This year marked the eve in which our planet reached the seven billionth population milestone. To mark this milestone, a new world map based on a report published by UK think tank Maplecroft maps ‘The Climate Change Vulnerability Index.’ The map shows the fastest growing populations most at risk from environmental impacts. According to the report, some of the world’s fastest growing population centers in Asia and Africa are at greatest risk from the impact of climate change and some of the “big economies of the future” (Bangladesh, India, Philippines, Vietnam and Pakistan) are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), published by UK consultancy, risk analysis and mapping company Maplecroft, examined the climate risks and adaptive capacity of 193 nations factoring in population concentration, development, natural resources, agricultural dependency and conflict.
A total of 30 countries were classified as being at “extreme risk” with Haiti, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Madagascar making up the top five most in peril, while Vietnam, Indonesia and India all ranked inside the top 30. The report warns that Bangladesh’s climate risks could hit foreign investment into the country, undermining the driving force behind economic growth of 88 per cent between 2000 and 2008.
Similarly, the report warned that India’s massive population and increasing demand for scarce resources made it particularly sensitive to climate change.
Other Asian countries attracting high levels of foreign investment such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Pakistan were also classified as facing ‘extreme risk’ from climate change, while industrial giants China, Brazil and Japan are listed as ‘high risk’.
The analysis, which forms part of Maplecroft’s fourth annual Climate Change and Environmental Risk Atlas, also assesses climate impacts on towns and cities. Six out of the 20 fastest growing cities worldwide, including Calcutta, India, Manila in the Philippines, Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, were also classified as at “extreme risk” by the CCVI.
Urban population
The United Nations estimates that around half the world population now live in, or close to cities with that figure expected to rise to two-thirds by 2045.
Almost all future population growth over the next 40 years will be absorbed by cities of the developing world which are unprepared for such rapid expansion, according to the U.N.
To see more interesting maps and reports visit Maplecroft.
That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.- Steve Jobs
The simplest green solutions are the ones which are really going to get us out of this mess. Here is a perfect example of the balance of simplicity and forward thinking combining to produce a truly remarkable and ingenious solution.
Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), is a sustainable lighting project which aims to bring the eco-friendly Solar Bottle Bulb to disprivileged communities worldwide. Designed and developed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Solar Bottle Bulb is based on the principles of Appropriate Technologies — a concept that provides simple and easily replicable technologies that address basic needs in developing communities.
Climate change is happening, can we now finally stop talking about it and start doing something about it?
“I found out about climate change and said, ‘if this is a problem, what are the solutions?’…So I found out the solutions. The great thing, is you don’t have to even believe in climate change for this movie to work for you.”
- Peter Byck / Director
Carbon Nation is a feature length documentary about climate change SOLUTIONS. Even if you doubt the severity of the impact of climate change or just don’t buy it at all, this is a compelling and relevant filmthat illustrates how SOLUTIONS to climate change also address other social, economic and security issues.
‘Carbon Nation’ is an optimistic discovery of what people are already doing, and look at what the United States could be doing as a nation and what the world needs to do to prevent (or slow down) the impending climate crisis. We already have the technology to combat most of the worst-case scenarios of climate change, and it is very good business as well.
The Film is full of facts and interesting “non-bussiness as usual” solutions for this generation. It also showcases some real-world examples of the solutions working in practice. In one chapter he focuses on fuel consumption by the US army. Their consumption far surpasses any other sector. BY going green the military can shift a pattern of fuel consumption almost overnight, however the astronomical cost of getting fuel to the troops spread around the world would be nothing in comparison to the cost of retrofitting all those troops to run on clean energy. It almost makes pray for peak oil to come as soon as possible if only for the very reason of disabling all the world’s military power.
No oil = paralyzed armies.
This kind of off-track optimism is at the core of this film. Entrepreneurial ideas to tackle global warming and impending food and energy shortages through simple creative green solutions that work economically and socially.
Director Peter Byck says: “In 15 months of presenting the film to very diverse audiences, we have come to the realization that we are not a polarized country, as many on TV will tell us, and many in Washington play out. Rather, there is great consensus among a large and varied group of Americans: renewable energy sources and using less energy are great ideas – whether to boost the economy, increase national and energy security and promote health and a clean environment. As it stands now, good Americans are being lied to, told that we are polarized, and then many act out as if this were true, creating a self-fulfilling crash. It’s a storytelling problem.
carbon nation team top tips for reducing your co2 footprint
Energy Efficiency
Weatherize your house – if there’s a draft, there’s a leak.
