My Reflections From All Around on (Un)Sustainability

                                                                (A Collage to Remind You of Previous Blog Posts)

In this last post I will try to put my blog in context using a couple other blogs as my reference point. But before I get to that I just want to say that the process of completing this blog was an adventure…..a creative adventure. The thought process of coming up with an appropriate topic on the city to blog about was not difficult because I am very interested in the sustainable part of our lives and I see sustainability or unsustainability every where I look and see areas to improve on. When I actually began the blog I thought I knew everything there was to know about sustainability but how wrong I was. The learning process throughout the approximate four months has been astounding. I have learnt about sustainability and saw it places I never thought it could be. But this learning process was not just about sustainability but also about different topics chosen by my colleagues that involved the city. 

There were a lot of ideas from my colleagues that could be linked to my blog but in the end I chose those that I most related to. Firstly, “Of Green Spaces, Aqua and "Counter-Urban" Aesthetics features” done by Kevin Ousman drew me in. After I got over his pictures that were amazingly breathtaking I enjoyed the ideas he presented and found that there was a link to one of my blogs “One Step in the Right Direction”. As mentioned in my blog sustainability does not only include the environment but also society. I always think a person’s surroundings affect their mood. So if they are in a concrete jungle all day one’s mood may be depressed or stressed compared to a garden with a pond where it will be fun, calm and even playful. Just one flowering tree can bring a smile to my face and I'm sure it's the same for others. The psychological link between green spaces in the urban shows that sustainability goes beyond the environment (as I mentioned throughout my blog) and begins to affect one’s life and the kind of life we have. Obviously all of us want the best life possible so the way to achieve this is by making the right decisions to benefit our future generations and us. 

Secondly, I looked at “The Greener Alternative” by Avinash Narine for my next comparator. In my blog post “Oh the Dreams to Own a Car…But What About Their Impacts” I looked at the use of biofuels as an alternative form of fuel that will produce cleaner fuel emissions however, from Avinash’s blog I saw that CNG could also be used as an alternative. In Trinidad CNG may be a more appropriate alternative because it is cheaper and easier to obtain so it can be used. As stated on Avinash’s blog post, I remember when some vehicles in Trinidad would use CNG and it was mostly in older cars but a lot of the owners switched to other fuels because there was not enough service stations and those that were present were in deplorable conditions with unreliable services. So to implement this great greener alternative in Trinidad to obtain maximum benefit the proper initiatives must be put in place by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and all those private firms involved. I think CNG is a great idea for Trinidad since it will meet our fuel needs sustainably without providing a lot of problems in making it available to consumers.

Lastly, I chose “Sustainability in the City...contemplating City Size, Green Spaces and Urban Attitudes” by Hannah Sammy and this one blog post can be related to a couple of my posts in my blog. Firstly, we both found it is very interesting that the perfectly manicured green spaces are less beneficial than those that are just over grown and existing. Everyone will believe that those that are taken care of are the best that is not the case when the environment is being considered because they do not necessarily met the needs for environmental sustainability (as mentioned in my blog post) as the over grown (fortuitous) areas do. However, the manicured areas are usually better for social sustainability since, people would rather look at and spend leisure time in an area that is well kept than abandoned. So it will be to the benefit of all if there are both types of green spaces so that both types of sustainability are achieved. In addition, Hannah’s blog post included a picture of pollution and this reminded me of my posts on industries and landfills. That picture was an eye opener to see how people can litter and degrade the same areas that they have to work or live in or the areas where their kids play. It amazes me how they feel no remorse for their actions that not only affects the environment negatively but also society as whole.

The blogs used from colleagues are:
Kevin's http://triniurbanosity.blogspot.com/2013/03/of-green-spaces-aqua-and-counter-urban.html

Avinash's http://urbanmobility17.blogspot.com/2013/04/so-we-meet-again-for-another-entry-j.html

Hannah's http://facetsofurbanlife.blogspot.com/2013/04/sustainability-in-citycontemplating.html

I hope these three reflections from some of my other course colleagues’ blog gave you some insight into my blog. I thank you for taking the time to read my blogs and giving me all your feedback be it positive or your critiques. Also, I hope you enjoyed them but that is all for now. I might post again whenever some appropriate arises.

The song says "With one little action the chain reaction will never stop." This is so perfect because if one of us start to make a difference then it will only continue as others try to do the same. Also, I chose this song because it ties my entire blog together in terms of making right decisions that are sustainable to make a change. 

