Plastic

Plastic is a commonly used material in our everyday life. It is in included in plastic bags, plastic bottle, most of the packaging of product and more, our life has become inseparable with the material. Although plastic is a convenient and durable material, it costs a range of environmental issues across its lifespan. Scientists and researchers have been focusing on reducing the environmental impact of this convenient material from different stages. Production of plastic and disposal of plastic are two of the main issues, Scientist now has proposed solutions for these issues.

The main component of any plastic such as Acrylonitrile butadiene – styrene (ABS) is Butadiene. Butadiene is traditionally manufactured with petroleum or gas (University of Delaware, 2017). A scientific team collaborated with three universities has found a greener solution to it. The team has successfully produce butadiene from Sugar, sugar was converted to furfural then later convert to Tetrahydrofuran -THF (University of Delaware, 2017). The team has successfully achieved 95% effectiveness in converting THF to Butadiene with the new technology called “phosphorus all-silica zeolite” (University of Delaware, 2017). This technology allows plastic being produced by a biofuel from natural biomass sources which is biomass – derived sugars in this case (University of Delaware, 2017).

Waste and disposal of plastic is another huge issue of plastic, In EU, one-third of waste sent to landfill and tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the ocean (European Commission, 2017). Disposal of plastic is becoming a global issue it courses huge environmental, social issues. The disadvantage of plastic as a durable material is that it is very hard to degrade, it leads to a series of water pollutions and damages to the ocean environment. Scientists have discovered that Galleria mellonella was able to eat and digest plastic bags which takes around 100 to 400 years to degrade (Ian Sample, 2017). The Team discover that the worms have a type of enzymes that is able to break down plastic. Further research would be focusing on the enzymes and real world application (Ian Sample, 2017).

I think that the researches and discoveries on reducing the environmental impact of plastic are important and necessary since plastic is a widely used material in our everyday life. I think that plastic wastage and disposal and the environmental impact behind such as pollution to ocean life is very crucial issues. I believe that the processes of manufacture, recycle and disposal treatment of plastic still have large improvement opportunities. 

University of Delaware. (2017, April 24). Process invented to make sustainable rubber, plastic. ScienceDaily. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170424170755.htm (accessed May 8, 2017).

European Commission. (2017, March 1). Plastic Waste – Strategy and Background. European Commission. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/plastic_waste.htm (accessed May 8, 2017).

Ian Sample. (2017, April 25). Plastic- eating worms could help wage wat on waste. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/24/plastic-munching-worms-could-help-wage-war-on-waste-galleria-mellonella (accessed May 8, 2017).

London

In January 2017, London’s reading of air pollution level has shown that it has bypass Beijing for more than 48 hours (Howard 2017). The air pollution of London is comparable with Beijing now. According to the Air Quality Index, London reached a maximum – 197 for PM 2.5 where Beijing’s maximum are 190 in the same time period. Although London has an overall better air quality than Beijing, However, the amount of some pollutant such as SO2 and Ozone shares similar data compare to Beijing.

The air pollution limit has been broken within 5 days of 2017, the number of NO2/ m3 should not exist 200 micrograms in anywhere in London for 18th times. However, this limit is quickly violated when Brixton Road reaches the 19th time. In 2016, 60% of monitored sites has broken the limit and one of them reach the number of 1000 times. Paul Morozzo (clean air campaigner for Greenpeace) stated that government has not only failed to regulate on the usage of diesel cars but also encourages customers to buy diesel cars (MacCarthy 2017). Morozzo believes that car companies should only concentrate on hybrid and electric alternatives instead of diesel. According to Alan Andrew, The air pollution is an issue that requires consideration or solutions on a national scale (MacCarthy 2017).

Despite air pollution in London, London is considered as a candidate to the first zero-emission city. The recent Urban Mobility Index report by CEBR examines how cities approaching a low carbon future. According to Qualcomm, London is committed to a low emission future through many strategies and schemes such as bike share scheme and low emission zones (Sustainable Brands 2017). It has also invested in ultra- low emission vehicles and it serves for people in London.

I think that air quality is an important aspect in a sustainable city, it affects environmental and social aspect in sustainability. It leads to different issues such as the health of both human and environment. In my opinion, London is taking a lead in Europe to push the idea of sustainability by investing in low emission vehicles. Despite Morozzo stated that only improving and innovate on public transportation system cannot solve the problem. I personally consider that improving vehicles’ sustainable performances in public transportation is the first step. The innovative design can then be easily applied to other vehicles.

Howard, E. (2017, January 25). London's air pollution has been hitting levels worse than Beijing. Available at: http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/01/24/london-air-pollution-worse-than-beijing (accessed May 1, 2017).

Sustainable Brands. (2017, April 27). London Driving UK Forward Towards Low- Carbon Circular Future. Available at: http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/next_economy/sustainable_brands/london_driving_uk_forward_towards_low-carbon_circular (accessed May 1, 2017).