When your roof needs repairs, paint it white at the same time.
Unplug DVD players, coffee makers, phone chargers – anything not in use.
5-minute showers are much better than baths.
Raise your kid’s allowance if they help reduce utility bills.
Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical and industrial know-how to solve the carbon and climate problems for the next half-century - Stephen Pacala & Robert Socolow
Can we bring upon a future of free and renewable energy?
This brief presentation makes us think that not only it is possible, but the change is already happening.
Tzeporah Berman, co-head of the climate and energy campaign at Greenpeace International, gives a TEDx talk about the solution to our current and future energy needs.
The Energy [R]evolution
The Energy [R]evolution is the practical solution to our energy needs. It offers a sustainable path to quit dirty, dangerous fuels by transitioning to renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Cradle to Cradle Design (sometimes abbreviated to C2C, or Cradle 2 Cradle) is a biomimetic approach to the design of systems. It models human industry on nature’s processes in which materials are viewed as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms. It suggests that industry must protect and enrich ecosystems and nature’s biological metabolism while also maintaining safe, productive technical metabolism for the high-quality use and circulation of organic and synthetic[clarification needed] materials. Put simply, it is a holistic economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient but essentially waste free.[Wikipedia] The model in its broadest sense is not limited to industrial design and manufacturing; it can be applied to many different aspects of human civilization such as urban environments, buildings, economics and social systems.
In this brilliant episode of TED:Talks; William McDonough talks about the concept of “Cradle to Cradle” Design. He believes that green design can prevent environmental disaster — while also driving economic growth. The Green-minded architect and designer asks what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account “all children, all species, for all time.”
“If we are to move forward… towards mainstreaming ecological design as an integral part of building for the 21st century, then it is crucial that it is accessible, economic, genuinely environmentally sound, gimmic-free and not stigmatised as a style” - Howard Liddell from ‘Eco-minimalism – the antidote to eco-bling’ RIBA Publications 2008
We are living through a very strange age of quasi-environmental desperation. We are all aware that we must now ignore our pre-conceived notions of “tree hugging” and “hippie lifestyles” and embrace a lifestyle of balance with our planet or we face certain extinction (bear with me, I’m just being as sensationalist as the media here for shock value…). Can Minimalist Green Architecture be the antidote?
From governments and politicians down to tradesmen and factory workers we are all made aware of the impending dangers of global warming, climate change and the crazy amounts of other human related ‘side-effects’ imposed on our planet through our modern-day lifestyles. The problem is that with reasonable panic, comes unreasonable thinking. In the construction industry, eco-bling is preached ‘as a means to an end.’ Again a quasi-solution based on reactionary thought and very little practice. Today, sustainability has become yet another one of those dreaded buzz words and as it gains momentum, most people perceive it as a new “trend” and not a way of living. Concepts of green architecture today are peppered with greenwashing and failed attempts at providing quality in sustainability. People are rushing to the recycling bins and fixing their outdated buildings, with green technology badges such as solar panels and micro wind turbines, but fail to understand sustainability in the broader context and often fail to implement a green design approach that works. The same high-end green technology solutions being sold to us as antidotes to climate change might not be as green as they first appear.
Recently, I came upon Howard Lidell’s – brilliantly named- ‘Eco-minimalism – the antidote to eco-bling’ (2008). After reading this, you realise that there is a more realistic and cost-effective approach to going ‘green’ which simply follows basic concepts of ’eco-minimalism’ – a good design approach that is tied to ecological building design through careful selection of materials, building orientation, environmental design and specification. Eco-minimalism is about making a building react to its environment in ‘passive’ ways rather than ‘active’ solutions. Far from reaching the almost high tech levels of ‘PassivHaus’ design, Eco-minimalism aims to dissect these principles even further. For example, slapping a bunch of solar-thermal panels in the roof of a 1950’s bungalow is an ‘active’ way of addressing water and space heating, but it ignores the need for increasing its out-dated insulation or reducing hot water usage in the first place. Both of which can be achieved with low-cost methods of construction (cavity wall insulation & simple water saving measures) . Careful planning and implementation at design stage can almost negate the use of any ‘green-technology’ at all. Basically, any building or design can increase their ‘ eco-credentials’ by concentrating on less obvious strategies such as insulation, draught-proofing and the use of healthy local materials and not ‘Greenwashing’ a design by picking ‘off-the-shelf’ green solutions that may actually cause more harm to the environment than good.
