Environmental

Literature
• Phan Thi Lan Anh
• VNU University of
Science
• [email protected]
• 0962670226

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 Environmental Literature
COURSE SCHEDULE
Session Topic Assignments
One – Introduction
Two – Air pollution
Three – Soil and water pollution
Four – Nature resources and biodiversity
Five – Climate Change
Six – Climate Change
Seven – Population
Eight – Agriculture
Nine – Industry Quiz + Assignment (20%)
Ten – Energy
Eleven – Environmental management tools
Twelve – Environmental management tools
Thirteen – Green Growth and Sustainable development
Fourteen – Seminar and final review Exam: Oral presentation (30%) 2
Final Exam: will be provided when available (40%)
INTRODUCTION:
Overview of environment and natural resources
1. Meaning, definition, components and functions of environment
2. Pollution and environmental degradation
3. Natural resources
4. Other related concepts

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1. Environment -
Definition
• What is environment?
• Which environmental issue are
you most interested in?
• Why do we protect environment?
• What are you doing to protect
environment?
• What do you expect in this
course?

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1. Environment - Definition
What is environment?
• Environment is the whole set of elements which form the frame
works, the surroundings and the living conditions of man and society
as they are, or they are perceived (EU)
• Environment refers to those surroundings that surrounds living beings
from all sides and affect their lives in total.
• “Environmental is anything immediately surrounding an object and
exerting a direct influence on it” - P.Gisbert
• “Environment is an external force which influences us” - E.J.Ross

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1. Environment - Definition
What is environment?
• Environment includes both natural and man-made
environments (social environments)
Which regulates the life of the organisms including human beings.

• Can you give some examples of natural environment?

• Can you give some examples of man-made environment?

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 1. Environment -
Components

• What are the main

components of environment?

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 1. Environment - Components
• Micro-environment • Physical environment • Air
• Macro environment • Biotic environment • Water
• Rock, soil,
mountains, minerals
• Atmosphere (air) • Organisms,
• Hydrosphere (water) ecosystems
• Lithosphere (soil, rock, mountains,..) • Sounds
• Biosphere (organisms) • Light
• Solar energy • Energy
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 1. Environment - Functions
What are the functions of environment?
What is the role of the environment in human
life and living things?

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 1. Environment - Functions
1. ‘Source’ function: Producing, storing, and providing the
fundamental elements and natural resources to support life
on earth.

What do we
need to have a
healthy life?

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 1. Environment - Functions
2. ‘Sink’ function: safe absorption (breakdown, recycling or
storage) of wastes and pollution; <-> Receiving, storing and
decomposing waste;

Do you know where your waste going?

Do you know how much waste your family dispose a day? 11
1. Environment -
Functions

3. ‘Service’
function:
providing shelters
and protection,
providing climatic
stability,
biodiversity,
ecosystem
integrity

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1. Environment -
Functions

4. ‘Spiritual’
function: the
recreational,
psychological,
aesthetic and
spiritual value

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1. Environment - Functions

• Can we use all functions at the same time?

Forever? Whenever we want or not?

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Characteristics of
environmental functions

• Limited and
conditional
• Diverse, but not
simultaneously
• The value changes
over time

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2. Pollution and
environmental degradation

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 2.1 Environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the decline in quality and quantity of
environmental components, causing adverse effects on human
health, organisms and nature.

Example: Water degradation, Biodiversity loss

Loss of ability to perform environmental functions:

• Decrease of natural resources in quality and quantity
• Destruction of ecosystems and habitat
• The extinction of wildlife
• Depletion of environmental function (e.g. ‘sink’ and ‘service’
function) 17
 2.2 Environmental pollution
Environmental pollution is a change in physical, chemical and
biological properties of an environmental component that is not
in accordance with environmental technical regulations or
environmental standards, causing adverse effects on human
health, living organisms and natural.
• An environment component is considered to be polluted when
the concentration of pollutant in it exceeds the permitted limit.
• WHO/US/EU standards
• Vietnam Standards (TCVN or QCVN)
• Main causes of environmental pollution are due to human
activities
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 2.3 Environmental incident
Environmental incident is an incident/event that occurs during human
activities or due to abnormal changes of nature, causing serious
environmental pollution or degradation.
=> threaten or cause environmental harm.
• Environmental incidents include both natural and non-natural hazards.
• Natural hazards can include events such as:
• cyclones, flooding, heatwaves and bushfires,
• earthquakes and tsunamis,
• biological incidents: disease outbreaks
• Non-natural hazards can include chemical, biological and radiological
incidents.
• Chemical incidents: spill accidents, industrial fires.
• Non-natural biological incidents: disease outbreaks,.
• Radiological incidents: the release of radioactive material. 19
 2.4 Environmental disaster
A disaster is a serious disruption in a community caused by the impact of an event
that requires a significant coordinated response by the State and other entities to
help the community to recover from the disruption.
=> An environmental disaster or ecological disaster is a catastrophic event regarding
the environment due to human activity.
• This distinguishes it from the concept of a natural disaster. It is also distinct from
intentional acts of war such as nuclear bombings.
• Disaster is a sudden adverse or unfortunate extreme event that we cannot prevent
but we can minimize losses.
• Some typical environmental disasters in the past:
• Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, 2011
• Deepwater Horizon oil spill, 2010
• Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill, 2008
• …
• Chernobyl disaster, 1986 - nuclear accident
• Seveso disaster, 1976 – release of dioxin 20
2. Pollution and environmental degradation
ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

