Making Engineering Design Ecologically sustainable.

 

“Climate is an angry beast and we are poking at it with sticks”

Background

When did the concern start?

When it was observed that the volume of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere was increasing significantly over the past decades, causing a steady rise in temperature of our planet earth.

Emissions of  CO₂ from chimneys

Atmospheric concentration level of CO₂ has reached record high, just recently exceeding 400ppm concentration, in contrast to the historic level of 280 ppm prior to industrial revolution.

Global CO₂ emissions are expected to further increase at alarming rate as energy consumption increases everywhere, especially in developing countries. Continuous and unmonitored global emissions from buildings will also add to this CO2 increase. 

Historic and Projected Global CO₂ emissions

Why was this CO₂  build up happening?

With increasing use of technology, irrational  planning and unsound design of physical structures as well as irrational use of fossil fuel, it was explained that this was inevitable.

Better late than never !

 Who took the initiative to apply corrective measures ?

 It is thanks to the UN member states to take the initiative to establish the United Nations  Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC), following concerns raised at the 1992  Rio Global Conference on the  Environment. Sustained effort of UNFCC to  request for action  culminated in the 2016  Paris Conference on Climate  Change . The  commitment  taken by most member  states  is to reduce  the rate  of global warming and keep the  temperature rise  to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels; as well as  to pursue effort to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

How to mitigate this issue?

Green power through renewable sources

With 80% of the energy consumed being generated by fossil fuel, some action had to be taken  to attenuate  the environmental crisis, that has led to climate change. Promoting and apprising people of Green Energy solutions  is therefore essential.

But more important is to execute these solutions. Possible corrective measures are highlighted below:

• Designing of  manufacturing  products, of commercial and residential complexes, as well as  landscapes need to be impregnated  with  substantive ecological principles.
• To a lesser extent , but equally important is to bring in  social factors in the design process . For example participation of NGO’s and the surrounding community would help in the protection of the environment as well as  monitoring loss of biodiversity or soil erosion.
• For the long term,  protection of the natural environment , be it landscape or seascape needs to be  enshrined  in the engineering   design of man  made activities.

The author is joining hands to support those well wishers who strongly propose to  incorporate ecologically friendly solar or wind energy system in any  engineering design process; and is also  convinced that indirectly, this will when implemented, promote sustainable development and attenuate in the long term global temperature rise.

Understanding ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES is a prerequisite prior to its incorporation in engineering design process.

  Ecological principles build resilience.

Below is a schema of engineering design process incorporating ecological principles.

 

Reflection of Past, Current and Anticipated Future Trend.

Let’s have a look in the Past- Traditional Designs.

• Before 1990- Before  UNFCC – Standard conventional building  in Australia which used electricity derived from fossil fuel.

Newspaper House, home of The West Australian, 1957.

Industrial revolution-UNFCC strategies  leading to 2016 Paris Climate Change Conference

Literature survey has  demonstrated that  the UNFCC has been promoting use of renewable energy in all member states.

The author is questioning how far and how successful these member states including the private sector and the civil societies are respecting this serious resolution for implementation. Few legislations exist (for example such as the Green  Building  Act) in many countries.

It is not reported whether each country has got a green building act which enforces the incorporation of ecological principles/ environmental indicators while designing engineering architecture.

However the author acknowledges that some countries both in developed and developing countries have started using solar energy on a large scale for buildings, road transport and industrial factories.

• Today’s world of the 21st century.

The last ten years have seen extraordinary theoretical and technical advances in the field of ecological designs. Plenty of buildings throughout the world are using solar power, photovoltaic cell for capturing solar radiation, for economising on air conditioning from fossil fuel.  Secondly, solar water heaters are also popular in residential buildings . If solar energy is not available during certain season , other forms of renewable energy such as wind farm , hydro or biomass or biofuel can be incorporated in the engineering design .

