FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN DAN ALAM BINA

JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN AWAM DAN STRUKTUR

KKKH 4284 – PERANCANGAN BANDAR LESTARI

SEMESTER II SESI 2015/2016

TASK 6: GLOBAL WARMING

NAME: NUR AMALINA BINTI ZABIDI

MATRIC NO: A142031

PROGRAM: JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN AWAM DAN SSEKITARAN

LECTURER:

1) PROF. DATO' IR. DR RIZA ATIQ ABDULLAH BIN O.K. RAHMAT

2) DR. MUHAMAD NAZRI BIN BORHAN

Question

Supposed you are living in a coastal city. The city administrator has noticed that the mean sea

level has been rising for the past 50 years. The raising is small but over a long period of time it

may cause problems in the city centre as the level of that part of the city is quite low. If you are

hired as a consultant, write a plan of action on what can be done to reduce or mitigate the

problems.

Answer

The term of global warming used to describe a gradual increase in the average

temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to be permanently

changing the Earth’s climate. Even though it is an ongoing debate, it is proved by the scientists

that the planet is warming. The 29th century is experiencing a continued increase of Earth’s

mean atmospheric temperature by about 1.4 degrees and about two thirds of it occurring since

1980. This is global warming is affecting the nature’s balance and has a huge impact on life like

continued heat waves, and sudden occurrence of storms and floods.

Some scientific evidence stated that since 1950, the world’s climate has been warming,

primarily as a result of emissions from non-stop burning of fossil fuels and the razing of tropical

forests. Since the industrial revolution till this day, there is a constant emission of the carbon into

the atmosphere, everything that human do will leave carbon footprints. It is a man itself made

cause of the global warming. It also had been reported that the global emissions jumped 3

percent in 2011 and jump another 2.6 percent in 2012.

As consultant, planning of the action that need to be taken to reduce or mitigate the

problems, first of all the impacts or effects from the global warming to the town must be

identified. As the city is just nearby the coastal area and there is a significant increment on the

mean sea level, the impacts to the city might be severe. Moreover due to the most of the part of

city is quite low, shoreline erosion, coastal flooding, and water pollution affect man-made

infrastructure and coastal ecosystems might be occur in the future. The impacts of climate

change are likely to worsen many problems that coastal areas already occur.

Some of the major problems that being faced by a coastal city are:

Natural protections against damaging storm surges are increasingly threatened. Barrierisl

ands, beaches, sand dunes, salt marshes, mangrove stands, and mud and sand flats retreat

in land as sea level rises, unless there are obstructions along the retreat path. If they

cannot move, these natural protections are washed over or drowned.

High tides and storm surges riding on ever-higher seas are more dangerous to people and

coastal infrastructure.

Many shorelines have sea walls, jetties, and other artificial defenses to protect

roads, buildings, and other vital coastal resources. In these areas, sea-level rise increases

erosion of stranded beaches, wetlands, and engineered structures.

Many actions can be done to avoid or reduce the problems occurs. The first one was in term of

mitigation of global warming by invoving of taking actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

and to enhance sinks aimed at minimize the impact of global warming to the coastal city and

reducing the extent of global warming. The mitigations will lie on human daily activities and

needs. As consultant, we must tackle in these issues as these are the main contributor for

greenhouse gases which lead to global warming. The scopes including the energy efficiency,

transportation, forest management and the most important thing is sustainable development.

Therefore, some actions that can be taken are:

1) Ensuring Sustainable Development

A successful global compact on climate change must include financial assistance from richer

countries to poorer countries to help make the transition to low-carbon development

pathways and to help adapt to the impacts of climate change.

2) Greening Transportation

The transportation sector's emissions have increased at a faster rate than any other energy-

using sector over the past decade. Many solutions are at hand, including improving efficiency

in all modes of transport, switching to low-carbon fuels, and reducing vehicle miles travelled

through smart growth and more efficient mass transportation systems.

3) Boosting Energy Efficiency

The energy used to power, heat, and cool citizen homes, businesses, and industries is the

single largest contributor to global warming. Energy efficiency technologies allow us to use

less energy to get the same or higher level of production, service, and comfort. This

approach has vast potential to save both energy and money, and can be deployed quickly.

4) Reviving Up Renewables

Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and bioenergy are available

around the world. Multiple studies have shown that renewable energy has the

technical potential to meet the vast majority of our energy needs. Renewable technlogies can

be deployed quickly, are increasingly cost-effective, and create jobs while reducing pollution.

5) Phasing Out Fossil Fuel Electricity

Dramatically reducing our use of fossil fuels especially carbon-intensive coal is essential to

tackle climate change. There are many ways to begin this process such as by not building any

new coal-burning power plants, initiating a phased shutdown of coal plants starting with the

oldest and dirtiest, and capturing and storing carbon emissions from power plants.

Demonstration projects to test the viability and costs of this technology for power

plant emissions are worth pursuing.

6) Developing and Deploying New Low-Carbon and Zero-Carbon Technologies

Research into and development of the next generation of low-carbon technologies will be

critical to deep mid-century reductions in global emissions. Current research on battery

technology, new materials for solar cells, harnessing energy from novel sources like bacteria

and algae, and other innovative areas could provide important break throughs.

7) Managing Forests and Agriculture

Forestation can be of great help in this regard. Planting more trees and reducing timber cuts

worldwide will help restore the imbalance. We can fight global warming by reducing

emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and by making our food

production practices more sustainable.

Next, actions also can be taken by adaptations which mean as an action or process of adapting

or being adapted. Thus, the adaption shall be the strategy to cater the risk of sea level rising to a

critical level.

Expanded rainwater harvesting, water storage and conservation techniques, water re-use,

desalination, water-use and irrigation efficiency.

Adjustment of planting dates and crop variety, improved land management such as

erosion control and soil protection through tree planting Relocation, seawalls and storm

surge barriers, dune reinforcement, land acquisition and creation of wetlands as buffer

against sea level rise and flooding as protection of existing natural barriers.

Heat-health action plans, emergency medical services, improved climate-sensitive disease

surveillance and control, safe water and improved sanitation.

Diversification of tourism attractions and revenues, shifting ski slopes to higher altitudes

and glaciers, and artificial snow-making.

Relocation the design standards and planning for roads, rail and other infrastructure to

cope with warming and drainage.

Strengthening of overhead transmission and distribution infrastructure, underground

cabling for utilities, energy efficiency and use of renewable sources will reduced

dependence on single sources of energy.