Thank You again for all the input and to all those who helped me no matter how small it mattered! :) 

Decentralization: Good or Bad?

                                                               (Picture Taken in Trincity)

As stated in the pervious blog the last two posts are focused on suggestions that are being employed to lessen the environmental and social unsustainability that may be occurring. This last post in that subject area is on decentralization. To properly understand decentralization one has to consider urban size and form. There has been much debate on whether there is an optimal city size to ensure sustainability and if an increase in city size is unsustainable (Hall and Barrett 2012). In addition, it is believed that the larger a city the more energy it uses and also that larger cities have more environmental problems such as pollution. To solve all those problems listed a lot of people have turned toward decentralization. Decentralization is a social process in which population and industry moves from urban centers to outlying districts in an attempt to reduce environmental and social unsustainability occurring in cities.

                                                          (Picture of Green Spaces Along With Homes in the TMV)

Decentralization allows for some cities to become less compact and cluttered. Some businesses, government offices and even industries are moved to other areas. There are a couple of benefits of decentralization. Decentralization can shorten commuting times since people will live close to their work place thereby reducing stress and fuel emissions. In addition, traffic will be reduced because people are travelling shorter distances and they are all not heading in the same directions, to the main business district because it would be broken up into parts. Also, it is more convenient for people if they live, work, enjoy themselves and get all their necessities in one place. This will ease stress of having to go far distances.  It may also decrease environmental degradation because businesses, industries etc can be located in other areas instead of using areas that can be dedicated to green spaces. In situations like those the businesses do not loose out because there are others established in the area so it will be a commercial district and also the environment benefits with the green spaces that would be available or the ecosystems that will not be disturbed.

However, some is of the opinion that large settlements may be more sustainable than smaller ones. According to Hall and Barrett, high population densities in large cities usually have low car usage and it is at low population density where the car usage is higher. This maybe because the large cities have mass transit systems and in the areas of low population the mass transit may not be very reliable or maybe not present on the whole. Also, large cities are supposed to have the political and managerial power to deal with environment problems. In addition, these cities facilitate the formation of technology that could lead us on the path of sustainability.

In Trinidad there are a few decentralization projects occurring throughout the country but the most popular one is probably the Trincity Millennium Vision. In this project are a few housing schemes for lower, middle and high incomes respectively, areas for offices, light manufacturing, entertainment, hotels and even health care facilities. Some of these businesses could relocate from the main urban centers or could be newly established. The main goal of this project was to create and area where people could live, work and play all in the same place without having to go very far. They attempted to create a community where cars were not the main form of transportation, people would be encouraged to walk or bike and interact with one another to really create a community of family. Another goal of this vision was to reduce traffic congestion, which as stated in the previous post is unsustainable to both the environment and society. They also created green spaces within the area to add to the aesthetic and be environmentally friendly even while gaining economically and one of the major green spaces was the golf course. This plan did not quite achieve all that it wanted from the beginning so some of the pieces are in place while others are still being worked on. But when it is completed I think it will definitely be a great place that will attract a lot of people. 

Both sides have been presented so now I will let you decide.....is decentralization good or bad?

References:

Hall and Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. 4th Edition. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.

One Step in the Right Direction

                                                    (Picture of King George the V Park in POS)

Green Peace

Tall trees dance, winds sing past

Harmonic melodica, rain greets earth from universe part

Tall tees dance.

The fountain flows, in a winding groove a torrential chain

From a top a mountain, down the green plains

The fountain flows.

Nature in harmony, in contentment love of green picturesque

Birds sing, animals count mates nature's own peace in brick 

Nature in harmony.

Green peace, heaven as stars wink and moon so bright up the sky

Sun's yellow rays strike, greet flowers and dance this day.

Green peace! 

                                                             -Charles Jagongo Ogola

This poem just explains the experience of green spaces if they are left to be!

In the last 8 blog posts I looked at unsustainable impacts that cities may be having on the environment and society. But it is very important for me to point out populations, cities and countries are becoming aware of their actions and trying to find ways to curb it. So two blog posts will be dedicated to green aspects of cities. Firstly, I would like to begin this approach with green spaces in the city. Plants play an important role in moderating the impacts of human activities in cities such as absorbing emissions (Hall and Barrett 2012). There are a variety of green spaces present in cities around the world. They are of different sizes, shapes, and types and may include lone plants dotting the city landscape, household gardens, parks or sports fields.  

