SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – A CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL APPRAISAL by DR. I.D. MALLDepartment of Chemical Engg.Indian Institute of Technology, RoorkeeRoorkee- 247667

1. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT –– AA CCRRIITTIICCAALL
EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTTAALL AAPPPPRRAAIISSAALL
DR. I.D. MALL
Department of Chemical Engg.
Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Roorkee- 247667

2. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT –– AA CCRRIITTIICCAALL
EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTTAALL AAPPPPRRAAIISSAALL
• INTRODUCTION
• URBAN POPULATION GROWTH – INDIAN
SCENARIO
• URBANISATION & INDUSTRIALISATION AND ITS
IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT
• Water Scarcity and Water Pollution
• Air Pollution
• Solid Waste and its Impact on Environment
• Noise Pollution
• Climate Changes
• Deforestation
• Loss of Bio-diversity
• CONCLUSIONS

3. EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTT
LLiivviinngg,, NNoonn lliivviinngg :: SSooiill,, wwaatteerr,, aaiirr,, eenneerrggyy,, ssppaaccee
SSoocciiooeeccoonnoommiicc..
LIVING NON-LIVING
ENVIRONMENT
SOCIE-ECONOMIC

5. According to Hindu mythology, the gods once decided to
churn the sea (Samudra Manthan) to obtain the pot of
nectar of immortality (amrut). While churning, along with
various unique precious things, a stream of poison was
released and it started damaging and destroying the
environment. Unless this problem was solved, it was not
possible to obtain the amrut. When no other god showed
willingness to handle the poison, Lord Shiva volunteered. He
drank the whole stream of poison. But if He gulps down, He
will invite death and hence He stops the poison in His throat.
Thereafter, Lord Shiva is also known as Neelkanth (blue
throat). Thus Lord Shiva showed the way to process the
elements damaging environment and pioneered the concept
of 'Sustainable Development'.

6. ORIGIN OOFF TTHHEE SSUUSSTTAAIINNAABBIILLIITTYY CCOONNCCEEPPTT
• The Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development
• The Convention of Climate Change
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• Conservation and Sustainable Development of All
Types of Forests (Forests Principles program).

7. FFAACCTTOORRSS IINNFFLLUUEENNCCIINNGG SSUUSSTTAAIINNAABBIILLIITTYY
Sustainability is
• Safe
• Universally accepted
• Stable
• Technology that benefits all
• Antipollution
• Improvement in quality of life
• Nontoxic
• Awareness
• Beautiful
• Indigenous knowledge
• Least-cost production
• Income
• Total quality
• Youth

8. CCAARRRRYYIINNGG CCAAPPAACCIITTYY
• The number of people the earth can support
• Biological: maximum limits of global food
production
• Cultural: quality of life, the environment,
future generations
• Cultural carrying capacity: the size of a
population that can live in a long-term,
sustained balance with the environment at a
reasonable quality of life with land

9. CCAARRRRYYIINNGG CCAAPPAACCIITTYY
Economic Progress
Quality of Life
Output
Developmental Activities
Input Wastes / Residuals
Resources Environment
Assimilative
Capacity
Supportive
Capacity
Carrying Capacity

10. AACCHHIIEEVVIINNGG SSUUSSTTAAIINNAABBLLEE
DDEEVVEELLOOPPMMEENNTT
• Reviving growth.
• Changing the quality of growth.
• Meeting essential needs for jobs, food,
energy, water, and sanitation.
• Conserving and enhancing the resource
base.
• Reorienting technology and managing risk.
• Merging environment and economics in
decision making.

11. Mahatma Gandhi [when asked if, after
independence, India would attain British
standards of living]: “It took Britain half the
resources of the planet to achieve its
prosperity; how many planets will a
country like India require?”

12. INTRODUCTION ccoonnttiinnuueedd....
• Rapid industrialization, urbanization and fast
economic growth worldwide phenomenon.
• 1950: 29.3% of the global population in urban area,
• Present share of urban population more than 43%, to
cross 50% mark in 2005.
• By 2030, global urban population: twice the size of
rural population.
• By 2025, more than three fifth of the world
population will live in urban area.
• Growth of urban population in the developing
countries is running at much faster rate than the
developed countries.

13. • By 2000 AD there will 21 cities in the world with more than 10
Million inhabitants and 17 of them will be in developing countries,
• During the second half of the 20th century the world population is
projected to grow by almost 160%, urban population to grow by
375%.
• Annual rate of growth reached a peak of 90 million persons a year
between 1985 and 1990
• By 200, this has fallen to approximately 80 million persons per
year
• Experts predict 85%,that growth will level off by the 2070
• Urban population in India:
– 17.3% in 1950
– 25.5% in 1990 and
– more than 45% by 2025 AD

14. • Since 1950 global economic output has increased approximately 5
times
• On top of increased rates of resource extraction, industrialization,
consumption, and waste production
• In developing countries:
– Wages improved
– Poverty declined
– Infant mortality declined
– Life expectancy increased
• However in some poor countries : economic conditions get worse,
as results of Social/political unrest, internal and boundary wars,
tribal conflicts
• Gap between rich and poor grows
– In 1960 30:1
– In 1992 61:1
• The present people make 1.1% of global income.
• At least 1/5 of people are worse off today in income than
generation ago.