Real life ecological example is in the state of Cochin in India- The recently built international airport ( 2017) is entirely using its consumption energy derived from solar panel systems designed close to the airport building. (on the left hand side)

World first solar powered airport; more than 46000 solar panels

Motivating  Picture! – Unique and innovative effort

However

Between the saying and the doing lies the breadth of the ocean !

The challenges facing the planet have only accelerated, ranging from loss of biodiversity to the rapidly increasing impact of global climate change.

Since the industrial revolution, use of fossil fuel has been rising exponentially globally , resulting in climatic changes in all continents and oceans .Not every manufacturing firm ,city planner or citizen is practicing the basic principles of an eco-friendly environment . Unfortunately, many do not understand the negative impacts .It is essential to spread our message widely .

Small island developing states such as Mauritius, Reunion, Maldives, as well as the islands in the Pacific ocean with limited acreage are most vulnerable to climate change and tropical cyclones .With the melting of ice caps at the poles and rise in sea level , several coastal areas in North America or northern Europe are suffering severe damage. There might be submersion of coastal areas thus decreasing the area of the islands. Loss of whole ecosystem of fauna and flora in particular areas can become frequent. Such vulnerable regions specially coastal areas must re examine their building plans to provide more resilience to natural disasters and protect teh surrounding ecology of both beaches and coastal land.

• Anticipated future potential- Year 2100.

“The future will either be green or not at all”

Simulated picture:  Vulgarising use of ecological component in engineering design of buildings and land transport system using solar / wind energy through automated digital technology.

Vision of the Green Future

 

How to bring this synergy?

Luckily, the protection of the ecological environment and the promotion of green building is slowly being adapted in some countries; however , it still needs to be widely promoted.

A pragmatic way is to introduce the concept of ecological principles in one’s everyday life – starting from primary school to adult education.Using green energy-renewable energy should become the motto in all engineering colleges and universities.

Achieving sustainable development in urban and sub urban areas is a primary tool that has to be continuously monitored through team work , by politicians ,sound policy makers and ecological NGO’s . Consequently urban and rural planners must be trained in the application of ecological principles in engineering designs ; and equally municipal and county councils must have the appropriate human resources to examine requests before delivering building permits. A secondary beneficial effect of this approach is the indirect control on use of surplus building materials ; as well as maintaining ecological balance and aesthetics of the landscape

Talking about Green building involves sound use of water consumption , provision of open land area surrounding the building , energy saving, raw materials saving, environmental protection measures and other aspects, starting from the design to completion and operation. Supplementary positive factors are application of energy efficiency targets, combined with low consumption, waste recycling , minimum GHG emissions ;and ending up with people living comfortably and under no environmental health risks.

HOW CAN THESE ECOLOGICALLY BRANDED ENGINEERING DESIGNS FAVOR THE SOCIETY?

 

Benefits of Green buildings

♦ Individual Benefit- Reduced Maintenance, Energy and water Saving, Improve air quality

♦Regional Benefit- Waste management, recycled and reused

♦Global Benefit-Stemming Climate Change

 

 

 

Through this blog, the author is demanding that prior to the delivery of a building permit, the Environmental impact assessment rules should enforce that the green building concept is respected. Everybody who gets to read this blog and agrees to the above mentioned benefits from use of ecological principles should become motivated, and passionately disseminate them to his or her friends and colleagues , and also to the social media. This will surely be a way to bring synergy for a good cause from all passionate green fans

ON AN END NOTE

Green building design is the positive way ahead to combat GHG emissions. All relevant stakeholders must join in as a group in every city or town to execute the ecological concept in engineering design.

I am of strong opinion that every country should legislate immediately the insertion of ecological principles in the engineering process, particularly using renewable energy. Every human being on this planet and every responsible politician should contribute towards sustainable and ecological development and attenuation of global warming by the year 2100.

“Create meaningful, purposeful fulfilling lives for yourselves and learn how to use that to make an impact and a difference in the lives of others”