Green spaces have a variety of benefits that don’t only do well for the environment but they normally give a better standard of living to most people.  Firstly, green spaces provide a habitat for various animals such as: birds, insects, fishes and so on. Also, trees, shrubs and turf filter carbon dioxide, smoke, dust and some other pollutants from the air hence improving air quality in the city. One tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air, which is equal to the car emission of 11 000 miles. Improving air quality will obviously slow down global warming because the greenhouse gases are being absorbed and so not circulating in the atmosphere to contribute to the heating but it also improves life for some since, respiratory diseases associated with dust and smoke would be reduced due it not being in the atmosphere in abundance. Also, green spaces can provide shade to those in parks or when walking along streets or pathways. The trees reduce heat build-up by shading heat-absorbing surfaces such as: concrete and tarmac hence reducing the urban heat island effect. Soil erosion is reduced since the trees keep the soil in tact and so there is no removal with rainfall thereby keeping soil particles out of waterways. Water quality is also improved when the plants are taken proper care of chemicals such as nitrates and phosphorus are kept out of waterways by proper landscaping so the environment in those eco-systems are not altered.  Lastly, there is more groundwater retention by soils when rain falls so there is fewer run-offs therefore less flooding to disturb waterway ecosystems and also human populations.

There are various other benefits of green spaces to society besides the fact that respiratory diseases are reduced with the reduction in the amount of dust etc in the atmosphere. Green spaces can foster social contact interaction between adults and children alike. Green spaces promote safer neighborhoods. When residents have more vested interests in a place, their participation in community vigilance increases, and they will watch to make sure it’s not being misused or damaged. These areas provide a better quality of life, one very similar to the countryside but still with amenities that the city offers so they are getting the best of both worlds. Green spaces attract businesses, create jobs and raise property value.

It also strengthens social bonds in places where it is needed. They also provide various opportunities for recreational activities such as: gardening, art, riding bicycles and children playing a variety of games with each other.

There has been a distinction made between two types of green spaces in cities and they are: pedigreed landscapes of formally planned, manicured civic spaces such as: gardens and boulevards and then there is fortuitous, unplanned landscape of the city’s forgotten and neglected cities (Hall and Barrett 2012). There are problems associated with the pedigreed landscapes and they include: theses areas reflect universal settings so they don’t represent the culture of an area or country and also the species allowed to thrive in these areas are limited for both plants and animals since those not wanted is removed and so the diversity is small. These factors listed basically go against some of the reasoning given for benefits of green spaces so what is the point of them? The fortuitous landscapes however, are more ecologically friendly and supports diversity of different species with natural forces at work.

Large urban parks such as Central Park in New York are celebrated and highly valued landscapes but they may have negative impacts on cities (Hall and Barrett 2012). There are a few large sized parks in Port-of-Spain (not as large as Central Park) and they are not connected so species cannot move from area to another. This movement of species between areas is one of the most beneficial characteristics of green spaces and without it the maximum benefits are not achieved. This can be fixed if green corridors or foothpaths are established to allow the species to migrate from one area to another and also we can these paths. The Emperor Valley Zoo in POS has the Botantic Gardens nested in it and this is a large green space but the amount of people that go there increases the amount of traffic significantly especially during vacation time and the benefits of this area may be reduced due to this high traffic volume. Also, some green areas may be associated with crime or violence. The Queen’s Park Savannah, also in POS is another major green space in Trinidad but there is poor lighting at night and no proper police patrol or mobile stations set up nearby so safety of those using this area to exercise or relax is greatly threatened.

Well I have mentioned some of the green spaces already present in POS but there are plans by the POS City Council to establish a green space on 23acres of land in Westmoorings. POS Mayor Louis Lee Sing said with the over development of west POS, insufficient attention was being paid to the establishment of green spaces (De Souza 2013). This idea came about due to the clustering in west POS and so instead of using the land for housing it would be used to create an open space with a play park for children, benches and walking spaces on the property also, the abandoned wells would be good museum artifacts. The proposed name for this green space is West Park Savannah.

As with everything there are both positives and negatives but to get the best results possible a balance must be struck. So to ensure green spaces are sustainable, do their jobs and benefit everyone in the right way the situation must be considered and the right decisions must be made.   

References:

De Souza, Janelle. 2013. Mayor Land for Green Space. Newsday Newspapers. http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,171898.html

Hall and Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. 4th Edition. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.

Oh The Dreams To Own a Car....But What About Their Impacts?

