Ethical & Environmental Issues

Design, Environment & Ecological Issues

What are the problems that face our environment and how are they likely to affect us?

There are many environmental issues which we face today, and our environment is constantly changing. There has been a massive influx of natural disasters, warming and cooling periods, different types of weather patterns and much more. Our planet is warming up and we are part of the problem, our planet is at the brink of a severe environmental crisis which requires urgent attention.

A major environment problem of today is the pollution of air, water and soil which will require millions of years to recoup. The industry and motor vehicle exhaust are the number one pollutants, as well as heavy metals, nitrates and plastics which are toxins and are responsible for pollution. Water pollution is caused by oil spills, acid rain and urban runoff. Air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins released by industries and factories and combustion of fossil fuels. Soil pollution is majorly caused by industrial waste that deprives soil from essential nutrients.

Global warming is caused by emissions of Greenhouse gases, this leads to rising temperatures of the oceans and earth’ surface causing melting of polar ice caps, rise in sea levels and also unnatural patterns of precipitation such as flash floods and excessive snow or desertification.

Overpopulation of the planet is reaching unsustainable levels as it faces shortages of resources like water, fuel and food. Population explosion in less developed countries is straining the already scarce resources. Intensive agriculture practices to produce food damages the environment through the use of chemical fertilizer, pesticides and insecticides.

Natural resource depletion is another crucial current environmental problem. Fossil fuel consumption results in emission of Greenhouse gases, which is responsible for global warming and climate change. Globally, people are taking efforts to shift to renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, biogas and geothermal energy. The cost of installing the infrastructure and maintaining these sources has increased.

The over consumption of resources and creation of plastics are creating a global crisis of waste disposal. Developed countries are notorious for producing an excessive amount of waste or garbage and dumping their waste in the ocean. Nuclear waste disposal has tremendous health hazards associated with it. Plastic, fast food, packaging and cheap electronic wastes threaten the well being of humans.

Human activity is leading to the extinction of species and their habitats as well as the loss of bio-diversity. Eco systems, which took millions of years to perfect, are in danger when any species population is decimating. Balance of natural processes like pollination is crucial to the survival of the eco-system and human activity threatens the same. Another example is the destruction of coral reefs in the various oceans, which support the rich marine life. Another impact on the ocean is increased acidification which is a direct impact of excessive production of CO2, 25% of CO2 is produced by humans. The ocean acidity has increased in the last 250 years but by 2100, it may shoot up by 150%. The main impact is on shellfish and plankton in the same way as human osteoporosis.

Our forests are natural sinks of carbon dioxide which produce fresh oxygen as well as helps in regulating temperature and rainfall. At present forests cover 30% of the land but every year tree cover is lost due to growing population demand for more food, shelter and cloth. Deforestation simply means clearing of green cover and make that land available for residential, industrial or commercial purpose.

The ozone layer is an invisible layer of protection around the planet that protects us from the sun’s harmful rays. Depletion of the crucial ozone layer of the atmosphere is attributed to pollution caused by Chlorine and Bromide found in Chloro-floro carbons (CFC’s). Once these toxic gases reach the upper atmosphere, they cause a hole in the ozone layer, the biggest of which is above the Antarctic. The CFC’s are banned in many industries and consumer products. The ozone layer is valuable because it prevents harmful UV radiation from reaching the earth which would cause cancer in humans.

Acid rain occurs due to the presence of certain pollutants in the atmosphere. Acid rain is often caused due to the combustion of fossil fuels, erupting volcanoes or rotting vegetation which releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. Acid rain is an environmental problem that can have serious effects on human health, wildlife and aquatic species.

Genetic modification of food using biotechnology is called genetic engineering. Genetic modification of food results in increased toxins and diseases as genes from an allergic plant can transfer to a target plant. Genetically modified crops can cause serious environmental problems as an engineered gene may prove toxic to wildlife. Another drawback is that increased use of toxins to make a insect resistant plant can cause resultant organisms to become resistant to antibiotics.

How do these issues arise in relation to your area of study and professional practice?

An issue which would arise in relation to my area of study which is illustration, would possibly be the use of packaging, plastics and paper. Specifically paper and the effect this has on deforestation, paper would be used to create my illustrations on as well as reproducing the illustrations on more paper for things such as magazines, posters, packaging and more.

Environmental Issues Glossary

Sustainability – is the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. (Environmental sustainability is the rates of renewable resource harvest, pollution creation, and non-renewable resource depletion that can be continued indefinitely. If they cannot be continued indefinitely then they are not sustainable.

Renewable – Renewable forms of energy can be produced as quickly as they are used: some examples are: wind and solar power.

Biodiversity - the variety/diversity of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.

Climate Change - a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20^th century onwards attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.

Greenhouse Effect - the trapping of the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere, due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet's surface.

Global Warming - a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants.

Climate Justice - is a term used for framing global warming as an ethical and political issue, rather than one that is purely environmental or physical in nature

Over-Population - the condition of having a population in excessively large numbers which could cause environmental deterioration, an impaired quality of life, or a population crash.

Alternative Energy Sources & Energy Conservation – alternative energy sources are renewable and have lower carbon emissions than fossil fuels, these are hydropower, wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and bio fuels. Energy conservation means reduction in the amount of energy consumed in a process or system, or by an organization or society, through economy, elimination of waste, and rational use.

Environmental Migration - migrants who were forced to flee due to sudden or gradual alterations in the natural environment related to at least one of three impacts of climate change: sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and drought and water scarcity.

Peak Oil - is the theorized point in time when the maximum rate of extraction of petroleum is reached, after which it is expected to enter terminal decline.

Tipping Point - the point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change. A climate tipping point is the concept of a point when global climate changes from one stable state to another stable state. After the tipping point has been passed, a transition to a new state occurs.

Transition - the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

Fair Trade - trade between companies in developed countries and producers in developing countries in which fair prices are paid to the producers.

Ethical Design - means designers and design teams are to create products, services, and systems that do no harm and improve human situations. Ethical design extends to all people and other living things that are in any way involved in the product, service, and/or system lifecycle.

Sustainable design - is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of social, economic, and ecological sustainability.

Ethical Trade Initiative - involves retailers and brands taking a series of recognised steps to improve the conditions of the workers throughout their supply chains, wherever they are in the world.

Social Compliance - It is a continuing process in which the involved parties keep on looking for better ways to protect the health, safety, and fundamental rights of their employees, and to protect and enhance the community and environment in which they operate.