Environmental Management Systems

Autumn Semester 2008 (part 1)

Jenő M. Suda (suda@ara.bme.hu)

Dept. Fluid Mechanics, Building AEFaculty of Mechanical Engineering

Based on: „Training for the Future”, „Course for sustainability”

2008.09.08.

BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OFTECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS

Contents of Part 1Environmental Management Systems

1. „Scientific” background: basics of environmental pollution / protection, processes

2. Focusing on sustainable development

3. International process and main actors

4. Summary of concepts concerning sustainable development

5. Thinking long term – confronting global climate change

6. Future of the oil consumption?

7. Global environmental trends

BasicsEnvironmental Management Systems

Biosphere (1015 kg, about 15-16 km thick layer)def.: Biosphere is the part of the lithosphere + atmosphere + hydrosphere, where living beings are present. (<1024kg)

Components of biosphere (5 natural + 1 artificial)

natural artificial

- ground (soil) built environment- air- water- living kingdom- landscape

Earth (full mass: 1024 kg), water (1021 kg), atmosphere (1018 kg)

BasicsEnvironmental Management Systems

Components of biosphere

NATURAL

- ground (soil) = basic rock material, mineral, soil, agricultural land - air = atmosphere (inner & outer atmosphere)

inner = tropo-, strato-outer = mezo-, thermo-,

- water = hydrosphere (beyond / above surface)- living creatures = flora (vegetable kingdom) & fauna (animal kingdom)- landscape = natural landscape

ARTIFICIAL built environment= human settlements, city, town, etc., industrial plants,

agricultural plants, transportation traffic roads,

BasicsEnvironmental Management Systems

BIOSPHERE ……?…..ENVIRONMENT

When we say „environment” usually it means „biosphere”

Environment = sum of the living creatures and dead matter on the earth (ground+atmosphere+water) that are

present around the living organisms.

Stages of environment (based on their magnitude)micro-environment (small-scale: street in a city, hall of a building) meso-environment (intermediate-scale: integrated unit of the nature:

e.g. town, territorial or natural integration)macro-environment (large-scale: country, continent, global scale)

BasicsEnvironmental Management Systems

Environmental pollution= phenomena or process that has

direct or indirect

negative influences (endanger or deplete)

on the humans or on the environment.

„Negative influence” means that physical, chemical, biological characteristics of the elements in the biosphere are modified or depleted.

Materials of pollution (contaminants, impurities)All material or compound that is not present naturally in the biosphere, and their artificial presence can cause endangerous processes. (endangering of flora + fauna + humans resources)

BasicsEnvironmental Management Systems

Environmental pollution PROCESS ELEMENTS1) Emissionfrom pollutant source: point~, line~, surface~, volume: e.g. chimney, traffic jam on a highway, forest fire, etc. types of emission:

- natural emission (e.g. volcanos)- artificial emission (due to human activity)

or can be classified as - primary emission (direct impact into environment) - secondary emission (indirect impact e.g. dust particles are

settled down from the air, but disperse again due to the road traffic)

2) Transmission (pollutant transport)- Influenced by the surface elements and climatic characteristics- Decrease in pollutant concentration (local increase also) - Transformation can occur (chemical reactions)

3) Immission (local impact of pollutants with given concentration)

BasicsEnvironmental Management Systems

Environmental protection ACTIVITIES

1) Decreasing of emission level- technological / engineering / economical / financial task- needs continuous development of technology - IPPC: integrated pollution prevention control - applying „BAT”: „best available technology”

2) Preventing transmission, blocking pollutant transport - installation of pollutant monitoring system * Hungary: from 1974, 11 measuring station in Budapest * capable for average and peak data acquisition * pollution maps are plotted (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)

- block transformation of pollutants in the atmosphere

3) Protecting against immission - personal protective tools (filtering mask, mouth eye ear protectors)

BasicsEnvironmental Management Systems

TASKS of the environmental protection activity

1) Prevention (IPPC: integrated pollution prevention control)

2) Restoration, abatement (of the caused damage, injuries)

3) Reasonable, rational development / transformation / alteration of the environment

4) Managing resources (aiming sustainable development)

Based on: Training for the Future

Course Introduction

Background

• Part of a project “Training for the Future” Financed by EU Leonardo da Vinci Program (project number: HU/04/B/F/PP-170019)

• Deliverables:– training course (in Estonia and in Hungary)– Training book (English, Hungarian and Estonian)– Trainer’s guide (English)– Multimedia learning kit and film– Handbook

Course organisers - Partners

KÖVET (Hungarian Association for Environmentally Aware

Management )■ 1063 Budapest, Munkácsy M. u. 16. ■

■ tel. +36 1 473-2290 ■ www.kovet.hu ■

The Natural Step ■ Garvargatan 9C 112 21 Stockholm ■

■ tel. +46 (0)8 789 29 00 ■ www.detnaturligasteget.se ■

SEI-T (Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development )

■ Lai 34, Tallinn ■ tel. +37-2-627-6100 ■ www.seit.ee ■