(Picture Taken in POS)

Mobility in the city is very important. According to Hall and Barrett, mobility is the ability to move around cities but it is more than getting from point A to B, rather it is central to culture and a sense of identity (2012). Mobility has the power to shape the size and form due to the type of transportation available or being used. Movement in cities is dominated by cars, especially in the Global North but it also occurs in some Global South countries. This idea of cars being the dominant mode of transportation originates from the idea where they are seen as luxury items and if a person has one he or she is of a higher class. In Trinidad, there are 151 motor vehicles per every 100 persons, that is approximately 2 cars per person and I find this absurd. Why does one person need 2 cars? But we need to consider 2 cars may just be registered to one person so it may be more appropriate to say that the average amount of cars for a household in Trinidad is 2. It is the same in the United States of America where there average is also 2 per household. You may say well that’s not really a lot because it’s just 2 but when all these twos add up. The effect of all the cars on the road is definitely felt. These effects may be environmental or social.

Cars can have profound impacts on the environment. Firstly, the production of the materials to make the cars have impacts on the environment. So we haven’t even made the car yet and the problems begin. Materials such as: steel, plastic, glass and paints have to be made before the production of a car can begin and this results in the release of greenhouse gases, large amounts of heat and also solid waste is produced. After that is done you have a car but the problems only continue. To use the car fuel has to be burnt. But before it can be burnt it has to be extracted and transported. Extraction of petroleum products from the earth is energy intensive and destroys local ecosystems. While, the transportation of the fuels is also problematic since oil spills can occur, which will also affect ecosystems and kill organisms. Fuel consumption contributes about 80-90% of a car’s environmental impact. This fuel consumption also contributes greenhouse gases and by extension to air pollution, which are responsible for the changing climate that is being experienced. U.S. automobiles are responsible for nearly half of all greenhouse gases emitted by all automobiles (Environmental Defense 2004). In addition, three automobile makers: General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler accounted for nearly three-quarters of the carbon dioxide released by cars and pickup trucks on U.S. roads in 2004 (DeCicco and Fung 2004). After all that the damage done by cars to the environment is still not complete since, the after life of a car also have impacts. Items such as: plastics and toxic battery acids stay in the environment and pollute areas. Environmental impacts of cars do not only occur in cities but rather all around.

Then there is the problem of air quality or air pollution that results from the excessive use of cars and the exhaust fumes that they produce.  This exhaust fumes consist of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrocarbons, lead and suspended particulate matter. Vehicles are America’s biggest air quality compromisers producing about one third of all their air pollution. Exhaust fumes also affect the environment in terms of global warming and so on but it’s major impact is on society. Once exhaust fumes are released into the air they are breathed in and transported in the blood to major organs in the body. The most prominent health problem that exhaust fumes have is on the respiratory system and may cause asthma, bronchitis and even lung cancer. Exhaust fumes are responsible for approximately 24 000 deaths in the U.K. each year. (BBC Health 2013) Exhaust fumes can also cause heart attacks or other heart diseases. A very important effect of exhaust fumes that I wish to explain is that of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO binds more effectively than oxygen to hemoglobin on the red blood cells. When the CO is present in the atmosphere from exhaust fumes and it is inhaled it binds to the hemoglobin and so reduces the amount of oxygen available to be transported around the body. This reduction in oxygen will starve the body of it and the person can die from suffocation if the CO is not removed from the system and oxygen is introduced back. Lastly, exhaust fumes can affect the Central Nervous System and cause behavioral changes and impair mental and learning. These social impacts are mostly felt in cities where there is an abundance of cars being used to move around the city.

Another major problem plaguing the world with the increase use of cars is traffic. Yes Traffic! One of the most inconvenient, stressful and frustrating phenomenon out there. Everyone tries to find some big complicated reason as to why there is so much traffic and the answer is simple, there is just too much cars on the road. Apart from traffic being stressful to persons who face it everyday hence it may affect their health in terms of that stress and their nervous system it has other impacts. Traffic is typically the main cause of air pollution, contributing more than 50% of air pollution in many cities (Hall and Barrett 2012). Traffic in Trinidad is a major problem that commuters face twice for the day on a daily basis. If you are heading into Port-of-Spain on a morning from Central or South the traffic situation is deplorable. I leave home at 6:20am to reach to school for 8:00am and I am not even going into POS but I am a part of that traffic for quite a while and I can tell you it is very stressful to be subjected to everyday. I usually don’t end up in traffic on an afternoons when leaving school but to those who do I sympathize with them. Traffic can also result in injuries and loss of life. This occurs mainly among non-car users especially children or teenagers who live in areas where there is no access to safe playing areas so they use sidewalks or streets (Hall and Barrett 2012). These fatalities have great social and economic costs.