Greenwashing is a term by New York environmentalist Jay Westervelt in a 1986 essay regarding the hotel industry’s practice of placing placards in each room promoting reuse of towels ostensibly to “save the environment”. Westerveld noted that, in most cases, little or no effort toward reducing energy waste was being made by these institutions. The term is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being green (that is, operating with consideration for the environment), rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices (Source: Wikipedia)
As Architects, builders, planners and designers, we must strive to find the simplest and most cost effective solutions in support of truly ecological, affordable sustainable architecture for everyone.
We have recently posted trailers for two (1& 2) very good documentaries which focus on promoting alternative green thinking and eco-creativity through the power of film. This year, all the conversation amongst green circles seems to be focusing not only on policy and energy consumption but on recent man-made and natural disasters as well. The list below reflects these current concerns in a creative way through the medium we know best, TV & Film.
“Without the entertaining and/or compelling view points of artists, entertainers and filmmakers, many important messages of advocacy would never be heard,”-Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network.
If you have the pleasure and wit to get a hold of these wonderful films and series, we hope they at least inspire discussions at the dinner table, in the classrooms and in forums and prove to be catalysts for both thought and action.
One could argue that Architecture is the most harmful profession for the planet. Its deep association with construction puts the profession in the front seat of environmental evils. In a world of mass development and over-population, construction is more like an unstoppable destructive cement truck which is constantly plowing through our planet destroying natural habitats than the sustainable and creative profession it should be; Architects it seems are riding shotgun.
Considering that even the most harmful of oil refineries has had the involvement of an Architect at some point during its construction and considering that we spend at least 80% of our lives in buildings (also designed by Architects) the numbers quickly start to stack up against the profession. It is no secret that Architecture has a huge impact on our environment and it is our duty as designers to do something about it. Now, isn’t time we do so?
Building techniques have for the most part remained un-changed for centuries, that is until the arrival of the industrial revolution. Technology changed everything. Technology in modern building techniques mutated those centuries old methods of construction and transformed them into to the wasteful consumer and money driven methods of today. Architects had little to do with this, but did nothing to prevent construction evolving through the need to meet the demands of rapid growth in urban conglomerates and the increasing availability of super fast technological advances. This left designers with little time to think beyond their next ‘commission’ (architects need to make a living like everybody else) and made any sustainable thinking and urban planning an irrelevant and expensive nuisance. In the Architecture profession it is almost impossible to keep up with the speed of mass development and the economic needs of a construction industry which thrives on competition and economic stability. Again this leaves little room to spend any time or money on perceived ‘extras’ which do not benefit the individual project but rather a whole planet.
There is hope. One good thing that can be rescued from this global economic downturn is that construction has in fact slowed down and with the ever more evident threats of global warming and food scarcity, architects, engineers builders, scientists and designers have a chance to finally ‘catch up’ with progress and begin to propose new ways of construction that will help us achieve modern sustainable lives. If we collectively stop and think for a minute we could potentially develop a workable sustainability that can be applied at a mass urban scale.
We need to begin to propose sustainable developments which can provide an integration as a whole of all the mega-cities and resources globally. We need to start locally, but think globally and implement simple design moves toevery new project and aim to enhance the sustainability of a community as a whole. Otherwise no matter how many solar panels and wind turbines we slap onto the side of buildings we wont make a difference. Careful consideration has to be given to the building’s life long cycle, its materials and its role in the community as a whole.
Buildings should be like trees, whether you are designing a small house extension or a multi-million pound stadium, buildings should become true habitats for people that provide not only shelter, but also food, water and energy.
