The Contradictions of Sustainable Urban Water Management
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Philip Lohrmann speaks as a representative of the civilian-layman-environmental enthusiast margin and is currently a construction project manager working out of Shanghai. Philip’s educational background is in Civil Engineering with a focus on the environmental and structural disciplines, particularly water resources. His work experience includes LEED projects in Shanghai, river restoration projects on the West Coast of the United States, and water quality studies in Indiana and Zhejiang. He has also served as a volunteer with community-led local green energy initiatives, disaster relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and the non-profit organization Green Empowerment which conceives and implements water, energy and bio-sphere protection projects in South America and Southeast Asia. His turnoffs are end-of-the-tailpipe solutions, end-of-the-conveyor belt quality checks, and need-of-the-moment firefighting.
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The Contradictions of Sustainable Urban Water Management
- 1. The Contradictions of Sustainable Urban Water Management Philip Lohrmann GREEN DRINKS CHINA / 14 November 2013
- 2. Background – The Startling Figures - Water Resources for China 25% of the world’s average water per capita 33% of 600 cities are “water scarce” 17% “badly scarce” of water 70% Lakes and Rivers are contaminated 45% of Waters graded IV or worse 270 Million People with no access to potable water Shanghai
- 3. Background – The Startling Figures - Water Imbalance Spatial Imbalance Floods in the South Drought in the North Natural Disasters from 1980 - 2010 ~$26 Trillion $62 Billion (~3.81 Trillion CNY) spent on N-‐S Water Diversion Project Temporal Imbalance Most rain comes during seasonal downpours ~$31 Billion budgeted for 3 Gorges Dam, still insuf]icient to effectively tame the Yangtze http://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/quenching-‐the-‐dragons-‐thirst-‐the-‐ south-‐ north-‐water-‐transfer-‐project8212old-‐plumbing-‐for http://www.preventionweb.net/english/countries/statistics/?cid=36 https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/5108-‐Floods-‐test-‐Three-‐Gorges-‐ ~$21 Trillion ~$157 Trillion ~$48 Trillion
- 4. Background – The Startling Figures - Flood RiskChina overall is high ]lood risk 1998 > 238 million people affected by major ]lood disasters Damage = 30Billion USD (~1.8 Trillion CNY) 1991 > 210 million people affected by major ]looding 1931 ~ 3.7 million people died due to ]looding Of 40 Asian cities most vulnerable to major ]looding, 1/2 are in China Shanghai recently ranked at greatest risk of major cities in the world In 2003 17,000 residents in Anhui evacuated so that dikes could be blown and ]loodwaters released before joining the Yangtze River "A 1-‐in-‐100 year ]lood in Shanghai would lead to widespread damage, with serious consequences for the city, across China and, through wider economic links, for the whole world,“ ~ Researcher @ U. of Leeds http://www.statista.com/statistics/267750/economic-‐damage-‐caused-‐by-‐]loods-‐ http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-‐08/uol-‐frr082112.php worldwide/ https://www.chinadialogue.net/blog/5126-‐Shanghai-‐]lood-‐risk-‐or-‐]lood-‐safe-‐/en https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/5148-‐Sinking-‐Shanghai-‐not-‐prepared-‐to-‐admit-‐climate-‐change-‐threat
- 5. Solution! . . .? At the center of China’s solution to multiple problems is Urbanization People in China without reliable access to potable water: ~300,000,000 Estimated “]loating population”: ~250,000,000 Planned migration to cities by 2025: ~250-‐400 Million . . . Coincidence?
