Tag Archives: developed country

Comparing Carbon Emission Policies

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The first case study I select is the results of implementation of the CAFE standard in the United States. This case study focuses on how successful has the CAFE standard been at cutting down carbon dioxide emitted from automobiles and I found this source on Colby-Sustainable development (http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/air-carbon.html). Carbon dioxide is the primary resource of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity, and the U.S. was the largest emitter in 1997. So in 1975, EPCA established the CAFE standards in order to control oil consumption. According to the article, the CAFE standard has substantially increased fuel efficiency of cars and light trucks since 1978, although its momentum was partially inhibited for some time. The standard has unintentionally created perverse market incentives to purchase and create vehicles that are relatively less efficient, and low prices of gasoline permitted individuals to drive fuel inefficient cars without paying the environmental costs. These actions are unsustainable for the society, and it’s also a matter of environmental justice as people are still suffered from global warming.

 

The second case study I select is about the European Union emissions trading scheme and I found this article on fern, a NGO in Europe (http://www.fern.org/book/trading-carbon/case-study-3-carbon-trading-practice-–-eu-emissions-trading-scheme). This article mainly focuses on the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty aims to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. 15 countries in EU are committed to the protocol and they aim at a reduction target of 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. In order to meet the target, they initiate different policies, and the main one is the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EUETS). The EUETS consists of three phases, the first phase was from 2005 to 2007 and the second phase was coincides exactly with the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (2008~2012). Both of these phases only controlled carbon dioxide (with exceptions) and permits were allocated by Member States in NAPs. The last phase ran from 2013 and will carry on till 2020 and the final target is to reduce emission by 14% below 2005 levels. As both U.S. and members in EU are considered as more developed countries, they have higher standards on air pollution and more detailed plan to regulate carbon emission.

 

Comparing the two cases with Guangzhou, I would say there are some similarities but the U.S. and EU have better plans and higher standards. Although China is a developing country, Guangzhou is one of the cities in China that has highest GDP. China just announced its international climate pledge (Intended National Determined Contribution, or INDC) in June 2015 with the national goal to peak carbon dioxide emission in 2030 or sooner. Guangzhou would follow the goals set by the country, but there aren’t many policies specifically regulate carbon dioxide emissions. From the case studies, I think one thing we can take away from them is to establish a more specific policy on regulating carbon dioxide emission rather than focusing on the broad term. I believe that the Chinese government is working its way to a more advanced stage in reducing carbon emission.

Drinking Water Crisis!

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My first case study focuses on drinking water safety in Rwanda. The information for this case study was found at the following link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201602151380.html, which is a news source for Africa. In a developing country like Africa, 4/5 of illnesses are caused by water-borne pathogens. Currently, the goal is to develop purification techniques for drinking water. Historically, boiling water has been used to kill microbial activity however this is not always possible in Rwanda. Society for Family Health, a company that provides alternative water purification techniques in Rwanda, emphasizes the importance of training the users how to properly utilize the purification products. Hygienic storage and consumption methods must also be in place for drinking water purification to succeed. This article focuses on improving access to clean drinking water in Rwanda, where drinking water is often contaminated with bacteria and viruses that lead to death. As mentioned in the module, the electronic waste sites in Africa are leaching dangerous chemicals into the environment that will persist for decades. This likely will affect the safety of drinking water near electronic dumpsites in Africa.

My second case study focuses on the drinking water regulation in China. This information was found through china dialogue, a nonprofit organization that centers around environmental and sustainability issues in China.The link to the article I used is : https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/7722-China-s-drinking-water-safety-faces-scrutiny-in-2-15. The article analyzes the success of the 12th five-year plan that focused on increasing access to and improving the quality of drinking water. China invested 112 billion dollars into drinking water safety improvement and has focused on science and technological innovations to meet these goals. It appears that access to safe drinking water has increased and is spreading from urban areas to rural areas. However, rural areas are experiencing issues with arsenic, salt, and fluorine contamination from geological sources as well as persistent organic pollutants and hormones from industrial and societal activity and development. Industrial contamination of the environment that then leads to unsafe drinking water displays a downside to development. The industrial activity that resulted in contamination was likely profitable but does not out weigh the detrimental effects it has on the environment and population health.

When comparing and contrasting the two case studies to my place of residence, State College Pennsylvania, there are many similarities and differences to observe. The research lab I work in at Penn State investigates drinking water contamination and the development of analytical methods for drinking water extraction and testing. Drinking water contamination is a worldwide problem that can be viewed on a global and local scale. As shown in these case studies, access to safe drinking water effects Rwanda, China, and the United States of America. This issue does not discriminate between developing or developed countries. However, the contaminants causing the issues do differ between the developed and developing countries. Rwanda, a developing country, struggles with microbial contamination that causes diarrhea, which can lead to death. Where as, the United States of America and China, developed countries, are dealing with environmental contaminants from industrial byproducts like persistent organic pollutants which with long term exposure can lead to cancer and birth defects. It is very important that in the future, developing countries and developed countries learn from the mistakes made previously as pertaining to industrial contamination of the environment. As China and the United State are now learning, contamination events from 50 years ago still persist in the environment today.