Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 2.7
Natural cycles being disturbed by humanactivities-carbon cycle, water cycle, atmosphere cir-
culation, ocean circulation.
a
Schematic diagram of anthropogenic carbon balance (Unit: Giga ton) Yel-
low: Amount by industrial activity Black: Before Industrial Revolution (Source: Adapted from Japan
Meteorological Agency:
http://www.data.jma.go.jp/kaiyou/db/mar_env/knowledge/global_co2_flux/
carbon_cycle.
b
2.7.2 Average Movement of water peryear [×103km3/y] (Note: By the law of conser-
vation of mass) (Source: Adapted from JGL, Vol. 3, No.3 2007. Oki and Kanae (2006) revised)
2.2.4
Sustainability, Limits and Balances
Moving to the broader system aspects of sustainability, increasingly we must think
of the earth as a dynamic system under increasingly severe disturbance from human
activity. Whether it is the carbon cycle, the water cycle, the climate system or the
ocean circulation system, human activities are now on a scale capable of disrupting
these essential systematic life-support systems for humankind (Fig.
2.7
illustrates
carbon and water cycles). Hollywood movies enjoy dramatising future catastrophes
arising from our planetary limits being exceeded, but the science is telling us that
this is not science fiction- the future life-support system for humankind really are in