MacCarthy Libby, London Surpasses Annual Air Pollution Limits 5 Days Into 2017; Mary Poppins Is Not Amused. Available at: http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/behavior_change/libby_maccarthy/london_surpasses_annual_air_pollution_limits_less_wee (accessed May 1, 2017).

Sustainable Company

Business refers to a commercial operative. The main purpose of companies or businesses in any scale is to maximise profit and increase market shares. In terms of sustainability, business would prioritise in their individual economic sustainability. As the scale increases, large scale businesses would have dramatic impacts on the economic sustainability of a country or even the world. Businesses also have impacts on social and environmental sustainability while this fact is regarded by many businesses. The products, reputations and promotions of a business are all connected to social and environmental aspect as well.

In recent years, there are more businesses, both large and small scales start to address to environmental issues and social challenges. However, it would require a shift in their thinking. The introduction of science-based sustainability goals provides a guideline for businesses. Business would need to overlook the entire ‘system value’ (Sutton 2017) in order to determine the break- even points between different aspects.

According to the scientific framework, the standard for a sustainable company has risen, creating less harm is not enough. The report suggests that business would require a fundamental change in their operation and think in order to achieve this difficult goal (Sutton 2017). It is important for a business to understand their impact on environment and society and their actions should be considered. By adopting a science into business strategy would provide a clear understand the social and environmental challenges in a business model. One of the difficulties for business to achieve better is that the benchmark for a sustainable company is undefined (Sutton 2017). According to Martin Rich, there is no clear definition of sustainable companies and he encourages that business should focus on ‘tomorrow’s required practices’ instead of the best current practices.

I think that it is important for a business to understand their impacts on the environment and the society. I believe that large businesses should be the pioneer in transforming into sustainable practice since they have the largest impacts. These impacts are not included in reducing carbon emissions and creating no pollution. I believe the messages that carry out their customers are the most important where the large business as a role model and affects the individuals. I believe that would be an important factor as a sustainable company.

Sutton Jeff, (2017, May 2), Measuring True Impact: Why Science Is Redefining Our Definition of a Sustainable Company. Available at: http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/new_metrics/jeff_sutton/measuring_true_impact_why_science_redefining_our_definition_s (accessed May 2, 2017).

Relationship between human wellbeing and environment

Environmental issues are always a large concern in sustainability. It includes climate changes, air pollution, d depletion in biodiversity and more. It is well established that an unhealthy environment would lead to social and economic issues. A research published by the University of California – Berkeley recently demonstrates the relationship between human wellbeing and depletion in fish stock around Kenya’s Lake Victoria.

The research is based on an assumption that human disease provides ‘a natural to environmental exploitation’. The outcomes of the research demonstrate that poor human health might leads to damages to the environment. According to Science Daily, Kathryn Fiorella the lead author of the study found out that fisher with illness would alter the method to fish, more destructive and illegal methods are used (University of California – Berkeley, 2017). Those methods are usually more time and energy efficient but with large negative impacts on the environment. The research suggests that better healthcare would benefit both environment and social aspect, it can also benefit human in managing the sustainability of resources and environmental development. Richard Yuretich, a program officer for NSFD stated that healthy people would plan carefully on the process which results in less environmental impacts (University of California – Berkeley, 2017).

I think it is important for people to understand this relationship since it is related to the main aspects of sustainability. It demonstrates the impacts of human wellbeing on the environment which is reverted of a common scenario. I think the result of the experiment demonstrate human psychological effect can impact on environmental where a human would focus on short term gain when they are in an unhealthy body. Therefore, I think that this report demonstrated that having healthy social aspects would be benefits to environment sustainability. I think it is important for the public to understand that social aspect has large impacts on the environment, not only economic developments would have impacts on the environment.

University of California - Berkeley. (2017, April 17), When human illness rises, the environment suffers, too. ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170403151145.htm (accessed April 18, 2017).

The sustainability of Electric Vehicles

The innovation of electric vehicles is one of the important factors that effects on sustainability.  Electric vehicles are usually referring to electric cars, which are becoming more exposed to the public. Tesla is one of the leading companies of electric vehicles. As electric vehicles become more popular and the benefits are clearly demonstrated, however, the resistance on social and energy efficiency aspect.

China as a developing country with large population, a number of vehicles operated are high. A large amount of the vehicles causes pollution in many cities in China. Electric vehicles would provide a solution for the issues, however, the sales of electric vehicles only contain 0.3% of the total sales of automobile vehicle in 2014. The main reason is due to the expensive cost of electric vehicles (AIP, 2016). Yu Hao, a researcher in Beijing institute of Technology stated that China has the responsibility to reduce the pollution for fossil consumption. The research team points out that NEV industry in China should be encouraged to invest into research and development while the government should encourage citizen to raise the attention on the environment and sustainable development (AIP, 2016).

The effectiveness of electric vehicles is questioned. A common debatable topic would be the efficiency of the electricity vs fossil fuels. The energy efficiency of electric cars is usually questioned since electricity is generated from coal. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology has conducted a research on the environmental costs of the electric vehicles to determine the ‘cradle to a grave environmental footprint of operating these vehicles.’ The researchers propose a model with nanomaterials for batteries or fuel cells as a guide for the developers. The researchers aim to create a group of vehicles that have highest environmental sustainability (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 2016).

