Environmental Engineering &
Why Environmental Protection Is Important
The Environment We Live In
The environment encompasses both living and nonliving elements that surround us. Living things, such as animals and microorganisms, coexist with non-living elements like soils and oceans. It's a misconception to view the environment as solely the natural world separate from human society, as humans are integral parts of the environment and significantly influence it.
Environmental Science and Engineering
Environmental Science is the scientific examination of how the natural world operates and how our environment influences us, as well as how we impact the environment. Environmental Engineering is an engineering discipline that employs scientific and engineering principles to address environmental challenges, including climate change, with the aim of safeguarding the environment and ecosystems.
According to the AR6 Synthesis Report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), human activities such as unsustainable energy consumption, land use, and consumption patterns have released substantial greenhouse gases, leading to climate change. Thus, environmental engineering strives to combat these issues by applying scientific and engineering principles.
Environmental engineering is an interdisciplinary field that draws from biology, chemistry, ecology, hydrology, and engineering principles. Key topics within environmental engineering encompass air and water pollution control and monitoring, solid waste management, renewable energy, and sustainable development. This knowledge aids in devising effective solutions for environmental protection and enhancing our quality of life.
History of Environmental Engineering
The roots of environmental engineering can be traced back to ancient civilizations worldwide, such as Mesopotamia and Egypt, where sewer systems and clean water transport systems were established. A pivotal moment in environmental engineering occurred when London's first large-scale municipal sanitary sewer system was built.
In the middle of the 19th century, London's waste disposal heavily relied on night-soil collectors, who emptied sewage waste from local cesspits and the city's old river. However, due to the growing use of flushing toilets, most of the sewage waste was dumped into The River Thames. The River Thames was important at the time as it served as a source of drinking and washing water.
In July to August 1858, “The Great Stink” crisis struck London, exacerbated by hot weather, leading to unbearable odours from untreated sewage in The River Thames. On top of that, waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid were transmitted.
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To address the issue, Joseph William Bazalgette, a British civil engineer was appointed to construct a sewage system. Eventually, he designed and constructed a sewage system that was 1100 miles long (approximately 1770 kilometres)! In fact, the sewage system built by Joseph Bazalgette is still being used today in London.
​As environmental concerns mounted over the years, environmental engineering evolved into its own academic discipline in the 20th century.
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Joseph William Bazalgette
Riven Thames in 21th Century
Why Environmental Protection Matters
The importance of environment protection can be seen from the history of Easter Island. Easter Island, or known with its indigenous name, Rapa Nui, one of the world heritage sites recognised by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). There are many stone statues known as Moai that can be seen on Easter Island and the statues have brought doubt to the world why an island that was colonised in the past is currently a remote inhabited island on the planet.
Moia in Rapa Nui, or known as Easter Island, Chile
In 1977, palynologist John Flenley started his study about Easter Island. From the result of his examination of ancient pollen grains found on Easter Island, he predicted that Polynesian people had colonised the island since 400 A.C., and at that time, the island was covered with palm trees. The study was then followed by research published by Catherine Orliac in 1998, stating that at least 21 other plant species on the island are gone now. After human arrival, trees began declining and charcoal found in the soil proves that the forest had been burned. The decrease in greens had led to low yield of crops thus causing starvation and population decline.
However, a study in 2001 by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo using carbon dating has proven that colonisation started around 1200 A.D., which is a lot later than the time suggested by Flenley. The deforestation rate was faster than scientists had expected! From the rat tooth mark found on old nut casings, scientists predicted that Polynesians had brought in rats that ate palm nuts and shoots that made the trees unable to regenerate as no young trees were growing. On top of greens vanishing, the arrival of Europeans had brought contagious diseases to the islanders and eventually led to their death.
From the history of Easter Island, we can clearly see that human activities that brought impact to the environment have collapsed the ecosystem on the island thus causing an island that once was full of greens is now a remote island. Thus, acts to protect the environment is crucial as many human activities cause irreversible impact on the environment.