- 7. Where to begin? Overdrawn Natural Capital Social Inequality Water Stress Energy Demand Pollution The many dimensions of water ills are interconnected in very complicated ways, a solution can only be found by going to the roots of the problem
- 8. The beginning China’s water challenges have become chronic problems over the centuries due to mismanagement of natural resources and continued destruction of ecosystems fueled by unsustainable growth Natural Resource Innovations / Migrations Jevons Paradox Resource Scarcity Water Needed Growth Exceed Capacity Industrialization Energy production pollutes water & consumes ecosystems Energy Needed to get water Natural Resources consumed to make energy
- 9. Not only China - For Example 2007 2008 3.1 km Watch a video: http://www.wearepowershift.org/healing-‐walks
- 10. Competing Tensions Energy Industry Consumer Lifestyles Water Industry Limited Resources Food Industry CO2 Mitigation
- 12. Dow Chemical on how to achieve China’s water requirements . . . Low Energy Membrane Technology Desalination Energy Reducing Technologies Reverse Osmosis Membrane Ultra-‐]iltration Fibers Ion Exchange Resin Beads
- 13. To address China’s problems, we need a cradle-to-cradle design, brainstorm: Captures and stores rainwater Filters rainwater and wastewater Is100% recyclable Stabilizes soils Filters airborne pollution including ]ine particulates Is an appropriate technology that can be installed and maintained with little or no technical training
- 14. And some other goals with consideration for Global Climate Change: No fossil fuels required -‐ solar powered Changes carbon dioxide into oxygen gas Production is completely carbon neutral Captures and stores carbon Reduces local temperatures Provides shelter from sun, wind, and rain Regulates temperature & rainfall ]luctuations
- 15. . . . And it would be nice if: Increases in value and becomes more ef]icient with age Aesthetically pleasing and comes in a variety of shapes sizes and colors When decommissioned it can be up-‐cycled to become multiple useful products Compatible with other hardware platforms Self-‐repairing Self-‐reproducing Can produce food as a byproduct Can provide habitat for a variety of creatures It is fun for children and adults Helps ]ight cancer in a variety of ways
- 16. Oh, A Tree 30.5 m (100 feet) Other plants Leaves Mulch Humus Earth + Roots 2.5 mm of rainfall; 1.8 m3 of rain captured Can capture rains or ]lood waters equivalent to 57,000 gallons (215 m3 ) of water Ecosystem
- 17. Oh, A Tree Andy Lipkis, President of Tree People, on how to solve Los Angeles water woes Storm Water Pollution Water Supply The current Approach Flood Control Sanitation Health-‐ care 1. Rain provides enough water to meet 50% of L.A.’s water needs 2. L.A. City Stormwater Management collects and pre-‐treats the rainwater through engineering measures 3. L.A. Country Flood Control gets all the rainwater water out of the city as quickly as possible 4. L.A. City pump’s water from Colorado River, Owens Valley, LA Aqueduct, Sacramento River Delta, and others 5. In the late 1990s L.A. was planning to spend $20 Billion to upgrade the infrastructure, including a $47 Million storm drain in Sun Valley Neighborhood
- 18. What Andy did Retro]it Suburban Home to capture 100 year storm Convinced School to invest in Smart Green Infrastructure Instead of repaving the parking lot Convinced county to install $200M urban community forest in Sun Valley rather than a $47M stormdrain Released Second Nature- the result of 100 Engineers & Architects and 200 Scientists and Economists how Urban Forests can provide a better, more sustainable future (It would save $300M) Read their story: www.treepeople.org
- 19. The Urban Forest System Rain becomes storm water Storm water carrying pollutants ]lows into swales, gardens, and lawns First Flush pollutants treated in underground system onsite % water in]iltrated Ground water recharge (Future) Smart controls can divert water to balance the system or purge it before a ]lood Water available for later use Filtered water goes into underground cisterns
- 20. Crenshaw Highschool, Los Angeles, CA The Benefit Analysis (excluding socioeconomic benefits) Total Estimated Cost: $1,600,000 Total Value/year: $229,100 Return Period (assuming 5% interest): Less than 9 Years
- 21. Shanghai’s Water Resource Risk-Benefit Circle http://www.travelchinaguide.com/images/map/yangtze-‐river/water-‐system.jpg; Nov 2013
- 22. The Development Model Extended ~100 dams under construction along the Yangtze and its tributaries in 2013 ~$48 Trillion Market in 2010 for water-‐ related capital expenditures
- 24. Suspended sediment discharge http://www.unep.org/dewa/vitalwater/gif/0204-‐sediments-‐EN-‐2.gif
- 25. More water evaporates from reservoirs than is consumed by humans http://www.unep.org/dewa/vitalwater/ article46.html
- 26. Damage to Undo Water Storage function of China’s forests worth RMB 7.5T; 3x Value of the Timber in those forests Yangtze 长江 *In 1949 **Numbers have increased today but primarily 2nd growth timber worth only a fraction of the original growth *** Shennongjia 神农架
- 27. Forests Are Good for Big Business CDP Global Water Report 2012; The Carbon Disclosure Project; Deloitte
- 28. Takeaways – What can we do? Attitudes Think more critically and educate yourselves about the problems (Start by readying China’s Water Crisis 《中国水危机》, by Ma Jun) Realize that you are a player in the system, and own it Day to day behavior Reduce consumption of meats and water-‐intensive crops (check out www.waterfootprint.org) Reduce use of water Reduce use of electricity (39% of your water footprint is for electricity) Action Plant trees, trees, and more trees, or donate to reforestation efforts, fungi as well as native shrubs and grasses can keep the tree company Start conservation programs in your of]ice or community, anyone can do it, see how Andy Lipkis did it ( Check out www.ariesonline.org (Arti:icial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services) & www.naturalcapitalproject.org (InVEST - INtegrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs )
- 29. How can our cities meet our increasing water demands Increase ef]iciency to reduce water and power consumption Retro]it infrastructure to utilize rainwater and prevent pollution of water resources Mobilize our technical, ]inancial, and creative resources towards repairing the damage of the last 600 years
- 30. Synergized Efforts Energy Industry Circular Consumer Economy Lifestyles Water Industry Natural Limited Capital Resources Food Industry CO2 Mitigation
- 31. Thank you!