Environment

• Designers need to understand the impact the products they design have on the environment
• As the Earth's resources are consumed, the process of converting these raw materials into products uses huge amounts of energy, which creates pollution, affecting the environment
• The continuous improvement of a product by designers leads to the product becoming more efficient and having a better level of performance
• If the product is electrically powered, increased efficiency and performance level will lead to a reduced environmental impact caused by the product when it's in use, because of the reduced amount of energy required in operation
• Improved efficiency and performance in the workplace are also beneficial to the environment and can br brought about by staff training, and creation and investment in new technology
• An example of how continuous improvement in the workplace can be encouraged is by getting production line workers to suggest improvements to the product and they way it's made
• Manufacturing products uses energy, of which a huge portion is produced by burning fossil fuels
• Burning fossil fuels is a major cause of pollution. Smoke causes soot deposits and can cause breathing difficulties
• Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas and carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming
• Global warming is the gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans that is affecting the Earth's climate
• The Earth's atmosphere behaves like a greenhouse - the Sun's rays pass through it and warm the Earth. The heat produced radiates out towards spacebut some of it does not pass back out through the atmosphere and is reflected back down trapping the heat
• When greenhouse gases such as CO2 and methane accumulate high in the atmosphere, more heat gets trapped and the planet warms up further
• The burning of fossil fuels gives off CO2 which accumulates and this increases the greenhouse effect and the planet warms up more
• Technology is being developed that uses alternative energy sources instead of fossil fuels
• Ways of generating energy from the sea, the wind, the Sun, rivers and the heat stored underneath the Earth's surface all continue to be developed