So by creating neighborhoods in this way we would really be creating forests and habitats in an urban context. To achieve this, the following principles should always be a prime consideration for any development before any designer puts pen to paper (or finger on mouse might be more appropriate these days),
[Energy] minimize energy use and help mitigate against climate change
[Ecology and biodiversity] provide new wildlife habitats, mitigate for habitat lost through development, and
provide green links or stepping stones for species movement through urban areas
[Health]Greener buildings provide psychological benefits and potentially provide more contact with nature, this in tandem will bring more
physiological benefits through wider air quality improvements
[Social Integration] The development should provide a sustainable link that benefits its immediate community and its surroundings
[Economic] consider the impact in the local economy (global economies depend on localized economic growth)
To provide a workable urban sustainability plan we must also consider the life or all the elements of construction.We must strongly consider the fact that buildings are long-lived and cities are even longer-lived, stretching far into the future realm, a future of unknown resources, pollution, and climate change. To give you an idea of how long into the future we need to look to consider the sustainability of any design, below are common life expectancy figures for different types of construction:
Building Services » 20 years
Buildings » 50 Years
Infrastructure (Roads, railways, etc..) » 100+ Years
Cities » 500+ Years
And finally to think about the figures will help us understand the impact that buildings can have on future sustainability. Buildings are huge hogs of raw material and we must look for ways to unlock the huge environmental capital which is trapped in common construction. Consider all the resources needed globally for construction:
Materials » 50% of all resources globally go into construction
Energy » 45% of energy generated is used to heat, light and ventilate buildings and 5% to construct them
Water» 40% of water used globally for sanitation and other uses in buildings
Land » 60% of prime agricultural land lost to farming is used for building purposes
Timber » 70% of global timber products end up in building construction
Isn’t time we use our great advances in technology to devise a way to reduce raw materials needed to build and to find ways to create sustainable urban environments? Until we consider all the points above before we even start to think about the specifics of a design, we will never achieve any level of sustainability in Architecture even if you slap a solar panel or two to a building.
Simple + Green design ideas is what we love in this site, and because we also promote these wonderful green innovations, here is perhaps a strong contender for the simplest and greenest idea ever. It generates electricity as a by-product of play. Thats right, children at play generating electricity.
Approximately 10 minutes of average see-saw use can power two 11W appliances for 20-25 minutes.
This marvel of eco-design is the brainchild of product designer and founder of PlayMade Energy, Daniel Sheridan who in 2008 following time spent as a volunteer in Kenya came up with this simple idea: create renewable electricity through fun, play and learning…and a see-saw. Through some initial funding and some recognition the project has seen concept installations in rural school sites in Uganda and Malawi. The one shown in the video is from the installation in Malawi but the above quote is actually from the newer Energee-Saw design. Read the full story
Greenpeace have mapped out a worldwide plan to switch the world to a completely fossil-fuel free society and expand to include the 2 billion people worldwide that are now left without power in this current fossil-fuel based energy system. The plan is ambitious but simple and aims to transform the world into a ‘dear green place’ by 2050, when the world will be 95% on renewables. Since we love to promote things that are green + simple, we are loving The Energy [R]evolution. A practical solution to our energy needs. It offers a sustainable path to quit dirty, dangerous fuels by transitioning to renewable energy and energy efficiency.
About a year ago I was watching the news and struggling to understand the aftermath of the Copenhagen summit. It was obvious that it wasn’t a great success but I was missing the ‘why did this happen’ bit. Don’t world leaders worry about this, our only Planet?
I understood that it wasn’t the Copenhagen summit that failed but it was all the world leaders and the countries they represent. They failed to reach an accord and we were left to wonder for another who-knows-how-many-years. Then I realized that it was the governments and their own officials (fueled by their own agendas) who were at fault. Not the ordinary citizen. It wasn’t the fault of the citizens of any country as a whole, but rather their political leaders (which we hope in most cases were peacefully and democratically elected). This is when I decided that there had to be a channel on the net which uses all the tools available to us (provided by this recent web 2.0 phenomenon) to bring useful information to the common citizen so that locally and collectively the world can eventually make expensive summits like the one in Copenhagen redundant. Get as many people off the grid and living sustainably as quickly as possible. Knowledge is power, and if the right knowledge is spread through the world the results can startle even the strongest skeptic. The result of this ‘epiphany’ (if you can call it that…) was this website.
Marc J. Dourojeanni is the leading Amazon expert in the world and has been at the forefront of academic and field reasearch in the Amazon for decades. He’s published several Books, some 360 scientific papers and has written extensively for newspapers, magazines and websites. His work expands from academic research projects to environmental reports and actively does teaching on a number of governmental and non governmental agencies. He has been Vice-President and Deputy Chairman of the World Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (WCPA) and has been a member of several IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) commissions and working groups. It is fair to say he should be considered environmental ‘royalty’… Find out more about him here.
Recently we caught up with him and asked 7 key questions about the Amazon, its main threats and what we can all do to help protect it.
