENHANCE LOCAL ECONOMIC VITALITY
A viable local economy is essential to sustainability.
This includes job opportunities, sufficient tax base and revenue to support
government and the provision of infrastructure and services, and a suitable
business climate.
3. PROMOTE SOCIAL AND INTERGENERATIONAL EQUITY.

A sustainable community’s resources and opportunities are available to

everyone, regardless of ethnicity, age, gender, cultural background, religion,
or other characteristics.
Further, a sustainable community does not deplete its resources and
destroy natural systems.
WHICH ONE IS EQUITY?
4. MAINTAIN THE QUALITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT
A sustainable community tries to find ways to co-exist with natural environment
and ecosystem.
It avoids unnecessary degradation of the air, oceans, fresh water, and other
natural systems.
5. INCORPORATE DISASTER RESILIENCE AND MITIGATION INTO
ITS DECISIONS AND ACTIONS.

A community is resilient in the face of unavoidable natural disasters like tornadoes,

hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and drought if it takes steps to ensure that such
events cause as little damage as possible.

HOW??
6. USE A CONSENSUS-BUILDING, PARTICIPATORY
PROCESS WHEN MAKING DECISIONS.
Participatory processes (in solving problem) are vital to community sustainability.
It encourages the identification of concerns and issues, promotes the wide
generation of ideas for dealing with those concerns, and helps those involved find a
way to reach agreement about solutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental sustainability requires:

Maintenance of biodiversity
1 (genes, species and ecosystems)

2 Protection of natural capital (air,

water, soils, etc.)

Maintenance of the energy and

3 material cycles of the planet

4 Health and resilience of all life

support systems.
HOW TO ACHIEVE THESE 4 REQUIREMENT?

In pair, discuss the possible actions that can be

practiced to achieve environmental sustainability.
Later, share with us! 5 min

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THESE CAN BE ACHIEVED BY:
1. Reduce dependence upon finite, virgin resources like Fossil fuels, minerals
and metals.
CONT…
2. Nature must not be subjected to increased
concentrations of substances produced by
society. This requires that consideration be
given to the biodegradability of substances
and the length of time it takes the earth
to reabsorb them.
CONT…
3. The physical basis for the productivity and biodiversity of nature must be not
systematically degraded. This requires that we protect diverse and special
habitats.
CONT…
CONT…
4. There must be efficient use and fair distribution of resources to enable
humans to meet their needs. This requires a reduction in consumerism,
especially among wealthy nations.
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
Economic sustainability is inextricably linked to both environmental and
social sustainability.
This is demonstrated by the limits to growth (Earth’s limit).
Meadows et al. (1972) posit that economies will not be sustainable if
natural resources are used beyond the limits and if society continues to
depend on phenomena that drove growth in the past.
In their book, The Limits to Growth, they argued that

“Human demand will exceed nature‘s supply from the 1980s onwards, with
demand exceeding supply by 20% by 2000. At that time, unless special action
is taken, population growth coupled with increased resource consumption
beyond what the Earth can sustain, will lead to the decline in or the collapse
of the environment, economy and society”
ECONOMIC-SOCIAL-ENVIRONMENTAL MATRIX
FEATURES IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Satisfying human needs
Favouring a good quality of life through decent standards of living
Sharing resources between rich and poor
Acting with concern for future generations
Looking at the ‘cradle-to-grave’ impact when consuming
Minimizing resource use, waste and pollution
MEASURES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
1. Technology
➢ Using appropriate technology is one which is locally adaptable, eco- friendly, cost
effective, resource efficient and culturallysuitable.
➢ Nature is often taken as a model, using the natural conditions of that region as its
components. This concept is known as “design with nature”.
MEASURES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2. Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Approach:
➢ The 3-R approach advocating minimization of resource use, using them again, and
recycling the materials.
➢ It reduces pressure on our resources as well as reduces waste generation and
pollution.
MEASURES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
3. Promoting Environmental Education and Awareness
➢ Making environmental education the centre of all learning process will greatly help
in changing the thinking pattern and attitude of people towards our earth and the
environment.
MEASURES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
4. Resource Utilization as Per Carrying Capacity
➢ Any system can sustain a limited number of organisms on a long- term basis which
is known as its carrying capacity. If the carrying capacity of a system is crossed (say,
by over exploitation of a resource), environmental degradation starts.
MEASURES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
5. Improving Quality of Life Including Social, Cultural and Economic
Dimensions
➢ Development should not focus just on one-section of already affluent people.
Rather it should include sharing of benefits between the rich and the poor. The
tribal, ethnic people and their cultural heritage should also be conserved.
NOW..

Why it is so difficult to achieve Sustainable Development?

What are the challenges?
Lets check your knowledge:
In group, discuss what are the barriers / challenges for Sustainable
Development implementation and how to overcome it?
Later, share with us!
Time allocation:
Discussion: 20 minutes
Sharing : 8 minutes/group
 CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Misconception about
Over exploitation of
sustainable
natural resources in Poverty (To achieve
development (The Population explosion in Over dependence on
developed countries sustainable
popular perception that developing economies fossil fuels leading to
(resulting in imbalance development,
development and (require more food, global warming &
between developed & eradication of poverty
environment protection energy, goods) climate change
underdeveloped isvital)
should not go together,
countries)
has to be changed)

High cost of Poor solid waste Absence of strict

appropriate technology management system environment laws and
Loss of biodiversity Fresh water scarcity
to tap renewable (focusing on mere legislations to control
energy sources waste disposal) pollution

Lack of co-ordination
between the three
Absence of adequate pillars of sustainable Corruption and misuse
political and industrial development – of sustainable
will for moving towards Economy, Society, development
a sustainable future Environment – in assistance funds
finding long term
solutions
LETS RECAP