Sustainability & Sustainable Development

Eng.Kapila Pieris

What is meant by development ?

In general there are two aspects in this term viz (a)Material- physical development (b)Spiritual development Although (a) & (b) are interconnected, we will confine ourselves to (a)

What is physical development? & what are its limits?

Physical development basically satisfies five sense organs

Although spiritual development has the potential of controlling the limitless needs of there five sense organs. Modern physical development grows almost independent from these.

After the invention of fossil fuel humans have started to cater the limitless needs (Greed!) of five organs in rapid rate by burning this fuel! This mass scale oil burning is only 200 years old up to now. It is just a minute time interval when compared with the whole history of human kind.

Modern(Western) Technology
Engineering traditions are the engines of this physical development.

Resources

Technology

Equipments, food item etc. to cater our five organs.

Now this oil burn development has created following problems.

(1) Depletion of fossil fuel (2) (a) Natural disasters (b) Environmental pollutions (3) Socio-economic unevenness

Natural Disasters
(1) Cyclones (2) Chaotic climatic conditions (3) Earthquakes Tsunami (4) Land slides etc.

Environmental pollution
(1) Atmospheric pollution (2) Soil degradation- Separation of soil particles (a) depletion of water table (b) diminish of soil microbial activities

Socio Economic unevenness

Emergence of few rich & many poor Modern free market economy combined with modern technology promotes this.

Now what has happened with this oilburn development? Sun Moon
Our Our Planet Earth
various effects
energy

Earth has (1) Sources such as fossil fuels, minerals, metals etc. (2) Resources such as trees, soil, water etc.

Sources are not in cycles with small time

duration. They will evolve with the evolution of earth and diminish at the end of the total system- worlds end.

Resources are within cycles driven by the

action of sun.

Energy of sun & microbial activity in soil helps this.

Early Days
Most of the people involved in physical work Construction Vewa, Dagaba with a spiritual background. Also Physical work was obtained by animals - Renewable Power Sources.

Early Days contd

With locally available sources/ resources people lived within their localities almost self sufficiently. Various work was done by large number of people collectively and by using various simple machines levers, pulleys etc. There work was slow. The systems was almost within the

cyclicity.

NOW
Most of the people involved in mental work Analysis, Management, Computer work etc. Very few people involved in real physical work. Therefore physical work required to make food, shelter, transport etc. are done by Fossil fuel Renewable power sources are kept idling !

NOW Contd ..
(Specially after oil) With the introduction of Money Market Economy
Sources/ Resource Oil driven Machinery Various equipments Processes/Money Waste Few people & Places For many people / places

working fast

The systems are not within the

cyclicity.

Now what have we done in the name of development?

Sources Resources Technology Engineering traditions Things Catering Our organs waste Change state of Sources & resources

A
Waste from Resources are connected back to Resources by the effect of Sun & microbial activities but this has a limit! eg . water cycle, if we create waste beyond this limit, waste will start to accumulate! Waste from Sources will any way get accumulated.

OIL

Present
(1) We are using sources at an alarming rate accumulation of waste (2) We are using Resources faster than their recovery waste

The problem is this accumulation of waste !

But !
Today we are only concern on (a) the depletion of fossil fuel on Energy Crisis! (b) accumulation of waste as increase of CO2 in atmosphere

What about other waste accumulation?

Therefore we have to look at carefully the wholistic effects of modern technologies introduced to decrease fuel consumption etc.

eg.Engines

with

high

fuel

efficiencies.

Energy is only one aspect of the problem!

Therefore, This development has limits. There limits cannot broaden by poor science and Technology This Development cannot be made Sustainable! What we can do is live within the natural cyclicity

If we have a system as follows we can think of a continues development.

Sources

Human activity S & T

Waste

away from earth

earth

away from earth

Our ancient soil water eco-system provides a fine example for a life style, related with natural cyclicity.
Actual sustainability is nothing but getting confined within the natural cyclicity which is driven by sun moon! Then we can sustain until sun moon exists !

Open ended development projects

The projected life span of most of modern projects (say a multi storied building, water supply project , town development project etc.) is 50 100 years .what is after that?

How the system is continued with the nature?

Remaining structures of Anuradhapura after thousands of years

How will the Colombo city look after 1000 years

Can we maintain this even by continuous repairing?

A thousand of years old soil water system

How will this modern irrigation system look after 1000 years ?

End