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Environmental Control and Economic Development Abdelhameed M El-Shaarawi National Water Research Institute and McMaster University Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7R 4A6 [email protected] Goals 1. What is an environmental problem? Evolving issues 2. Classification of environmental problems 3. Extent: Global, regional, local; duration Type: Natural or anthropogenic Effects: Lethal or chronic, significant or insignificant, social, political, ecological risks Some Typical Examples 4. Recognition, understanding, judging, action Measurements, mathematics and statistics If mathematics is the language of nature then statistics is its dialects Water Pollution Risks Needs Collaboration among stakeholders Ecological and environmental indicators Improved predictive, tools for risk analysis Balance between Growth and Environmental Health Balance between the Present and the Future Land, Water, Air Environmental Quality Environment Natural Resources Economy Human Labor Force Capital Production Consummation Innovation Quality of Human Life Waste Pollution (t/km2) Fish biomass in 1900 Christensen et al. (Fish & Fisheries, 2003). And in 2000…. Christensen et al. (Fish & Fisheries, 2003). Living resources: food security U.S. Bureau of the census, Watson and Pauly (2002) Sources of Pollution atmospheric deposition land-based discharge upwelling return The Hunt for Oil in Canada Canada with and Without the Oil Sand Production The Spatial Extent The Production Process Environmental Concerns INTERPRETATION OF RISK TERMS undesirable outcomes which differ from the beneficial ones Analysis in isolation is difficult due to inextricable association with the beneficial ones. They are not mutually exclusive! Decision-making is based on the level of disbenefits and risk we may choose to tolerate, compared to the benefits of the outcomes. Risk: PRINCIPAL CONCEPT OF RISK Interactive and Complementary RISK ASSESSMENT encompasses a number of concepts and methods directed towards gaining qualitative and quantitative understanding of risks. focuses on the knowledge about the nature and burden of risks involved in an activity and placing it in some framework of relationships to express its significance. RISK MANAGEMENT concerns with arrangements to deal with the assessed burden of risk by - eliminating causes of risk where practicable; - reducing the probability of occurrences and the magnitude of consequences; - seeking acceptable compensations and redistributions in relation to the residual risk (i.e., Don’t keep all the eggs in one basket!). Components of Risk Communication Setting Regulations Risk & Benefit (Health & Economy) Example: Pulp and Paper Industry “Environmental Effects Monitoring” Objectives of Environmental Effects Monitoring Program: 1. Does effluent cause an effect in the environment? 2. Is effect persistent over time? 3. Does effect warrant correction? 4. What are the causative stressors? 5. From 1992, all new effluent regulations require sites to do EEM. 6. Pulp and Paper Pilot program Field and Experimental Assessment of Risk Environmental Effects Monitoring: Canadian Pulp and Paper Industry Structure Data and Objective and Paper Industry Pulp Mill1 Mill2 Milli MillI 1 2 i I Cycles 1 2 3 1 2 3 Tests 1.Ceriodaphnia dubia 2.Fathead min now 3. Selanastum Survival reproduction Larval growth survival A lg al growth survival Example of data (daphnia survival and reproduction) No. of neonates produced per replicates and total female adult mortality %Effluent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mortality 0 50 39 35 49 46 38 41 40 44 45 0 1.56 28 14 14 17 16 13 16 19 20 0 1 3.13 28 15 13 11 22 10 22 16 14 23 0 6.25 10 10 14 12 15 9 15 11 12 16 0 12.5 0 10 11 6 10 13 10 6 13 10 2 25 5 10 5 2 2 2 2 4 6 2 1 50 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 9 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 40 50 Example of reproduction data (one cycle) 20 10 0 Counts 30 Ex p1 Ex p2 Ex p3 All 0 20 40 60 80 100