Increase
ENVIRONMENTAL INCIDENT concentration
of pollutant
and level of
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION hazard

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION 21
 3. Natural
resources

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3.1. Definition and classification of natural resources

3.2. The flow of natural resources in the economic
system
 3.1. Definition and classification of natural resources
Definition: Natural resources include materials, energy,
information that
• exist objectively, beyond the will of humans;
• formed according to the laws of nature;
• have self-worth that people have already known or have not
known yet and human beings can use them now or in the future
to develop.
Activities associated with a natural resource are extraction and
purification.
Human beings have exploited natural resources since the
beginning of the civilization. 23
3.2. Definition and classification of natural resources
Classification:
Natural resources

Renewable Non-renewable
resources resources
Ex. Sunlight, air, Ex. Fossil fuels
water, soil, (natural gas, coal,
groundwater, petroleum), metals,
agricultural products, lime, clay, diamond,
forests gold, mica
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? Question

•What happens when we use

resources inappropriately?
•What will natural resource become
after exploiting and using?

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3.2. The flow of natural resources in the economic system

Natural resource N Production P Consumption C

Waste WN
Waste WC

Waste WP

Total waste discharged into the environment:

W = WN+ WP+WC
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3.2. The flow of natural resources in the economic system

? Question

• How to reduce the total waste discharged into

the environment?

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3.2. The flow of natural resources in the economic system
1. Exploited natural resources will become garbage /waste going
into the environment after processing and consuming.
• The more we consume, the more waste causing environmental degradation
and pollution.
• The more we consume, the more we deplete our natural resources.

2. How to reduce the amount of waste generated?

• Recovering resources and reduce consumption
• Reusing/recycling products to reduce waste
• Reusing/ recycling waste

>> conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy

>> save land and money communities must use to dispose of waste in landfills

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 Natural
resource Production P Consumption
N

Waste WN Waste WP Waste WC

Waste WNT Waste WCT

Waste WPT

Total disposal waste go

Waste W into the environment
W = WNT + WPT + WCT
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Role of an individual in conservation of natural resources

What’s in your Rubbish Bin?

What can you do to reduce

waste and conserve natural
resources?
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 What is 3R?

Think about this three ways:

• Reduce the amount of the Earth’s
resources that we use
• Reuse: Don’t just bin it, could
someone else make use of it?
• Recycle: Can the materials can be
made into something new?

What does 5R mean?

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 How can you help? - Reduce

REDUCE: using fewer resources in the first place

You can reduce the amount of waste you create

my choosing what rubbish you through away!

And make your disposal items smaller resulting

in a smaller amount of waste.

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 How can you help? - Reuse

REUSE: Try to use again or more

than once / re-purpose items for
a different use.
Reuse materials and items so that
can have longer life spans
Before throwing an item away,
think about how they can be
reused.
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 How can you help? - Recycle

RECYCLE: To convert materials/waste into raw/reusable

material that can be shaped into a new item.
Benefits of Recycle:
Reduces the need for land filling and incineration
Prevents pollution
Conserves natural resources
Helps sustain the environment for future generations
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How Many Times Can That Be Recycled?
• 1. The materials are degraded upon repeated recycling
>> most materials can be recycled a limited times before it is no longer
recyclable
Plastic: Once or twice
Aluminum, Metals: Infinite
Paper: 5 to 7 times
• 2. After using, the energy reduces from the high content form to the lower
content form
>> it is impossible to reuse all the consumed energy.
• 3. Materials after using is dispersed,
>> have to spend money and energy to collect;

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HOMEWORK
Think of all the things that you do a day.
• List these activities and identify the main resources used during these
activities.
• What can you do to prevent waste, reuse items that you normally
throw away and what recycled materials can you use?