I think that it is important for the government to identify and resolve issues on social sustainability. Social factors have high influences on sustainability, therefore, it would be important for China to promote the idea of environmental sustainability and establish clauses, regulations or policies in order to achieve sustainable development in the future. I think that electric vehicles would have to go through more innovation in order to achieve better environmental sustainability. These could be achieved by more sustainable materials or designs in the development of the vehicle.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2016, Dec 16), Keeping electric car design on the right road: Closer look at the life-cycle impacts of lithium-ion batteries, proton exchange membrane fuel cells. ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161208125844.htm (accessed April 25, 2017).

American Institute of Physics (AIP) (2016, Nov 16), What factors are influencing electric vehicle purchases in China?, ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161115111651.htm (accessed April 25, 2017).

Reconsidering the definition of high-rise

Skyscrapers are a very common type of building in urban areas around the world, it provides a lot of available spaces within a compact area. Skyscrapers can be used for commercial or residential purposes, mix usage high-rise has become very common as well. Skyscrapers represent the advancement of technology in built environment industry, it also represents the social and financial status of an individual or a company. Skyscrapers are linked with all three aspects of sustainability, the design of skyscraper should be carefully considered.

In March 2017, Dr Antony Wood has delivered a lecture on ‘the future of sustainable vertical urbanism’. According to Jennifer Duke, Wood claim that 95% of the skyscrapers designed is a failure. Wood stated that spaces that resident need and the quality of home should be provided in the high rise as the density of city model have increased (Duke 2017). The city would become ‘unviable’ if those criteria were not meet. His main arguments are the two design approach of the current skyscrapers which are monolithic block style and overtly- sculptural approach (Duke 2017). 

Monolithic block style refers to the design tries to fit in as many apartments in as possible regardless of the living quality in order to maximise the profit. Overtly sculptural approach refers to high rise are built to be iconic without consideration toward their appropriateness which results in a ‘zoo’ liked the city. Wood stated that the purpose of the high rise is bringing all the property of city into the sky, it should be a “city flipped vertically with public space and infrastructure” (Duke 2017).

I personally agreed with the statement of high rise present as a vertically flipped city. I think that the number of skyscrapers or high rise buildings would only increase in the future development of urban areas.  There would be less available land in urban areas, public spaces and infrastructure system should occur in the high rise or even between high rise buildings. For example, in CBD areas in Hong Kong, high rise buildings are connected through bridges for pedestrian accesses while the streets are mainly for traffic accesses. The bridges are also connected to different public facilities such as transport intersections, community centres and public squares. Mix usage high rise building is another example for well- design skyscrapers in urban areas since it provides better living quality for people.

I think it would be important for the design for high rise building to cater for the utility of people in order to achieve sustainability and sustainable development of cities since it is deeply linked with the future development of a city.

Duke, J. (2017, March 9). 95 per cent of skyscrapers 'are crap pieces of design', says architecture professor. Available at: https://www.domain.com.au/news/shortfall-of-the-tall-most-skyscrapers-are-crap-pieces-of-design-expert-says-20170308-gut0ky/ [Accessed 7 April 2017].

Relationship between economic and deforestation

Deforestation refers to removal of a forest or trees from an area and change the function of the area to non-forest uses. The areas are usually turn into urban development areas or agricultural uses, the trees would be used for construction purposes or sold as fuels. Deforestation would cause large environmental impacts to the natural habitat and biodiversity of the area, removal of a large scale of forest would also impact the carbon dioxide rate in the atmosphere.

In terms of economic aspect, deforestation could provide large amount of land and raw resources into the market. The land would be opportunities for urban development or other usages that enhance economic development for a country or city. In 2017, Scientific Report has publish a research paper “Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence form Satellite Data” by IIASA (ScienceDaily, 2017). The paper focus on the relationship between Income per Capita and deforestation in different countries. The research is based on an existing theory called “Kuznet’s Curve”, which predicted that economic growth would lead to depletion in environment in undeveloped country and the effect would be revert in developed countries (ScienceDaily, 2017).

The result of the research stated that half of “Kuznet’s Curve” is correct where the developing countries have higher depletion on environment. The studies has demonstrated that undeveloped countries and developed countries both have low depletion on environment. According to researcher of IIASA, the main concern would be undeveloped countries in Africa (ScienceDaily, 2017). Africa have large amount of undisturbed forests, the main concern for the researcher is that the developing stages of Africa countries, the deforestation would create worldwide environmental impacts.

I think that the research result has provide an understanding between environmental impacts in development of countries. I think that developed countries should offers helps and resources to undeveloped countries to prevent or reduce environmental impacts during their developing stages. These resources could be education, technology and financial supports.

ScienceDaily(2017, Jan 17), Trade-offs between economic growth and deforestation. Available at:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170117140246.htm (accessed April 10, 2017).