FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 13

Environmental Crisis and Sustainable Development

MODULE OVERVIEW

Environmental Crisis and Sustainable Development is concerned with the process of

structuring public space in the city at a time when the global environment appears increasingly
fragile. ... The pursuit of sustainable city structures presupposes also the development of a built
environment of quality.
In this module we will discuss the major environmental problems that the world is facing. Also
in this module, we will learn the steps we can take to prevent or reduce the environmental crisis.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

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

1. Discuss the origins and manifestation of global environmental crises;
2. Relate everyday encounters with pollution, global warning, desertification, ozone depletion, and
many others with a larger picture of environmental degradation; and
3. Examine the policies and programs of governments around the world that address the
environmental crisis

MODULE CONTENT

I. INTRODUCTION:
The most serious problem of humanity faces today is the deteriorating state of environment.
• The fetid smell of uncollected garbage who are causing stinky smells
• Rotting vegetables, a dead rat and a bunch of whatnot packed in plastic
• Smoke coming out diesel vehicles (smog)
• Coal plant and several industrial site or factories
• Oil spots on the river coming from human and non-human
• In the city you live in, there are dying river, and increasingly poisonous sky, and enormous amount
of waste, and declining quality of life

It is at this point that you recognize the ecological crisis happening around you, and how the
deterioration of the environment has destabilized populations and species, raising the specter of
extinction for some and lesser quality of life for the survivors and their offspring.

II. The World's Leading Environmental Problems

The Conserve Energy Future website lists the following environmental challenges the world faces
today (click the triangle beside the number)

1. Pollution
There are 7 key types of pollution — air, water, soil, noise, radioactive, light and thermal and these
are primary causes that affect our environment in many ways. All these types of pollution are
interlinked and influence each other. Therefore, we need to tackle all of them together.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

Pollution of air, water and soil requires millions of years to recoup. Industry and motor
vehicle exhaust are the number one pollutant Heavy metals, nitrates and plastic are toxins
responsible for pollution.
While water pollution is caused by oil spill, acid rain, urban runoff, air pollution is caused by
various gases and toxins released by industries and factories and combustion of fossil fuels; soil
pollution is majorly caused by industrial waste that deprives soil from essential nutrients.

2. Soil Degradation
Globally, food security depends on the factor whether or not soils are in good condition to
produce crops. According to UN estimates, about 12 million hectares of farmland a year get
seriously degraded.
Soils gel damaged due to many reasons. Such reasons include erosion, overgrazing, overexposure
to pollutants, monoculture planting, soil compaction, land-use conversion and many more.
Nowadays, a wide range of techniques of soil conservation and restoration exist, from no-till
agriculture to crop rotation to water-retention through terrace-building.

3. Global Warming
Climate changes like global warming are the result of human practices like the emission of
greenhouse gases. Global warming leads to rising temperatures of the oceans and the earth' surface
causing natural disasters that include flooding, melting of polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and also
unnatural patterns of precipitation such as flash floods, hurricanes, flash floods, hurricanes, wildfires,
drought, excessive snow or , drought, excessive snow or desertification.

4. Overpopulation
The population of the planet is reaching unsustainable levels as it faces a shortage of resources
like water, fuel and food. Population explosion in less developed and developing countries is
straining the already scarce resources.
Intensive agriculture practiced to produce food damages the environment through the use of
chemical fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides. Overpopulation is also one of the crucial current
environmental problems.