All of the impacts of cars have great costs associated with them and it’s not only costs to the environment or society but economic costs also. Governments spend millions of dollars annually to solves problems such as: pollution, combating the effects of global warming, on the health care to ensure that everyone is taken care off and to solve traffic problems. There are various solutions to some of the impacts of cars and one of the major solutions is using other forms of transport such as: public buses, water taxis and even carpooling. I used Curitiba (a city in Brazil) in one of my other posts and I will use it here again. Curitiba does not have any major traffic or environmental problems associated with mobility because they have an integrated transport system of buses. There is a lack of traffic congestion eventhough there are about half a million private cars because people use the buses. The buses are biarticulated, work on specific lanes for efficient movement and it is cheaper than metro but just as efficient. Another consequence of these buses is that there is low air pollution eventhough the city is involved in heavy manufacturing. In Trinidad there may not be a perfect transit system as the one in Curitiba but we have some here such as: PTSC buses, water taxis and maxi taxis so we should make use of them. Also, alternative forms of fuels or biofuels could be used to reduce emissions. Biofuels are made from organic materials like corn, grass, and agricultural waste and have the potential to provide more than 10 percent of U.S. fuel needs (Union of Concerned Scientists 2012). However, we need to be careful when this is being produced to ensure that in our attempts to produce sustainable gasoline we are not being unsustainable in any other way be it environmentally or socially. Along with biofuels, fuel-efficient vehicles can also be used. They use less gas to travel the same distance as their counterparts. When we burn less fuel, we generate fewer emissions. When emissions go down, the pace of global warming slows. Lastly, the parts such as steel and plastic from cars can be recycled so they don’t just sit as waste polluting areas.

The song says All I Wanted Was a Car.....and this is how alot of people are. In the song he worked hard to get his car and alot of people do the same because (as mentioned before) it a a sign of a higher class and it is also convenient to most. But at point we should put aside what we want (not need...a car is not a need) for the greater good. 

There is so much more to be said on this topic but I think I will end it there today.  

Reference:

BBC Health. 2013. Exhaust Emissions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/exhaust_emissions.shtml

DeCicco, John; Freda Fung. 2004. Global Warming on the Road. http://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/5301_Globalwarmingontheroad_0.pdf

Hall and Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. 4th Edition. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.

National Geographic. 2013. Car Buying Guide. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/buying-guides/car/environmental-impact/

Union of Concerned Scientists. 2012. Clean Vehicles. http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/why-clean-cars/global-warming/

UNEP Convention on Biological Diversity. 2012. City of Curitiba Brazil. http://www.cbd.int/authorities/casestudy/curitiba.shtml#waste1

Landfills: Threatening Both the Environment and Cities

  (Picture of Landfill in Beetham)

Glimpse of a Polluted Future

Where are the birds that used to dot the sky?

They're not here anymore, and I have to wonder why.

Where are the fish that used to swim in this stream?

I can't see them anymore. What does that mean?

Where are the frogs that used to croak around this lake?

I can't hear them anymore. There must be some mistake.

I wish there was a clock whose hands I could rewind.

We might have saved these creatures if we'd just had more time.

Time to make people see how we're damaging our Earth,

Time to realize what it all was truly worth.

But the animals are disappearing at an alarming rate.

If we don't finally band together, it may really be too late.

                      - Anonymous

Cities are a threat to the environment. According to Hall and Barrett they are major contributors to global environmental problems including pollution, resource depletion and land take (2012). In this post I will be focusing on landfills in the city and how this affects the environment. The landfill that is located in the Beetham (very close to Port of Spain) is not the only landfill in the world that is in or on the periphery of a city. This occurs worldwide and has most of the same consequences. The Beetham landfill is located in that specific area due to it being accessible by a very good road network, there is a large area of land to available for use and it is very convenient for waste from businesses and industries in the surrounding urban areas to be deposited. Urban areas generate a majority of a country’s pollution and this ends up in landfills where it results in unsustainability. In this case unsustainability implies that at some point in the future development will be compromised or threatened and environmental capacities will be reached (Hall and Barrett 2012).

