Urbanization & Sustainability

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Urbanization & Sustainability

What is "Deforestation" The deliberate clearance of forest areas is known as deforestation. Forests have been cleared for agriculture, animal grazing, and the production of wood for building, manufacturing, and fuel throughout history and into the present. Globally, deforestation has significantly changed the terrain.

Solution to Deforestation Solution 1: A sustainable way to stop deforestation is to “Go Online.” Since technology is advanced a lot. It only makes sense to stop the use of paper and resort to more online activities. Solution 2: Increase the plant-to-cut ratio. By creating hundreds or thousands of communities that plant trees such as Team Trees. This can help resolve the problem of deforestation because even if we cut a certain amount of trees, planting more can create a reusable source of wood.

Soil Erosion When we cut down trees to build cities or infrastructures, the tiny plants and tree roots that once held the soil in place are gone as deforestation takes place. Without them, the topsoil that was previously a healthy covering may be carried away by wind or rain. This causes a big problem in the overall environment.

Water cycles As we go into urban cities, cutting down trees is necessary to build cities but, as more and more trees get cut down, evaporation levels are disrupted, drying up the moisture in the air and throwing off the balance of the water cycle.

Land Degradation Due to Urban sprawl, we are forced to remove green spaces such as; greenbelts etc. When we destroy these huge places with greenery, land degradation occurs, cause a lot of problems. For Example, food production is reduced, water sources dry up and populations are pressured to move to more hospitable areas.

Animals The creatures that live in these areas are impacted by deforestation, which may lead to animal endangerment and ultimately extinction. For Example, animals like bird will soon start to die due to the radiation from mobile towers.

Carbon Emissions Deforestation causes carbon emissions to increase at an extremely high rate. When cut down trees release carbon dioxide as well as, trees have the responsibility of controlling all of the carbon dioxide emissions when we cut them down, this process also stops causing greenhouse gases eventually leading to climate change.

What is "Urbanization" The term "urbanization" describes the concentration of people into specific geographic areas. Land is transformed for residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation uses as a result of this concentration. It can include heavily inhabited areas as well as the peri-urban or suburban areas that surround them.

What is "Waste Management" An essential component of environmental preservation is waste management. Its goal is to provide a clean, effective, and cost-effective method of collecting, transporting, treating, and disposing of solid waste without contaminating the environment, the land, or the water supply.

Solutions to Waste Management Solution 1: Instead of using old methods such as burning waste or Dumping them into a remote location etc. a more sustainable way can help solve this problem. Kwon as the waste-to-energy incineration. This allows us to burn the waste whilst using it to produce electricity a better alternative to this problem. Solution 2: About 8.3 billion tons of waste is just plastic. Reducing that can help a ton in the problem. A sustainable way to stop this is by; using reusable bags, having faster biodegradable processes for plastics or even using paper straws can help prevent the use of plastics.

Process In urbanized cities, waste is produced at a rapid rate so the government created a method to dispose of this waste with rules such as separating garbage bins into waste, recycling and compost. This makes it easy for them to get rid of waste or what to do with it, but the problem is that there is no way to track if people actually following this method. Leading to no solution to this problem.

Industrial waste In urbanized cities. Industrialization is a necessity for the development of goods that enhance the lives of people. However, this leads to many problems, mainly; Industrial waste. An immense amount of debris, such as waste paint, metal, ash, slag, and even radioactive waste, is generated while making goods or in the manufacturing processes and that pollutes the whole city. These types of industrial waste affect humans and the environment at an unprecedented rate, killing many lives and destroying habitats.

Toxic Gasses Due to urbanization, waste disposed of in landfills produces carbon dioxide and water vapour, and trace amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and non-methane organic compounds. These gases can also contribute to climate change and create smog if left uncontrolled. Moreover, inadequate waste management, which includes anything from inadequate disposal to nonexistent collection systems, contaminates land and water and produces air pollution as stated above. Landfills that are unclean and open to the public might transmit illnesses and contaminate drinking water. This is extremely destructive for us and the environment.

Disposal As more people urbanize, resource usage increases significantly. This eventually causes tremendous amounts of waste and not an efficient way to dispose it off, leaving us with limited options such as disposing of it in the ocean; burning it; or storing it somewhere far from any human contact. This is an unsustainable way of disposal since, it is only temporary, not permanent, at one point we will have to find a different way of disposing of these amounts of garbage.

Waste Solid waste management is becoming more and more of a problem for many cities as a result of fast urbanization, a lack of funding and technical resources, or poor policy priority. By 2025, it is anticipated that the amount of municipal solid garbage generated would have doubled due to ongoing urbanization and population increase.

What is "Loss of Greenspace" One environmental justice issue that affects many groups is the lack of green space. "Green space" in an urban context usually refers to a park. Most cities have a few green areas dotted around for the health of their citizens. Communities predominately made up of lower-class or minority residents usually have less green spaces.

Solutions to Loss of Greenspace Solution 1: A sustainable way to keep green space is to stop urban sprawl, due to us building low-density housing making it hard to fit green space in the city. By building high-density housing there will be more than enough space to build green space and further urbanize. Moreover, making green belts and national parks can help solve this problem since it forces the government to build high-density housing. Solution 2: Another way to keep green space sustainably is by turning to a “Smart city”, where urbanization and the environment is at the same level. Adding small parks, rooftops etc. allows us to urbanize in a sustainable way.

Climate change Loss of green space when making an urbanized city, causes uncountable green fields to be destroyed. Since greenery helps control carbon emissions in the environment. Destroying these green spaces will increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leading to climate change at an uncontrollable rate in the future

Urban sprawl Urban sprawl is one of the main factor of loss of green space. Due to us building low density housing or single use zoning etc. This creates less space for greenery and housing in long term.

