Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Geoenviro nment Management and Sustainability
1.1 Introduction
There is growing concern and alarm that the demands on the ecosphere to provide for
“food, shelter, and clothing” for the well-being of humankind are fast coming to the point
where (a) continued exploitation of the nonrenewable natural resources such as fossil fuels
and minerals will be highly prohibitive and (b) renewable resources will not be able to
regenerate and replenish themselves to meet sustainability criteria. The stresses generated
by these demands create, in most cases, adverse impacts on the geoenvironment such as
(a) loss of biological diversity, (b) increasing discharge of noxious gases and particulates
that ind their way back to the land surface, (c) loss of soil quality and soil functionality,
(d) increasing generation and discharge of wastes and pollutants to the land and aquatic
environments, and (e) most importantly, decreased geoenvironment carrying capacity.
Considerable attention is being paid to many of these issues by researchers, policy makers,
and other professionals well-versed in engineering, scientiic, and socioeconomic disci-
plines to alleviate the stresses to the geosphere and to seek sustainable ways for society to
live in harmony with the environment.
The above sustainability concerns have been studied, documented, and published by
researchers and government bodies dealing with sustainable development issues. The reader
is well advised to consult these sources for discussions on these subjects. The primary focus
of this topic is on the geoenvironment and its importance as a resource base for life-support
systems—with particular attention on issues relating to its carry capacity and capability
for regeneration of the geoenvironment natural resources. We deine the carrying capacity
of the geoenvironment as the ability of the geoenvironment to indeinitely sustain the popu-
lation at hand (or a growing population) with its naturally derived resources. Although
some degree of human intervention is required to capitalize on these natural resources, e.g.,
agriculture, forest management, breeding, hydro-power generation, it must be understood
that the basic natural resource being exploited is the factor that enters into the calculation
of the carrying capacity of the geoenvironment. Humans depend on the ecosphere, and in
particular on the geoenvironment, to provide the basic materials to support life. Because
of the many threats and adverse impacts on the various life-support systems within the
geoenvironment, there is pressing need for one to (a) develop a better appreciation of the
stresses imposed on the geoenvironment by humankind and (b) determine and implement
the requirements for sensible and proper management of our geoenvironmental resources
to meet the goals of a sustainable society.
Many of the terms used in this topic will have slightly different meanings depending on
one's background, perspective, and scientiic-engineering discipline. It would be useful,
at the outset, to establish what we mean by the term geoenvironment . The geoenvironment
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