Sites to locate landfills should undergo site suitability analysis to ensure that it is in the appropriate areas. In Trinidad there are three landfills and they are located in the Beetham, Guanapo and Claxton Bay but I will be focusing on the one in the Beetham, which is on the periphery of POS. This area is not suitable for a landfill since the land is reclaimed. Therefore pollutants from the landfill can penetrate the soil and enter the sea. In addition, clay soils are needed to restrict drainage to prevent water from the landfill from passing through the soil and entering the water table. So this landfill that services the city is in a wrong location and the waste coming from the city and being deposited there is affecting the environment. Also, local landfills are not sanitary because the area is lined to retain the lechate that is produced from decomposition of waste and this gets into water sources near these sites (Baboolal 2012).

Landfills cause two major groups of problems and they are: atmospheric and hydrological effects. But before I get to those; it is important to note that the Beetham landfill destroyed mangroves for it to be placed there so it directly contributes to environmental unsustainability. The atmospheric effects mostly come from methane, which is produced from rotting organic matter in landfills. Methane is capable of trapping 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide hence contributing to the greenhouse effect and also an urban heat island since in this case the landfills are near to the city. In addition chemicals such as bleach and ammonia affect the air quality in the vicinity of the landfill. The hydrological effects come from toxic chemicals that may accumulate over time, leach into soils and get to water tables to contaminate the water present. Also, these chemicals can harm any organism that it may come into contact with. Waste from the city (residential, commercial and industries) is greatly contributing to the destruction of our natural environment. Fires also occur at landfills due to the gases present and this is problematic.

So the landfill is in that location to “benefit” people but it is causing more problems for city dwellers than it is solving. Here the environment can be viewed as a threat to the city since, environmental problems generated near or in cities are felt most severely within cities (Hall and Barrett 2012). Pollution in the core or periphery cities greatly affects those in the city whether they use the city to live, work or recreate. This can be seen where both the atmospheric and hydrological effects result in social problems especially affecting one’s health. Poor air quality results in respiratory illnesses and lung diseases.  While hydrological pollution can result in communicable diseases such as: cholera, typhoid and viral infections. Also, land contamination of the land actually used for the landfill and areas around it (due to leaching) prevent urban development on it since it poses a threat to health.

This threat of landfills to the environment and cities does not necessarily have to occur. Take for instance the city of Curitiba in Brazil. This area has a population of about two million and there is no sprawl, heavy development, traffic or most importantly for this post pollution. The reason for this city’s success in achieving small levels of pollution is proper plans, which are being carried out in the way they are meant to be. Firstly, there are strict guidelines about recycling of cans, plastic, paper etc to ensure that there is no non-biodegradable waste in landfills to take up space and cause health and aesthetic problems. Recycling costs no more than landfills and the city is cleaner and jobs are provided. Then for waste that cannot be recycled there are specific, licensed landfills that are to be used. There have been great attempts to locate these landfills in appropriate areas and on the most suitable soils to reduce environmental and social problems associated with landfills. Some waste such as medical waste, will still cause problems if placed in the landfills available are incinerated to minimize the problems. All of these initiative taken by Curitiba to reduce pollution results in a city that is not messy, very livable and has a mostly happy and healthy population. 

The chief executive officer of the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), Dr. Joth Singh says that there are plans to close down the Beetham and Guanapo landfills (Baboolal 2012). With the closing down of those two landfills there is plans to create a sanitary landfill in Claxton Bay to meet the needs of the country and ensure that all the problems associated with landfills are addressed. These plans are still ongoing.

References:

Baboolal, Yvonne. 2012. Beetham, Guanapo Dumps to Be Shut Down-EMA Boss. Guardian Newspapers.

Hall and Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. 4th Edition. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.

Skye, Jared. 2013. Environmental Problems: Landfills. http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Environmental_Problems: Landfills

UNEP Convention on Biological Diversity. 2012. City of Curitiba Brazil. http://www.cbd.int/authorities/casestudy/curitiba.shtml#waste1

Industries in the City

                                 (Picture of Powergen Located on Park and Flament Street Port-of-Spain)

Some may wonder why there are industries located in the city…..with even some in the middle of the city. The location of industries in cities is due to historical factors. In Trinidad most of the industrialization began with Sir Arthur Lewis’ idea of industrialization by invitation. This idea focused on the creation of a manufacturing sector to remove some of the dependency on agriculture. These manufacturing sectors couple with the oil and gas sector made up the bulk of the industries in Trinidad. Most of these industries were located close to ports to allow for the import and export of raw materials and goods. According to an urban model done by T.G. McGee, ports are important when considering the growth of cities. Also, Hoyt’s sector model states that cities can emanate from ports (Hall and Barrett 2012). These two models provide the evidence to substantiate the claims for the location of some industries in urban areas. In Trinidad, two major of the major ports for industries are in Port-of-Spain (POS) and Point Lisas. Obviously Point Lisas does not have city status as POS but it can be considered an urban area. The port in Point Lisas is mainly used by the oil and gas and steel industries. In POS the port is used for a variety of reasons including manufacturing.