4. Natural Resource Depletion

Another crucial current environmental problem is the depletion of Natural resources. We,
humans, use so many natural resources that it would need almost 1.5 Earths to cover all our needs.
This will further increase in the future due to massive industrialization in Asian countries like
India and China. Increased use of natural resources leads to a number of other environmental issues,
such as industrialization, population growth and air pollution.
Over time, natural resource depletion will lead to an energy crisis. The chemicals emitted from
many natural resources contribute to climate change. Fossil fuel consumption results in the emission
of greenhouse gases, which is primarily responsible for global warming and climate change.
Globally, people are making efforts to shift to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind,
thogas and geothermal energy. As such, the cost of installing the infrastructure and maintaining these
sources has plummeted in recent years.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

5. Generating Unsustainable Waste

The huge production of waste due to our hyper consumption is a major threat to the environment.
As per the study, the average person produces 4.3 pounds of waste per day, and the US alone
accounting for 220 million tons a year.
This hyper consumption results in non-biodegradable trash in the form of plastic packaging, toxic
e-waste, and harmful chemicals that leach into our waterways.
When this waste ends up in landfills, it generates enormous amounts of methane, which ranks as
one of the worst greenhouse gases because of its high potential for global warming. It creates severe
explosion hazards.
Since modern technology allows us to access digital environments, many things that you need
can be fulfilled in the cloud. Consider your purchases carefully.

6. Waste Disposal
The overconsumption of resources and the creation of plastics are creating a global crisis of
waste disposal. Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of waste or
garbage and dumping their waste in the oceans and less developed countries.
Nuclear waste disposal has tremendous health hazards associated with it. Plastic, fast food,
packaging and cheap electronic wastes threaten the wellbeing of humans. Waste disposal is,
therefore, one of the urgent current environmental problems.

8. Deforestation
Our forests are natural sinks of carbon dioxide and produce fresh oxygen, as well as helps in
regulating temperature and rainfall. At present, forests cover 30% of the land, but every year tree
cover is lost, amounting to the country of Panama due to the growing population demand for more
food, shelter and cloth. Deforestation simply means clearing of green cover and make that land
available for residential, industrial or commercial purposes.

9. Polar Ice Caps

The issue of the melting of polar ice caps is a contentious one. Although NASA studies have
shown that the amount of ice in Antarctica is increasing, however, this increase is only one-third of
what is being lost in the Arctic.
There is enough evidence that shows sea levels are rising, and the melting of Arctic ice caps is a
major contributor. Over time, the melting of polar ice caps could lead to extensive flooding,
contamination of drinking water and major changes in ecosystems.

10.Loss of Biodiversity
Human activity is leading to the extinction of species and habitats and loss of biodiversity.
Ecosystems, which took millions of years to perfect, are in danger when any species population is
decimating.
Balance of natural processes like pollination is crucial to the survival of the ecosystem, and human
activity threatens the same. Another example is the destruction of coral reefs in the various oceans,
which support the rich

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

marine life.

11.Climate Change
Climate change is yet another environmental problem that has surfaced in the last couple of
decades. It occurs due to the rise in global warming, which happens due to the increase in
temperature of the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and the release of harmful gases by industries.
Climate change has various harmful effects but not limited to the melting of polar ice, change
in seasons, occurrence of new diseases, frequent occurrence of floods and change in overall weather
scenario.

12. Ocean Acidification

It is a direct impact of excessive production of 002. 25% of total atmospheric CO2 is produced by
humans. The ocean acidity has increased by the last 250 years, but by 2100, it may shoot up by
150%. The main impact is on shellfish and plankton in the same way as human osteoporosis.

13. The Nitrogen Cycle

We often ignore the effects of the use of nitrogen by humans. Nitrogen is a crucial
component of all life. Problems occur when the nitrogen cycle is not balanced.
A process through which it is converted or 'fixed to a more usable form is called fixation. The
fixation happens biologically and through lightning, or it can be done Industrially. People have
learned to convert nitrogen gas to ammonia (NH3-) and fertilizers that are nitrogen-rich to
supplement the amount of nitrogen fixed naturally.
It is estimated that agriculture may be responsible for about 50% of the nitrogen fixation on
earth through the cultivation of nitrogen-fixing crops and the production of human-made fertilizers.
When nitrogen is used more than plant demand, it can leach from soils into waterways and
contributes to eutrophication.
Excess levels of nitrogen in water can hamper marine ecosystems, through overstimulation of
plant and algae growth. This blocks the light from getting into deeper waters, thus damaging the rest
of the marine population.
The problem can also occur during nitrification and denitrification. Nitrous oxide (N20) can
be formed when the chemical process is not completed. N20 is a potent greenhouse gas contributing
to global warming.