15. • Today 20 % of the Earth’s people consume 90 % of
its resources; meanwhile some 4 billion people live
on less than US$ 2 per day. This pattern is not
sustainable – nor is the rate of resource depletion.
• If we do not act rapidly, by 2032 more than half the
World’s people will live in water-stressed areas.
• In addition, expansion of cities, roads and other
infrastructure will entail the disturbance or outright
destruction of habitats and wildlife on over 70 % of
the planet’s total land surface (Toepfer, 2002).
• Over 70% of the earth surface could be affected by
roads, mining, cities and other infrastructure
development in the next 30 years unless urgent
action is taken,

17. • Automobile pollution is major concern in cities all
over the world.
• Loss of biodiversity and climatic changes due to
large scale deforestation is another major problem
of urbanization and industrialization.
• The CO2 level in the atmosphere is increasing,
causing the earth’s temperature to rise and leading
to the melting of polar ice caps and glaciers
• The number of forest fires is also increasing around
the world.
• Rivers are running dry.
• China in 1972 the yellow river did not reach the sea
for the first time in the history
• 1977: it did not reach the sea during 226 days
• Situation in many rivers in India is also alarming

18. •Plants and animal are taking strong a strong hit; they
are desperately trying to adapt, but too many will not
make it
•Poverty erodes human capital;
•There are stark social inequities. 20% world population
accounts for 80% of total consumption
•Nearly half of the world population( an estimated 2.8
billion people) lives in less than two dollars a day
•Modern society has introduced or increased human
exposure to thousands of chemicals in the environment

19. Fast growing unplanned and indiscriminate
urbanization: Cause of recent ecological
imbalances
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS WHICH MANKIND IS
FACING DUE TO URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT ARE:
• Large scale contamination of water and air.
• Deforestation
• Increase in urban slums
• Generation of huge solid waste consisting of hazardous material.
• Water scarcity and ground water depletion.
• Global warming
• Greenhouse effect
• Ozone layer depletion

21. IIMMPPAACCTTSS OOFF IINNDDUUSSTTRRIIAALLIIZZAATTIIOONN
• Water Pollution
851 industries Discharging 100 +kg BOD
Tamil Nadu Highest Polluter
Grasim Industries
687k Gallons/day of Industrial Waste disposed
into Ganges
Food and Agro Based Industries contribute 65-
70% of Total Industrial water waste

22. AAIIRR PPOOLLLLUUTTIIOONN
AIR POLLUTANT IMPACTS
• Greenhouse effect
• Ozone depletion
• Acidification
• Smog formation
• Eutrophication
• Human health

23. BIODIVERSITY
With the loss of tropical
forests, Earth’s biodiversity
will decline….
50% of plant, animals, and
microorganisms live in rain
forests….
Biodiversity has been seen as
the total (and irreducible)
complexity of all life,
including not only the great
variety of organisms but also
their varying behavior and
interactions

24. Climate CChhaannggee aanndd DDeevveellooppmmeenntt
Socioeconomic development path
Demographic change
Economic growth
Technology
Policy & Institutions
Climate change
Temperature rise
Precipitation change
Sea level rise
Variability and extreme events
Human and Natural systems
Land and water resources
Ecosystems and biodiversity
Human health
Human settlements and infrastructure
Emissions and concentrations
Greenhouse gases
Aerosols
Impacts
Mitigation
Adaptation
Vulnerability
Source: IIASA

25. SSOOLLIIDD WWAASSTTEE GGEENNEERRAATTIIOONN
• World’s urban waste 720 million tonnes (50% in
developing countries)
• Global Municipal Solid Waste to Increase 7% in
2004
• A report from Research Markets in Dublin,
Ireland estimates that in 2004, the total amount
of municipal solid waste generated globally will
increase 7% over 2003 figures to 1.84 billion
tonnes. The report further estimates that
between 2004 and 2008, global generation of
municipal waste will rise by 31.1%.

26. PPAASSTT CCOONNCCEEPPTT
Social Economic
Environment
al

27. DECISION MAKING IN A SUSTAINABLE
SOCIETY
Social Economic
Sustainable
Solutions
Environmental

28. WHY RREE--BBUUIILLDDIINNGG NNAATTUURRAALL RREESSOOUURRCCEESS
IISS UURRGGEENNTT?? -- EEXXAAMMPPLLEE OOFF IINNDDIIAA
• GDP loss due to environmental damage exceeds 10% per year
(the case of the US is perhaps worse according to the
organisation Redefining Progress)
• 11-26% loss of agricultural output due to soil degradation
• Annual growth of forest only 88 / cubic mtrs as against 139 -
235 cubic mtrs possible.
• 23 known species extinct, indicative of threat to rich bio-diversity.
• 2.5 million people dying prematurely each year due to air
pollution
• Water quality in most most major rivers of India far below
acceptable level

29. CCOONNCCLLUUSSIIOONNSS
FOUR CRITICAL FACTORS
• POPULATION- HOW TO CONTROL?
• TECCHGNOLOGY- HELP OR HINDRANCE?
• CONSUMERISATION- CAN WE ALL HAVE THE RESOURCES
WE WANT ?
• LAND USE- IS THERE ENOUGH?
ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS
• CLIMATE PROTECTION THROUGH CONTROL OF CO2
EMISSION
• PRESERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND
RESOPONSIBLE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS AND RAW
MATERIALS
• CONTROL AND REDUCTION OF ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS
AND DISCHARGES
• LAND SCAPE PROTECTION

30. “Nature is essence of
civilisation, to preserve
it in its pristine glory and
magnificence becomes
our priority”