Environmental Management and Sustainable Development

• Defining Development

  • Development as Material

    • More industries, automobiles, infrastructure, income, consumption

    • Centered on the growth of material possessions and physical comfort

  • Development as Progress

    • Continual improvement of human life and its quality

    • Good health, food security, clean air and safe water, decent shelter, rich culture and a sense of history, spiritual life, the luxury of time, the capacity to enjoy the natural beauty around us

• Sustainable Development

  • Development as Humane

    • Development meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

    • Considers the welfare of both people and the environment (and all life forms depending on it) for the long-term welfare of the planet

  • Pillars of Sustainable Development

    • Social (“People”)

      • Highlight human resources and the well-being of societies

    • Environment (“Planet”)

      • Maintenance of the equilibrium allowing the environment to function (e.g., climate)

    • Economics (“Profit”)

      • Smart use and fair distribution of resources

  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

    • Also known as the "17 Global Goals”

    • A universal call to action adopted by the UN in 2015, to be achieved by 2030

      • End Poverty

      • Protect the Planet

      • All People Enjoy Peace and Prosperity

    • Country Implementation and Participation

      • Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who’re furthest behind

      • In 2015, the Philippines joined the UN community in pledging to put an end to poverty in all of its forms and achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by 2030

Overview of Integrated Environmental Management

• The orchestration of human activities towards the common goal of balancing environmental, economic, and social objectives

• Systems-based, integrative, and holistic approach to managing and tackling complex and long-term environmental issues

• Case Study: Ocean Conservation

  

  • Threats: Overfishing, Inland Pollution (Sedimentation & Noise Pollution), Coastal Development

  • Solution: Ridge-to-Reef Approach (addressing threats in the uplands, lowlands, and coastal areas in an integrated way)

• Pillars of Environmental Management

  • Ecology (environmental literacy, the laws of nature)

    • Everything is connected to everything else

      • Human activities have direct and indirect consequences, both spatial (locally, regionally, globally) and temporal (today, the future)

      • Ex: Converting large tracts of mangrove areas into prawn farms

    • Everything goes somewhere

      • “Linear Thinking” → “Cyclical Thinking”

      • Ex: Burning of Fossil Fuels (Not lost in the atmosphere, but converted to CO2)

    • Nothing is for Free

      • Costs associated with use and abuse of resources, either temporal (today, the future) or associative (direct, indirect)

      • Ex: Use of rivers and seas as pollution sinks

  • Economics

    • Law of Scarcity → Resources are scarce, requiring effective resource management

    • Integration of economic principles and ecology to better contextualize economic growth, decline, and development to environmental, social, and health impacts

    • Examples of Economic Policies:

      • Full Cost Pricing (Incorporation of environmental costs/benefits into pricing)

      • Positive Policies: Tax credits, incentives, grants, tariff-free importation

      • Negative Policies: Environmental User Fees, Taxes

  • Law and Policy

    • Environmental laws dealing with the protection, conservation, and management of natural resources

    • Laws =/= Impact; Implementation, Administration, and Mechanisms are CRITICAL

    • Forms of Laws and Policies:

      • Colonial Laws: Spanish Law of Waters and the Fisheries Act

      • Presidential Decrees: Philippine Environment Policy (PD 1151), Philippine Environmental Code (1152), Environmental Impact Statement System (PD 1586)

      • Republic Acts: Clean Air Act (RA 8749), Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003)

  • Science and Technology

    • Technology today is both the “solution” (targeting “end of pipe,” expensive) and the problem (speed and efficiency → incentivized consumption) to environmental issues

    • There is a need to design not just efficient, but clean and environmentally friendly technologies, with consideration to simplicity, sensibility, value (cultural and economic)

  • Ethics

    • Discipline dealing with moral duty and obligation; ideal of human character

    • Seeing ourselves playing a pivotal role (stewards) in the care and management of the planet

    • Ethics based on sustainability, stewardship, social responsibility, and intergenerational equity

History & Evolution of Environmental Management (OPTIONAL)

• Reactive Approach and Command and Control

  • Reactive Approach

    • Environmental management focused on reacting to environmental problems & issues, not preventing them

    • Ex: Cleanup of oil spills by tankers, reforestation of denuded areas, and incineration of hazardous waste produced by industrial processes

    • Disadvantages: Time, Energy, Financial Resources

    • Perception: Environmental Protection → Additional Cost of Doing Business

  • Command and Control

    • Environmental Management → Compliance with Government Regulation or Penalty

    • No initiatives from communities, business, and industry for environmentally sustainable practices