Flooding When we take down green space to make cities. The reduction of permeable surfaces has resulted in increased surface runoff and decreased infiltration, both of which contribute to flooding. By increasing the extent and interspersion of a city's permeable surface, permeable surfaces may be used more effectively to mitigate flooding threats.

Urban Heat A major problem in Urban cities is urban heat. "Urban heat islands" arises when dense populations of buildings, pavement, and other heat-absorbing surfaces replace the natural land cover of an urban area. This impact raises air pollution levels, energy prices (for air conditioning, for example), and the rates of heat-related illnesses and deaths. This is a big problem when it comes to going “urban.”

land degradation Urbanization causes the population to rise at a fast rate therefore we need more housing and services for the public and to provide these services we need space. Due to this factor, my places are destroying greenbelts, national parks etc. They are removing greenery to build upon. Moreover, researchers looked at pictures of urban centers in 2001, 2011, and 2019. “You end up seeing less green spaces as you walk down the street,” says Jennifer Wang. (ctvnews) Something you can notice is the difference in population in these 3 years.

What is "Species at Risk" Species at Risk- Any naturally existing plant or animal that is in risk of extinction or disappearance from the province. The majority of these animals and plants are threatened by human activity or invasive species.

Solution to Species at Risk Solution 1: An easy and sustainable way to protect Species at risk is by creating shelters for those who lost their habitats. Giving them shelter, and a good food source and keeping them away from invasive species, can allow them to grow back their population and maintain it for the long term. Solution 2: Another sustainable way to protect species at risk is to help restore these natural habitats. By, reducing deforestation, Air pollution, Loss of green space and resorting to a more Smart city can help the environment/ wildlife back too whilst allowing us to urbanize.

Construction In urbanization cities, construction is everywhere. This has multiple effects on wildlife. Noise from building operations can cause changes in eating and breeding habits, which can be harmful to the surrounding flora and animals. The most typically afflicted animals include badgers, bats, great crested newts, and birds.

Mobile towers Every urbanized city has mobile towers. This may not have an impact on humans but birds are going extinct due to this factor. Mobile towers produce radiation which affects all bird species' brains, eventually leading to their death. Furthermore, It has also recently been shown that animals utilized near mobile towers are vulnerable to a variety of hazards and threats to life, including stillbirths, spontaneous abortions, birth abnormalities, behavioural difficulties, and a general reduction in overall health.

Air Pollution When urbanizing, industries generate high levels of toxic gases into the atmosphere, causing air pollution. Air pollution has a substantial influence on wildlife health since it can make plants and animals more prone to illnesses while also decreasing reproductive performance. This has a detrimental impact on biodiversity, resulting in lower numbers and an increased chance of extinction.

Deforestation Cutting down trees when going urban causes numerous animal species' habitats to be destroyed. The many thousands of species that cohabit within and beneath the canopy of trees would perish if forests do not provide refuge, food, and water. Forests support a diverse range of tree, amphibian, bird, and mammal species, but they face a number of dangers.

Climate Change When urbanizing, heat is produced at an extreme temperature. Global warming is caused by greenhouse gas emissions by humans. This leads to habitat loss, making species more vulnerable to invasive species and species could go extinct without food and shelter.

What is "Sustainability" The term "sustainable" refers to "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future" along with "ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental protection, and social well-being."

What is "Air Pollution" Any chemical, physical, or biological element that alters the atmosphere's inherent qualities and contaminates the indoor or outdoor environment is referred to as air pollution. Automobiles, businesses, home combustion appliances, and wildfires are among the common sources of air pollution.

Solutions to Air pollution Solution 1: Using Sustainable energy sources is key to helping solve air pollution. Instead of burning coal or other materials which create carbon emissions. Using renewable energy sources such as Solar panels, Wind turbines, hydroelectricity etc., can help in the reduction of Air pollution. Solution 2: Since automobiles generate a large amount of pollution. Using more sustainable travel methods can help reduce air pollution in the city. Using vehicles like bikes, skateboards and scooters for short distances can get the job done. For long-distance use public transit, carpool or electric cars can help instead of each individual having to use a personal automobile.

Cars effect Most people don't live close to their places of employment, therefore they have to take transit to travel to and from work, to urban areas, and to see relatives. In addition to increasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere that cause global warming, cars also produce pollution. (National Geographic) We ought to consider the amount of air pollution that densely inhabited metropolitan areas will produce. Although it is necessary to travel, pollution cannot be sustained indefinitely. .

Animals Toxic compounds, carbon, and smog enter animal populations, and because of the health dangers to the animals, this eventually results in the loss of the animals' homes and food supplies (National Geographic). The air pollution caused by urbanisation produces harmful compounds that eventually cause the extinction of some species. The potential harm this might do to the food chain makes it a serious issue. .

Cutting down trees As a result of urbanization and sprawl, more trees are chopped down, which releases carbon into the atmosphere, and more buildings are built. Additionally using petrol and diesel, the machinery produces additional pollution. Housing is still needed, and deforestation can only be halted, not completely prevented.

Toxic Gasses Due to the extensive production for urban areas, companies release toxic gases into the atmosphere, posing a risk to both human health and the environment (Solumesl). Even though all of these cities depend on these resources, this is a serious issue. As our population increases, we will need more items, yet air pollution won't go away as long as haze persists in contaminating the atmosphere.

Waste Greater amounts of rubbish are disposed of in urban areas. To properly dispose of the garbage, part of it must be burnt, which releases a significant amount of carbon emissions into the environment. Even human lungs are severely harmed by these carbon emissions. The packing of some commodities is the primary problem and a contributing factor to this problem. For instance, it can take up to 20 years for a little plastic bag to completely degrade. The WWF.au. Additionally, the majority of these cities are grey areas, which lengthens the time