Cities contribute greatly to global environmental problems such as pollution (Hall and Barrett 2012). Industries can be very unsustainable since their actions destroy the environment in various ways. Even industries that are focused on sustainability (biofuels) can present environment problems (unsustainable) [ Read more here http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/07/10/brazil-report-reveals-unsustainable-practices-of-biofuel-industry/]. Firstly, pollution associated with industries is immense. Various gases are emitted from industrial processes and they include: ozone, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, lead and mercury. Those gases have impacts on the environment and some of them may include: damage to vegetation, ozone (smog) effect, acid rain and harms some organisms.

Those already listed are only the effects associated with air pollution. But land and water pollution also occurs. Some industries may dump their waste in areas of lands that are not landfills hence contributing to land pollution. These areas with the waste are eyesores, attract rodents and smell horrible but more importantly they occupy land that could be used for other purposes such as: housing (to decrease some of the high density especially in urban areas due to population pressure) or agriculture. Since the waste is usually associated with toxic materials people cannot live or plant there so the land basically goes to waste. Pollution on land like this could also lead to water pollution due to the leaching of the pollutants into ground water or run-off from these areas. The polluted waters interfere with the ecological habitat present in waterways such as ponds and the diversity is usually lost. Also, solid waste from the industries may get into the water and degrade the water quality and affect life.  

To expand on air pollution associated with industries is the fact that they emit tons of gases and heat. These gases contribute to the greenhouse effect and overall global warming. Everyone knows about global warming so I won’t talk about it too much but some information on it can be found using this link. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/

As we all know global warming in a major problem in today’s society and if it is not addressed in some way the damage that can be done will be catastrophic. In addition, the heat produced from industries that are located in urban areas contribute to the urban heat island. As stated in a previous blog post urban heat islands are metropolitan areas that are warmer than the areas surrounding it (National Geographic 2013). Heat from industries when combined with that from concrete produces an area that is extremely hot.

The government and private stakeholders claim that industries are for the good of the people with respect to the economy. But when all those negative impacts occur more money has to be spent to fix them. Solutions to improve air and water quality have to be derived, land pollution has to be cleaned up and the effects of global warming also need mitigation plans just to name a few. So in the long run governments may just be putting themselves in situations to spend income (maybe more than what industries provide). To prevent a potentially bad situation for people, countries and government steps should be taken NOW to make industries more sustainable. Industries should implement gas scrubbers and it should be mandatory for all gases being emitted to pass through them. This cleans the gases being emitted and so the effects of them are minimal. As for land pollution certain areas should be dedicated for sanitary landfills to reduce the impact it has on aesthetic of an area, smell and it can also decrease the amount of leaching.  These solutions are just a few and governments should try to implement these and more. However, it may be potentially problematic to implement some of the solutions in the Global South due to them being rather expensive. But it is important that they try to ensure that we have a future to go along with the income produced by industries.

The earth really calling out but it isn't only Wake up America.....the entire world has to wake up! Everything really does matter......everyone needs to do their part!!

References:

Leonardo Academy. Cleaner and Greener. 2013 http://www.cleanerandgreener.org/resources/air-pollution.html

Hall and Barrett,2012. Urban Geography. 4th Edition. London and New York: Routledge Publishing.

National Geographic Education Beta. 2013. Urban Heat Island. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/urban-heat-island/?ar_a=1

Knight, Franklin and Palmer, Colin. 2000. The Modern Caribbean. United States of America: North Carolina Press. 

First Step to Environmental Sustainability is Social Sustainability

                                             (Picture of Part of Sea Lots Taken from the Highway)

                        

The above photo shows the squalor that some people live in due to the abject poverty they are subjected to. As mentioned before sustainable development is meeting the needs of the present without compromising future generations from meeting their needs (Brundtland Report) but now some emphasis will be placed on development. What does development mean to you and me…..what exactly is development and how it is achieved and measured? Development may have many different definitions that depend on the context it is being used such as; development of one self or development of a firm. In this case it is development of a country and of areas within a country. Development in that case is associated with stages of advancement and evolution (Roberts and Bellone 2005). There are various good outcomes of development and they include: economic growth, national progress, modernization, provision of basic needs and more sustainable patterns of growth and development (so you see no matter where I try to take this blog sustainability always comes up because it is all linked). Like with most other things are also some negative outcomes associated with development and they include: inequalities between rich and poor, some local culture & values are undermined, environment may be unstable and sometimes human rights may be infringed upon and democracy undermined by more developed countries on those that are less developed.