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4. Other
related
concepts

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4. Other related concepts
• Ecosystem • Carrying capacity of the
• Biodiversity environment
• Pollutant • Environmental monitoring
• Environmental standard • Environmental information
• Pollution • Environmental Impact
Assessment
• Waste
• Strategic environmental
• Scrap assessment
• Hazardous waste
• Waste management
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Concept of Ecosystem

• An ecosystem is a community of
living organisms in conjunction
with the non-living components
of their environment, interacting
as a system.
• living organisms: plants, animals, parasites, micro-
organisms
• Non-living components: things like air, water and mineral
soil,..

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 Concept of Ecosystem
As ecosystem are defined by the
network of interactions among
organisms, and between organisms
and their environment:

• They can be of any size but usually

specific, limited spaces

• The entire planet is an ecosystem

• An eco fish tank is a man-made
ecosystem
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 Biodiversity
The variety and variability of life on Earth:
genetic, species, and ecosystem level

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Pollutants

• A pollutant is a substance
introduced into the environment in a
concentration sufficient to have a
measurable effects on humans,
animals, vegetation, or building
materials.
• A pollutant may cause long- or short-
term damage
• Pollutants are of two types: non –
degradable and biodegradable.

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 Environmental Standard
Environmental standards are administrative regulations or civil law rules implemented for
the treatment and maintenance of the environment.
Environmental standards are set by many different institutions:
• United Nations (UN)
• European Union
• United States:
• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
• Air emission standards:
• Technological standards
• Vietnam: TCVN and QCVN
Some NGOs have impacts on environmental standards
• WHO
• International Organization of Standardization (ISO)
• Greenpeace
• World Wildlife Fund.
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 Pollution

• Environmental pollution refers to the

change in the environment components in
breach of technical regulations on
environment and environmental standards,
which can result in adverse impacts on
human beings and creatures.
• (Vietnamese Law on Environmental
Protection / Luật Bảo vệ môi trường Việt
Nam -2014)

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Waste
Waste are unwanted or unusable materials (in solid, liquid or gaseous form)
generated during the extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw materials
into intermediate and final products, the consumption of final products, and other
human activities.
Waste can be solid, liquid, or gas and each type has different methods of disposal
and management.
Examples:
• Municipal solid waste (household trash/refues)
• Wastewater (sewage and surface runoff)
• Hazardous waste
• Radioactive waste
• And others
A by-product is a joint product of relatively minor economic value.
Scrap refers to materials that are collected, classified and selected from discarded
materials and products during the manufacturing or consumption process, which
can be then reused as materials for another manufacturing process. 45
Hazardous waste • Hazardous waste is waste that has substantial
or potential threats to public health or the
environment.
• Characteristic hazardous wastes: exhibit one
or more of the following hazardous traits:
• Combustible (Flammable material)
• Reactivity (Reagent)
• Corrosivity (Corrosive substance)
• Toxicity (Poisons)
• Examples:
• household hazardous waste: paints, moto
oil, pesticides, mercury-containing waste –
fluorescent lighting, electronics,…
• Medical waste
• Chemical waste
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 Waste management
•.

Waste management include the activities and actions required to manage

waste from its inception to its final disposal. 47
Carrying capacity of the environment
• Carrying capacity is the margin of the habitats or environment’s
ability to provide the resources necessary to sustain human life.

• Maximal load of the environment refers to the maximum resistance

of the environment against influential factors which can enable the
environment itself to be remediated.

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 Environmental
monitoring
• processes and activities need to
take place to
• monitor the quality and components
of the environment as well as factors
affecting the environment
• provide necessary information to
assess the current status and change
of the environment quality, and
harmful impacts on the environment.

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 Environmental
information

• Environmental figures
and data represented
in the form of signs,
letters, numbers,
images, sounds and
so on.

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• Environmental impact assessment refers to the
analysis and prediction of environmental impacts of
specific investment projects in order to take preventive
measures to protect the environment during the
implementation of such projects.

• Đánh giá tác động môi trường là việc phân tích, dự báo tác
động đến môi trường của dự án đầu tư cụ thể để đưa ra biện
pháp bảo vệ môi trường khi triển khai dự án đó.

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• Strategic environmental assessment refers to the analysis
and forecast of existing or potential impacts on the
environment, which have been described in the
development strategy, planning and proposal, in order to
provide measures to control and reduce adverse impacts on
the environment, and to serve as a ground for and to be
incorporated in such development strategy, planning and
proposal with the objective of ensuring the sustainable
development.
• Đánh giá môi trường chiến lược là việc phân tích, dự báo tác động
đến môi trường của chiến lược, quy hoạch, kế hoạch phát triển để
đưa ra giải pháp giảm thiểu tác động bất lợi đến môi trường, làm
nền tảng và được tích hợp trong chiến lược, quy hoạch, kế hoạch
phát triển nhằm bảo đảm mục tiêu phát triển bền vững.

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