    • Ex: Emissions Standards, Audits and Disclosures, Limits and Requirements

• Preventive, Proactive, and Innovative (PPI) Approach

  • Assessing, anticipating, and avoiding environmental issues before they manifest

  • Approaches to PPI:

    • Planning and Monitoring Systems

      • Used to assess environmental impact and optimize land use planning for agriculture, commercial, industrial, or residential purposes

      • Methods: Computer Modelling, Monitoring Instruments

      • Examples:

        • Monitoring of topography, soil type, vegetation cover and soil erosion (Land Use Optimization and Planning)

        • Creation of an Air Pollution Map to assess CO2 emissions (Assessing environmental impact)

    • Economic Incentives

      • Used to encourage cleaner production of goods and services and environmentally sustainable business operations

      • Ex: Market-based Instruments (Taxes, Subsidies, Emissions Trading)

• Emerging Trends in Environmental Management

  • Self Regulation

    • Initiatives from communities, businesses, and industry to take environmentally sustainable actions

    • Greater appreciation for environmental protection

    • “Good environment sense makes good business sense”

  • Precautionary Principle

    • Implement precautionary measures if an activity poses potential harm to human health and the environment

    • “Better to be safe than sorry” OR “Prevention is better than the cure”

  • Collaborative Environmental Management

    • Partnership and collaboration of Government, Business, Industry, and Civil Society on Environmental Issues

    • Governments set the direction and the standards, NGOs efficiently and competitively execute these directions and standards

Sectoral Environmental Management (OPTIONAL)

• National Government

  • National Government Agencies

    • Primary Agency: Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of DENR

    • Secondary Agencies: NEDA (Chair of PCSD), DTI (Business and Trade Guidelines), DoH (Public Health Monitoring due to Environmental Issues)

  • Environmental Management Tools

    • Environmental Impact Statement System (EIS System)

      • A participatory process wherein stakeholders can collaborate and decide on projects, particularly environmentally sensitive ones

      • Workflow: EIA → Public Hearing → ECC → Monitoring

        • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

          • Integrates environmental considerations in the decision-making process of major projects and undertakings

          • Identifies, predicts and evaluates the probable impacts of a proposed activity and recommends strategies to prevent or mitigate adverse environmental impacts within the boundaries mutually accepted by stakeholders

        • Public Hearings (Projects are proposed in a public forum, allowing stakeholders to comment and participate in the process)

        • Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC)

          • An assurance that a project is not only economically profitable, but environmentally sound and socially acceptable

          • Required for all projects before implementation can proceed

        • Monitoring

          • A collection of systems wherein stakeholders can ensure the project adheres and complies with the ECC

          • Long-term stakeholder participation in projects

  • Implementation and Challenges

    • Bureaucratic Process Delays

    • Lack of human, financial and technical resources (EMB)

    • Lack of appreciation from developers (EIA)

• Local Government

  • Implementation of Environmental Laws at a more local scale (as defined by Local Government Code of 1991)

  • Requires political will and leadership for successful environmental management

  • Functions and Tools

    • Land Use Planning

      • Determining Optimal Land Use (Residential, Commercial, Industrial)

      • Preservation of Agricultural Land, Wetland, Watershed, Natural Habitats, etc.

      • Use of land, soil quality, hydrology, and other ecological features

    • Waste Management

    • Small Scale Forestry and Mining Management

    • Water Supply and Sewerage and Park Development and Maintenance

• Business and Industry

  • Cleaner Production

    • Goal: Resource efficiency, waste reduction, mimicking natural cyclical processes

    • Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

      • Evaluates material and energy inputs and outputs throughout a product’s life cycle (manufacturing, transportation, use, and disposal)

      • Promotes “cradle to grave” responsibility and allows for better decision-making on environmental concerns for both businesses and consumers

  • Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

    • Set of activities geared towards an entire system towards environmental management goal, assessing process efficiency, worker’s health and safety, environmental impact, etc.

    • May be certified in accordance to international standards, such as ISO 14001, making them appear globally competitive and attractive

    • EMS is rare among SMEs, whose significance in the local economy and local environmental impact cannot be understated

• Civil Society

  • Academe: Environmental education, including training, research, and application of environmentally responsibility across professions (scientists, lawyers, engineers, economists, etc.)

  • Church-based groups: Involvement in local environmental concerns from a spiritual and humanistic welfare perspective

  • Media: Informational dissemination and advocacy

  • Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Advocacy and research, and in upland, coastal and urban management