14.Ozone Layer Depletion

The ozone layer is an invisible layer of protection around the planet that protects us from the
sun's harmful rays. The depletion of the crucial Ozone layer of the atmosphere is attributed to
pollution caused by Chlorine and Bromide found in Chloro-fluoro carbons (CFCs). Once these toxic
gases reach the upper atmosphere, they create a hole in the ozone layer, the biggest of which is above
the Antarctic.
CFCs are banned in many industries and consumer products. The ozone layer is valuable
because it prevents harmful UV radiation from reaching the earth. This is one of the most important
current environmental problems.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 4

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

15. Acid Rain

Acid rain occurs due to due to the presence of certain pollutants in the a the presence of
certain pollutants in the atmosphere. Acid rain can be caused due to combustion of fossil fuels or
erupting volcanoes or rotting vegetation which releases sulfur ion which releases sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. atmosphere.
Acid rain is a known environmental problem that can have a serious effect on human health,
health, wildlife and aquatic species.

16.Water Pollution
Clean drinking water is becoming a rare commodity. Water is becoming an economic and
political issue as the human population fights for this resource.
One of the options suggested is using the process of desalinization. Industrial development is
filling our rivers, seas and oceans with toxic pollutants, which are a major threat to human health.

17. Overfishing
Overfishing affectsnatural ecosystems severely and leads to an imbalance of ocean life.
Around 63% of  global fish stocks are estimated to be overfished. Overfishing caused fishing fleets
to migrate to new waters that would further deplete the fish stocks. Moreover, it has negative effects
on coastal communities that rely on fishing to support their living.

18 Urban Sprawl
Urban sprawl refers to the migration of population from high-density urban areas to low-
density rural areaswhichresults in the spreading of the city over more and more rural land.
Urban sprawl results in land degradation, increased traffic, environmental issues and health
issues. The evergrowing demand for land displaces the natural environment consisting of flora and
fauna, instead of being replaced.

19. Pandemics and other threats to public health (We are facing today because of Covid-19)
The current environmental problems pose a lot of risk to the health of humans and animals. Dirty
water is the biggest health risk in the world and poses a threat to the quality of life and public health.
Runoff to rivers carries with it toxins, chemicals and disease-carrying organisms. Pollutants cause
respiratory diseases like Asthma and cardiac-vascular problems. High temperatures encourage the
spread of infectious diseases like Dengue.

20. Genetic Manufacturing

Genetic modification of food using biotechnology is called genetic engineering. Genetic
modification of food results in increased toxins and diseases as genes from an allergic plant can
transfer to the target plant. Genetically modified crops can cause serious environmental problems as
an engineered gene may prove toxic to wildlife. Another drawback is that increased use of toxins to
make insect resistant plants can cause resultant organisms to become resistant to antibiotics.

The need for change in our daily lives and the movements of our government is growing.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 5

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

Since so many different factors come into play, such as voting, governmental issues, the desire to
stick to a routine, many people don't consider that what they do will affect future generations.
If humans continue moving forward in such a harmful way towards the future, then there will
be no future to consider. Although it's a fact that we cannot physically stop our ozone layer from
thinning (and scientists are still having trouble figuring out what is causing it exactly), there are still
so many things we can do to try and put a dent in what we already know.
By raising awareness in your local community and within your families about these issues,
you can help contribute to a more environmentally conscious and friendly place for you and your
future generations to live.