To quantify the outcomes of development and determine the level of development an area had gross national product (GNP) was used in a lot of countries. GNP is the measure of production in a country’s economy with respect to goods and services (Cheveldayoff). But as Cheveldayoff and many others states, GNP is not the most accurate indicator of development since, there is no indication of social and environmental well-being in a country because it is only concerned with the economic factors. However, there are other indicators beside economics that are considered when level development is being determined. GNP is not appropriate because there was a per capita gap between rich and poor countries. Standard of living factors such as: poverty, unemployment, inequality, gender inequality and education indicators began to be used along with GNP to determine the level of development.

One of the negative outcomes mentioned previously, the inequalities between rich and poor is social polarization. According to Hall and Barrett (2012), social polarization occurs both within and between cities on a global scale and they are unsustainable both socially and environmentally. The squalor that may sometimes be seen in parts of Trinidad within cities may be a result of environmental degradation.

*The standard of living of people who live in areas such as the one above is horrible. Unemployment among them is high, education, which is the right for everyone has been denied because eventhough it is free there are still some “unseen” costs associated with it therefore areas such as these within countries are what should be used to determine the level of development and governments should try to improve their lives to move towards developed nation status.

Social polarization in urban areas may occur as a result of patterns of consumption, production and waste disposal in countries. Patterns of consumption and production result in social polarization when some people cannot consume as much of the same things as others and so they are discriminated against. That is more the socially unsustainable part. While, waste disposal takes a more environmental turn where a lot of waste are not disposed properly due to no funds to do so hence impacting the environment negatively. Also, the poorer people may be placed to live closer to these “dump” areas because the rich can never be associated with that sort of thing and so the distinction between these two groups are made more prominent. In addition the definition taken from the Brundtland report that was all a physical notion implies that social equity should always be present but this is not the case due to social polarization, which is dividing communities, countries and the world.

Agenda 21 addresses social polarization a bit. It includes international cooperation, poverty, producer-consumer patterns and the environment just to name a few. International cooperation is a major way to achieve sustainable development and that it can also alleviate poverty. With countries focusing on sustainability and reduction in poverty social polarization can decrease to improve the standard living for citizens. However, this same international cooperation can increase social polarization but this would not occur within a country but between countries that are richer than others so care has to be taken when approaching the situation. Science and technology have the capability of contributing to sustainable development but it may result in social polarization between countries since some may not be able to afford it so they are “left out” of the group.   

All of the above shows that development is linked to inequalities, which is linked to social polarization that is linked to environmental degradation and it can start frm environmental degradation and end at inequalities. They are all connected as is social and environmental unsustainability and the attempt to become sustainable. 

* In Trinidad the poverty level, as stated by Minister of People and Social Development Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, is 21.8%. Ramadharsingh said the 2008-2009 global economic crisis had a major impact on the region, affecting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of many countries, and that his ministry was working towards curbing the poverty level. He listed ongoing and future programmes implemented by the Ministry of People and Social Development, such as temporary food cards, bus passes for the disabled, community walkabouts by ministry officials, expansion of counselling services, a task force for social inclusion and a job-coach programme for youths to address poverty (Guardian Newspapers 2012). These initives can be seen as ways to address the social polarization that is occurring in Trinidad and make it a country where all it’s people are treated equally to become a developed and sustainable nation.

If everyone cared about each other there would be no inequalities and the world will be a better place.

http://www.unep.org/documents.multilingual/default.asp?documentid=52
Can read up more on Agenda 21 using this UNEP link. 

References:

Barraclough, Sara. 2005. In Quest Of Sustainable Development. The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. http://www.unrisd.org/unrisd/website/document.nsf/8b18431d756b708580256b6400399775/5ba838e26007676ec12570a1002ee441/$FILE/barraclough.pdf

Cheveldayoff, Wayne. 2000. The Business Page. Canadian Cataloging. United States of America.

Guardian Newspapers. 2012. Poverty Level 21.8%. http://guardian.co.tt/news/2012-05-23/poverty-level-218%E2%80%94minister

Hall and Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. Routledge Publishing. London and New York page 309.

Roberts, J. Timmons and Amy Bellone Hite (eds.). 2007. The Globalisation and Development Reader. Oxford. Blackwell Publishing.