“Livestock production is responsible for almost 20% of green house gas emissions worldwide which is more than all sources of transportation combined”
-UNAFO
Simple and short video launched by the environmental nonprofit INFORM, Inc, The Secret Life of Beef explains in simple terms the deep environmental impact of our obsession with meat. From butchers to farmers, the interviewees all suggest cutting back on the beef—whether that takes going meatless on Mondays or selectively eating grass-fed meats something has to change. (by the way if you really want to take the plunge, here are 7 reasons why you should turn vegetarian to save the planet…)
This amazing film about climate change comes from 18 year-old first time director Ross Harrison who spent a year chasing up experts, gathering news and filming to create a beautiful and simple documentary that explains in basic terms the real issues about climate change and why we should all start to care.
Wether you are a climate change denier, not too sure it is true or are a campaigner yourself, the films strives to bring us a common reason that is so basic it is impossible to ignore. It is not relevant if climate change is real or not. Why risk the consequences when we actually know that modern society is unsustainable?
The film has interviews with prominent figures like Sir David Attenborough, Mark Lynas, David Shukman, Prof Dieter Helm, and interesting perspectives from the UK Youth Climate Coalition, members of the public and Ross’ grandparents who bring a warm human account of what the planet lost with industrialization.
The film outlines the real issues we face and how to confront them in the very near future. I think Ross embodies everything we believe and strive to promote in this website.
Thank you Ross Harrison, the planet needs many more people like you.
Dengue, mining, the interoceanic highway and global warming
By Augusto Mulanovich
Translated by Miguel Pretel
In 1992 I stood for the first time in Puerto Maldonado, capital of the Madre de Dios region in Peru. There, I found a city where the inhabitants dedicate their lives to collecting chestnuts, artisan fishing, selective extraction of woods, agriculture, cattle farming, gold extraction and a very small percentage dedicated themselves to eco-tourism. At that time, the effects of the eco-disaster at Huaypetue were still to be felt, the price of gold was less attractive and the mercury contamination levels weren’t as high as the dangerous levels of today.
Today, all carnivorous fish, those for human consumption such as large catfish (bagres, zungaro, mota, doncella), and some others with great potential for the sport fishing industry like the ‘toothy’ “chambira,” are contaminated with dangerous concentrations of mercury higher than those recommended by the World Health Organization.
You might think the headline sounds crazy, but that is exactly what two dutch men have set out to do. On July 4, 2010, Joost Notenboom & Michiel Roodenburg, have begun an 18 month bicycle journey from Deadhorse in northern Alaska to the most southern tip of Argentina at Ushuaia. Their mission is to take one bottle of icy Alaskan water from the Beaufort Sea down to the seas around Tierra del Fuego in a symbolic effort to complete the natural water cycle and raise awareness for the global water crisis that is leaving over 1 billion people around the world without access to safe and clean drinking water. Read the full story
The Success is from the Reserva Ecologica De Guapi Assu (REGUA), Brazil, a small nature reserve not farm from Rio de Janeiro. A report suggests that as many as 60’000 trees have been planted to help pump CO2 from the atmosphere.
An extraordinary example of what is achievable in urban centres. Self sustainability and local action at its best. Too bad the City of LA, hungry developers and the police don’t seem to think it is worth keeping. Unfortunately, this amazing and life enhancing social experiment is coming to an end. The farmers are getting evicted to make room for more useless urban developments.
Ecuador Signs Historic Deal To Keep Oil in the Soil and CO2 out of the Atmosphere
Ecuador have signed and agreement with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) that will open an international trust fund to receive donations supporting the government’s proposal to keep some 900 million barrels of oil in the ground. The heavy crude is found in three oil reserves beneath the fragile Yasuni National Park – the Ishpingo, Tambococha, and Tiputini (ITT).
Fermín Beltrán has worked in Architecture for many years gaining a wide range of real-world design and construction experience. He is fascinated by finding alternatives methods of creating modern architecture in ways that are sustainable, elegant, comfortable and functional.
He has vast experience designing and constructing a wide array of buildings ranging from state-of-the-art music halls to social housing and even small holdings in South America. He is currently completing a Masters in Advanced Sustainability at the University of Dundee in Scotland
Walk or ride your bike when you can If you have to go somewhere close consider riding your bike or walking there instead of your car. It is better on the environment and healthier.
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, some 360 scientific papers and has written extensively for newspapers, magazines and websites. His work expands from academic research projects to environmental reports and actively does teaching on a number of governmental and non governmental agencies. He has been Vice-President and Deputy Chairman of the 