III. Man-made Pollution

 In Saudi Arabia, sandstorms combined with combustion exhaust form traffic and
industrial waste has leads the WHO to declare Riyadh as one of the most polluted
cities in the world
 Coal fumes coming out of industries and settling down in surrounding areas
contaminated 20 percent China’s soil, with rice lands in Hunan and ZhuZhou found to
have heavy metals from the mines threatening and food supply.
 Many cities in India are dangerously air polluted.
 Gabarone, the capital of Botswana, is the 7th most polluted city in the world.
 The emission of aerosols and other gases form car exhaust, burning of wood or
garbage, indoor cooking, and diesel-fueled electric generators, and petrochemical
plants are projected to quadruple by 2030.
 Waste coming out of coal, copper and gold mines flowing out in the rivers and oceans
is destroying sea life or permeating the bodies of those which survived with poison
(mercury in tuna, prominently)
 Scientists are linking Pacific storms to the spread of pollution in Asia.
 Aerosol is tagged the culprit in changing rainfall it in changing rainfall patterns in
Asia and the At patterns in Asia and the Atlantic Ocean.
 Air pollution can caused lung cancer and other dis g cancer and other diseases of
lungs. eases of lungs.
 Due to the hazardous location of many Metropolitans, poor air pollution and solid
waste management, weak disaster risk management, and limiting coping strategies of
households, Marife Ballesteros concludes that this unhealthy environment “deepens
poverty, increases the vulnerability of both the poor and non-poor living in slums, and
excludes the slum poor from growth.
 Diesel fueled considered as one of the largest contributors to environmental pollution
problems worldwide.
 Many cars are owned now by individuals because of command lower price and
durable that can be affordable to the middle class and elite people.

IV. Catching Up
• These massive environmental problems are very hard to resolve because governments believe that

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 6

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

for their countries to become fully develop, they must be industrialized, urbanized and inhabited by
robust of middle class with access to the best of modern amenities.
• A developed society, accordingly, must also have provisions for the poor—jobs in the industrial
sector, public transports system.China, India and Indonesia are now in the midst of a frenzied effort
to achieve and sustaineconomic growth to catch up with the West.
•In the desire to develop and improve the standard of living of their citizens, these countries will opt
for the goals of economic growth and cheap energy which in turn, would" encourage energy over-
consumption, waste and inefficiency and also fuel environmental pollution.

This issue begs the question: how is environmental sustainability ensured while
simultaneously addressing the development needs of poor countries?

V. Climate Change
 Global warming — it is the result of billion of tons of carbon dioxide (coming from coal-
burning power plants and transportation), various air pollutants, and other gases
accumulating in the atmosphere. These pollutants trap the sun's radiation causing of carbon
dioxide and other gases, this "greenhouse effect" has sped up the rise in the world
temperature
 Greenhouse effect — is responsible for recurring heat waves and long droughts in certain
place, as well as heavier rainfall and devastating hurricanes and typhoons in others.
 California had experience water shortage in 1,200 years due to global warming.
 Category 4 or 5 typhoons like the Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) that hits the central
Philippines in 2013. Scientist claim that there will be more and stronger typhoons in the
coming year.
 Glaciers are melting every year since 2002, with Antarctica losing 134 billion metric of ice.
 Coral reefs in the Australian Great Barrier Reef are dying, and the production capacities of
farms and fisheries have been affected.
 Flooding has allowed more breeding grounds for disease carriers like  Aedes
aegypti  mosquito and the cholera bacteria, Since human-made climate change threatens the
entire world, it is possibly the greatest present risk to humankind

VI. Combating Global Warming

 Kyoto Protocol in 1997, 192 countries signed this protocol to reduce greenhouse gases,
following the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit where a Framework Convention for
Climate Change was finalized. The protocol set targets but left it to the individual countries
to determine how best theywould achieve these goals.
 United States—the biggest polluter in the world—is not joining the effort.
 Developing countries lack the funds to implement the protocols guidelines as many of them
needinternational aid to get things moving.
 Paris Accord — the follow-up treaty to the Kyoto Protocol, negotiated by 195 countries in
Dec. 2015.
It seeks to li i# the increasein the global average temperature based, on targeted goals as
recommended by scientists. Unlike Kyoto Protocol Parts Accord provides %Ore targetedorcountries

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 7

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

to decide on their national targets.

