GENVI MODULE 3 UNIT 1

• Environmental Management

  A goal or vision, an attempt to steer a process, the applications of a set of tools, a philosophical exercise seeking to establish new perspectives towards the environment and human societies
• Environmental Resources

  All abiotic and biotic components of the environment that are used or can be used in the economic system
• Types of Environmental Resources

  • Renewable Resources
  • Non-renewable Resources
  • Recyclable
  • Non-recyclable
• Renewable Resources

  Reproducible and in principle could be maintained perpetually
• Renewable Resources

  • Forests
  • Animals
  • Water
• Non-renewable Resources

  Resources that can be regenerated, or the regeneration takes place so slowly that it will not significantly increase the stock of resources in any reasonable time span
• Non-renewable Resources

  • Oil
  • Gas
  • Minerals
• Recyclable Resources

  Resources that do not lose their properties when they are used in economic processes, thus can be reused in the economic system
• Recyclable Resources

  • Minerals
  • Paper
  • Glass
• Non-recyclable Resources

  Finite resources that once used, their stock is no more available for future use
• Non-recyclable Resources

  • Energy resources such as coal, gas, and oil
  • Single use items
• In theory, 100% of recyclable resources could be recycled but for economic reasons only a fraction is recycled
• Potential Resource

  Resources that exist in a region and may be used in the future
• Actual Resource

  Resources that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and are being used in present times
• Reserve Resource

  The part of an actual resource which can be developed profitably in the future
• Management Entities

  • Government
  • Industry
  • Community
  • Research and Educational Institutions
  • Church
• Government's role in environmental management

  Provides the legal bases, formulates and implements laws, policies, presidential decrees, prohibitions, and penalties regarding the use of environmental resources
• Industry's role in environmental management

  Use environmentally appropriate methods, meet legal requirements, and take proactive attitude towards using sound environmental management practices
• Environmental Management System (EMS)

  A cycle involved in programs of organizations to meet their obligations to the environment since all activities are linked to the environment
• Investors should be encouraged to cooperate and establish a recycling unit to reuse/recycle the waste and produce raw materials/products that can be sold
• Applications of Industrial Ecology (IE) concept as a potential method to help the construction industry to become a sustainable responsible business
• Community's role in environmental management

  Take responsibility for actions, active involvement in managing the environment, "thinking global and acting local"
• Research and Educational Institutions' role in environmental management

  Information dissemination, data on environmental status, providing advice, participating in management initiatives
• Church's role in environmental management

  Responsibility to God as the Creator has been a powerful incentive to pro-environmental concerns, tasked to remind, set examples, and initiate environmental projects
• Environmentally Sustainable Development

  Using, conserving, and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future can be increased
• Precautionary Principle

  Involves actions that could prevent any harm to the environment, emphasis must be placed on anticipation and prevention of environmental damage
• Intergenerational Equity

  The present generation should ensure that the health, diversity, and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations
• Intergenerational Equity

  • Paris Agreement: An environmental agreement signed in 2015 by almost all countries, agreeing to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, lowering the global temperature, reducing the negative impacts of climate change, thereby preserving the environment for future generations
• Environmental Considerations in Decision-making

  The government, industrial, and business sectors should always take into consideration the impact of their decisions on the environment
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

  Designed to evaluate the impact of a project on the environment, society, and health
• Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecological Integrity

  Biological diversity is especially important for maintaining the balance in ecosystems, the future of the earth and all generations to come rely on biodiversity
• Improved Valuation, Pricing, and Incentive Mechanisms

  Enable environmental factors to be included in the valuation of goods and service, help to manage environmental risks, and reflect the trade-offs and complementarities between environmental benefits and other forms of economic and social activities
• Environmental Management Models

  • Objective
  • Targets
  • Personnel
  • Tasks
  • Schedule
• Objective

  The primary aim of a proposed environmental management program, includes the associated activity, its environmental aspect, the environmental impact, and possibly even the element of environmental policy that the environmental management program is related to
• Targets

  The activities that need to be done to achieve the objective, includes the performance indicators and time frame associated with the targets
• Personnel

  The management entities responsible for carrying out the overall program and its principal elements, and for achieving the targets and objective
• Tasks

  A description of the basic tasks, in sequence including, for each task, who does what, the time in which it is done, reports and other documents to be generated, and the expected results
• Schedule

  The timeframe for achieving the target and objective, represented as a bar chart or critical-path graphic
• Environmental Management Mechanisms

  • Acts and Regulations
  • Treaties and Agreements
  • Policies and Guidelines
  • Principles
  • Strategies and Plans
  • Licenses and Permits
• Acts and Regulations

  Legislations passed by the parliament containing specific regulations or guidelines on how an Act is to be applied