ASU 113: Professional Ethics
and Legislations
Lecture 5
Environmental Concerns
Presented by
Dr. Mohamed Mokhtar
Outline
1. Pollution
a. Air (Outdoor, Indoor)
b. Water
2. Global Warming
3. Environmental Impact Statement
2
1. Air Pollution
▪ No element of the natural world is more essential to life
than air, and no environmental task more critical than
keeping it clean.
▪ Air supplies us with oxygen which is essential for our
bodies to live.
▪ Air is 99.9% nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor and inert
gases.
▪ Human activities can release substances into the air,
some of which can cause problems for humans, plants,
and animals.
1. Air Pollution
Cairo-Black clouds are caused by emissions of:
- annual burning of rice stubble in rural areas,
- car exhaust fumes.
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1. Air Pollution
➢Outside (outdoor) air pollution
➢Inside (indoor) air pollution
1. Air Pollution
➢ Outside (outdoor) air pollution
Causes:
▪ “Smog” burning fuel for energy such as vehicles and
power plants
▪ Acid rain
▪ Green house effect/Global warming
▪ Ozone Depletion, i.e. “holes” in the ozone layer
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Smog:
▪ It is caused by chemical
reactions between pollutants
derived from different sources,
mainly automobile exhaust
and industrial emissions.
▪ Cities (ex. Cairo) are often
centers of these types of
“Smog” in Cairo: Wikipedia
activities especially during the
warm months of the year.
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Smog (Cont.):
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Acid Rain:
▪ When a pollutant (ex. Sulfuric Acid) combines with
droplets of water in the air, the water (or snow) can
become acidified.
▪ “Acid rain refers to rainwater that, having been
contaminated with chemicals introduced into the
atmosphere through industrial and automobile
emissions, has had its acidity increased beyond that of
clean rainwater.
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Acid Rain (Cont.):
▪ The effects of acid rain on the environment can be very
serious; it:
o damages plants by destroying their leaves,
o poisons the soil,
o changes the chemistry of lakes and streams, and
o negatively affects the wildlife.
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Greenhouse Effect / Global warming:
▪ It is believed to come from the build up of carbon dioxide
gas (CO2) in the atmosphere when fuels are burned
▪ Plants convert CO2 back to Oxygen (O2), but the release
of CO2 from human activities is higher than the world's
plants can process
▪ The situation is made worse since many of the earth's
forests are being removed, and plant life is being
damaged by acid rain
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Greenhouse Effect / Global warming (Cont.):
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1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Greenhouse Effect / Global warming (Cont.):
▪ Thus, the amount of CO2 in the air is continuing to
increase
▪ This buildup acts like a blanket and traps heat close to
the surface of our earth.
▪ Changes of even a few degrees will affect us all through
changes in the climate and even the possibility that the
polar ice caps may melt
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Ozone Depletion:
▪ Ozone is a naturally occurring molecule
containing three molecules of oxygen.
▪ Chemicals released by our activities
affect the one of the atmospheric layers
surrounding earth (stratosphere).
▪ The ozone layer in the stratosphere
protects the earth from harmful
ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
1. Air Pollution (outdoor)
➢ Ozone Depletion (Cont.):
▪ Release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) from aerosol
cans, cooling systems and refrigerator equipment
removes some of the ozone, causing "holes"; to open up
in this layer and allowing the radiation to reach the earth
▪ Ultraviolet radiation is known to cause skin cancer and
has damaging effects on plants and wildlife.
Air Pollution (Indoor)
1. Air Pollution (Indoor)
▪ People spend almost 80-90% of our lives indoors
(enclosed environments where air circulation may be
restricted).
▪ There are many sources of indoor air pollution, such as:
o tobacco smoke,
o cooking and heating appliances, and
o vapors from building materials, paints, furniture, etc.