In South Africa, communities engage in environmental activism to pressure industries to reduce
emissions.
Universities also partner with governments in producing attainable programs of controlling pollution.
In Japan, population pressure forced the government to work with civil society groups, academia
and political parties to get the parliament to pass a blizzard of laws-14 passed laws at once—in
what became known as the Pollution Diet of 1970.
 When governments still hesitate in fully committing themselves to fight pollutions and when
international organizations still lack the power to enforce anti-pollution policies, social coalitions
that bring in village associations, academics, the media, local and national governments, and even
international aid agencies together may be the only to reverse this worsening situation.

VII. Conclusion
Perhaps no issue forces people to think about their role as citizens of the world than
environmental degradation. Every person, regardless of his/her race, nation or creed, belongs to the
same world. When one looks at an image of the earth, he/she will realize that he/she belongs to one
world—a world that is increasingly vulnerable. In the fight against climate change, one cannot afford
to simply care about his/her own backyard. The CO2 emitted in one country may have sever effects
on the climate of another_ There is no choice but to find global solutions to this global problem.

Activity 1

Finding Everyday Pollution

(Please observed health protocols before and while you are doing this activity) make a sperate sheet
and attach in this module.

Instruction: Go around your neighborhood and list the different kinds of pollutants that you see.
Widen your observation by looking at the areas surrounding your neighborhood.
Make a list of these pollutants and check which ones can be recycled and which ones need to
be put together for the garbage men to collect. With the recycled ones, list the possible things that
you can do to make them usable and explain this in a report. (because there is no face to face
classroom interaction, you will make a report thru powerpoint presentation and send that into my
email). Note: You must provide pictures.
-My powerpoint presentation is attached as pdf (separated).

What are the different things would you like to implement in order to preserved the nature?
As a nature lover, I must have this task to preserved and saved our Mother Earth. Our world
is changing and its climate also. Being a former President of Science Club during my high school
days, I have joined many seminars regarding preserving and caring our mother earth. Seminars that
can change our world, "When we honor the earth, we honor ourselves" this quote is my biggest take
away during our seminar days. But the question here is, what would be the different things that I will
implement in order to preserved our nature? Firstly, implementing "garapon mo, isu isakadam" this
theme will be helpful in our mother earth in many ways. Instead of using plastics when we buy some

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 8

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5:Contemporary World Module No.13

ingredients in cooking such as oil, with the use of "garapon" or a jars that can use to store it will be
reduce plastic in the environment. Secondly, implementing high tax to those factories that is great in
producing plastics. This tax will be used in my next project which I can use in paying street sweepers
whose spending their entire life in cleaning our environment, this will be their reward in doing this
thing. Thirdly, "batog mo!, dalusam!" This project is the simplest because cleaning your front yard
will be must and under this project whoever don’t follow this project will be paying 3K pesos as a
first offense, 5k pesos and second and 15k pesos as the third offense with the additional 5 days
collecting garbage in their neighbors. Lastly, my very main project will be the "magandang garden,
tungo sa maganda at malinis na kinabukasan" thi project are aiming every house to recycle their
broken things in planting like my presentation that I have used many broken things in my small
garden. By these kinds of projects that I will implement, I know it can change our world for the
better.

REFERENCES

Aldama, Prince Kennex R. The Contemporary World First Edition.Rex Bookstore, Inc. 2018.
Steger, Manfred B., Paul Battersby, and Joseph M. Siracusa, eds. 2014.The SAGE
Handbook ofGlobalization. Two volumes. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Claudio L &Abinales P., (2018), The Contemporary World C & E Publishing, Inc., 839 EDSA,
South Triangle, Quezon City

Peterson Institute for economics (2018). What is Globalization? Retrieved from

https://www.piie.com/microsites/globalization/what-is-globalization  on May 28, 2020

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 9