Analysis Frameworks for Sustainability: Linking Energy and the Environment Rudolf B. Husar Director, Center for Air Pollution and Trends Analysis (CAPITA) Professor, Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering EECE Seminar, Friday, November 2, 2007, 11:00am, Lopata 101, Washington University
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Analysis Frameworks for Sustainability:
Linking Energy and the Environment
Rudolf B. HusarDirector, Center for Air Pollution and Trends Analysis (CAPITA)
Professor, Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering
EECE Seminar, Friday, November 2, 2007, 11:00am,
Lopata 101, Washington University
Integrative Science and Engineering for‘Grand Challenges’
The problems of Energy and Environment (EE) are Grand Challenges
Solutions require engineering, biological, socio-economic and other sciences
A rigorous and practical integrated framework for EE is not available
This is an exploration of frameworks for integrated Energy Environmental Analysis
Interested in the EE integration challenge? Join us on the wiki!
Sustainable Development (SD)
A process of reconciling society’s developmental needs with the environmental limits over the long term. But, What should be developed, what should be sustained?
SD as an uncertain and adaptive process, “in which society's discovery of where it wants to go is intertwined with how it might try to get there”.
During the SD ‘journey’ toward sustainability, the pathways have to be ‘navigated’ adaptively
Continuing the metaphors, science is the compass, giving the directions and laws-regulations are the gyroscope for staying on course
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National Academy, 1999
Life and non-life on Earth form a combined system (Gaia Theory)
Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium are in constant circulation between the earth’s major environmental compartments
Earth’s compartments remain in balance as long as the rate of flow of matter and energy in and out of the compartments is unchanged.
Changes in the environmental compartments will occur if the circulation (in and out flow) of the substances is perturbed.
Atmospheric CO2 has been increasing because the rate of input is larger than the rate of output from the atmosphere.
Major Biogeochemical Processes Visualized by Aerosols
Dust storms
Volcanoes Anthropogenic pollution
Fires
Anthropogenic pollution perturbs the natural processes and material flows