1. Air Pollution
Minimizing the Damage of Air Pollution:
▪ In many countries, steps are being taken to stop the
damage to our environment from air pollution:
o Scientific groups study the damaging effects on
plant, animal and human life.
o Legislative bodies write laws to control emissions
o Educators teach students, beginning at very young
ages, about the effects of air pollution.
1. Air Pollution
Minimizing the Damage of Air Pollution:
o Regulatory agencies can play an essential role in
reducing and preventing air pollution in the
environment.
o Adequate ventilation controls exposure to indoor
air pollution.
o Home and work environments should be monitored
for adequate air flow and proper exhaust systems
installed.
Water Pollution
1. Water Pollution
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1. Water Pollution
▪ Water pollution caused by:
1. Sewage and fertilizers contain nutrients (ex. nitrates and
phosphates)
- In excess levels, nutrients over stimulate the growth of
aquatic plants and algae
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1. Water Pollution
- Excessive growth of these types of organisms
consequently clogs our waterways, use up dissolved
oxygen as they decompose, and block light to deeper
waters.
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1. Water Pollution
▪ Water pollution caused by:
2. Silt and other suspended solids (ex. soil) wash off
plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban
areas, and eroded river banks when it rains.
1. Water Pollution
(Ground Water)
▪ 95% of all fresh water on earth is ground water.
▪ Ground water is found in natural rock formations.
▪ A large percentage of population rely on ground water
as a source of drinking water particularly in rural areas.
▪ Significant ground water contamination may take place
due to sewage leakage and waste disposal.
1. Water Pollution
(Ground Water)
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1. Other Waste (Material
Recycling)
▪ Recycles materials such as:
o Plastic, Paper, Rubber, and Food residue
can have harmful effect on our environment if they are
not properly treated or recycled.
2. Environmental Impact
Statement
▪ Whenever engineering projects or programs are planned,
there are potential impacts upon the environment.
▪ When these proposed projects are federally funded, such
impacts become more important to the public .
▪ What these impacts may be and the magnitude of their
effect are reported in Environmental Impact Statements.
▪ These statements are often important in environmental
regulation and litigation
2. Environmental Impact
Statement (Pollution)
“Any use of natural resources at a rate higher than
nature's capacity to restore itself can result in pollution of
air, water, and land.” Thus;
The production, consumption and throw away
a high volume of material resources at a very high rate
(excessive production and consumption)
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2. Environmental Impact
Statement (Pollution)
It is not only excessive production and consumption but;
- Inefficient methods of production.
- careless & thoughtless disposal of post-consumption
waste resources (bottles,….and others that could be
recycled).
Thus to solve the pollution problem, we should focus on:
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2. Environmental Impact
Statement (Pollution)
Fundamental Pollution Drivers
1. Industrialization is the 1st
fundamental cause of pollution. Fossil
fuels (oil, gas & coal) usage is
the main sources of pollution.
2. Population growth is the 2nd
fundamental pollution cause as the
demand for food and other goods
goes up with population increase.
This demand is met by expanded
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production and use of natural rainforest-
animals.com/causes-
resources, which increases pollution. of-pollution.html
2. Environmental Impact
Statement (Pollution)
Fundamental Pollution Drivers (Cont.)
3. Globalization. Developing countries
usually have much looser laws on
environmental protection.
With this “benefit” as well as the population
growth and easy availability of cheap labor, big
industry prefers to move its facilities to such
“pollution havens” rather than work in more
regulated markets.
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2. Environmental Impact
Statement (Pollution)
Causes of pollution:
PRODUCTION is
the primary cause because
the whole cycle of extracting
and processing natural
resources and then selling
processed in major sectors.
CONSUMPTION is
the secondary cause of
pollution because this stage
comes after, and depends
on, production.
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2. Environmental Impact
Statement (Pollution)
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2. Environmental Impact
Statement (Pollution)
European
Economic
Community
(EEC)
Thanks for your Attention
Any Questions
Dr. Mohamed Mokhtar
[email protected]
