GEC ELEC T1

PREVENTION MEASURE
Topic 5

OVERVIEW

This learning material covers the prevention measure, pollution prevention, conservation
measure and environmental sustainability. Also, this material could help the students to
describe/know the environmental regulation in the Philippines.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the course, you should be able to:
i. Know environmental prevention measure and environmental regulation that have
been amended several times since they were first enacted.
ii. Describe the importance conservation
measures and 3 pillars of sustainability
iii. Benefits and issues of environmental
sustainablity

MOTIVATION
INTRODUCTION:
Prevention measure involve monitoring of vector populations during and after the project in the
modified and mitigation areas, establishment of physical and chemical transitory barriers, and
implementation of antivector interventions in peridomestic habitats.

Pollution Prevention
 Any practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source, also known as
source reduction. Source reduction is fundamentally different and more desirable than
recycling, treatment and disposal and focus on:
i. reducing the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant
entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including
fugitive emissions); prior to recycling, treatment or disposal; and
ii. Reducing the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the
release of such substances, pollutants or contaminants.
 There are significant opportunities for industry to reduce or prevent pollution at the
source through cost-effective changes in production, operation, and raw materials use.
The opportunities for source reduction are often not realized because existing
regulations focus upon treatment and disposal.
 Source reduction refers to practices that reduce hazardous substances from being
released into the environment prior to recycling, treatment or disposal. The term includes
equipment or technology modifications, process or procedure modifications,
reformulation or redesign of products, substitution of raw materials, and improvements in
housekeeping, maintenance, training, or inventory control.
 Pollution prevention includes practices that increase efficiency in the use of energy,
water, or other natural resources, and protect the resource base through conservation.
Pollution prevention reduces both financial costs (waste management and cleanup) and
environmental costs (health problems and environmental damage).
 Pollution prevention protects the environment by conserving and protecting natural
resources while strengthening economic growth through more efficient production in
industry and less need for households, businesses and communities to handle waste.
 The Pollution Prevention Act establishes a national policy that requires that
i. pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible,
ii. pollution that cannot be prevented should be recycled in an environmentally safe
manner whenever feasible,
iii. pollution that cannot be prevented or recycled should be treated in an
environmentally safe manner whenever feasible; and
 iv. disposal or other release into the environment should be employed only as a last
resort and should be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.
 Pollution prevention as it pertains to the prevention of water pollution represents one of
the most important problems with which any country is to confront as regarding the
environment. In addition, waste management can be divided into two important sub-
categories:
i. public waste and
ii. production waste, which encompasses waste from commerce, industries and
institution, waste from constructions, demolitions and waste water treatment
sludge.
 Pollution Prevention Act there are several other regulatory laws that complement the Act
and are presented in the following section.

Environmental Regulations

 attempt to protect public health and the environment from pollution by industry and
development.
 Pertaining to water quality laws govern the release of pollutants into water systems,
including surface water Lakes, rivers, and oceans), groundwater, and stored drinking
water. Some water quality laws, such as regulations pertaining to drinking water
regulations, may be designed solely with reference to human health.
 Other regulations, including restrictions on the alteration of the chemical, physical and
biological; characteristics of water systems may also reflect efforts to protect aquatic
ecosystems more broadly.
 Regulatory efforts may include identifying and categorizing water pollutants, dictating
acceptable pollutant concentrations in water systems, and limiting pollutant discharges
from effluent sources.
 Regulatory areas include sewage treatment and disposal, industrial industries (including
the natural gas and crude oil industries), agricultural industries, agricultural waste water
management, and control of surface runoff from construction sites and urban
environments, such as landfills.

The variety of regulations that apply to maintain a non-polluted environment and most have
been amended several times since they were first enacted.

1. REPUBLIC ACT 9003 ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000

- In partnership with stakeholders, the law aims to adopt a systematic, comprehensive
and ecological solid waste management program that shall ensure the protection of
public health and environment. The law ensures proper segregation, collection,
storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the formulation and
adaptation of best eco-waste products.

2. REPUBLIC ACT 9275 PHILIPPINE CLEAN WATER ACT OF 2004

- The law aims to protect the country's water bodies from pollution from land-based
sources (industries and commercial establishments, agriculture and
community/household activities). It provides for comprehensive and integrated
strategy to prevent and minimize pollution through a multi-sectoral and participatory
approach involving all the stakeholders.

3. REPUBLIC ACT 8749 PHILIPPINE CLEAN AIR ACT OF 1999

 - The law aims to achieve and maintain clean air that meets the National Air Quality
guideline values for criteria pollutants, throughout the Philippines, while minimizing
the possible associated impacts to the economy.

4. REPUBLIC ACT 6969 TOXIC SUBSTANCES, HAZARDOUS AND NUCLEAR WASTE

CONTROL ACT OF 1990
- The law aims to regulate restrict or prohibit the importation, manufacture, processing,
sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures the present
unreasonable risk to human health. It likewise prohibits the entry, even in transit, of
hazardous and nuclear wastes and their disposal into the Philippine territorial limits
for whatever purpose; and to provide advancement and facilitate research and
studies on toxic chemicals.

5. PRESIDENTIAL DECREE 1586 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS)

STATEMENT OF 1978
- The Environment Impact Assessment System was formally established in 1978 with
the enactment of Presidential Decree no. 1586 to facilitate the attainment and
maintenance of rational and orderly balance between socio-economic development
and environmental protection. EIA is a planning and management tool that will help
government, decision makers, the proponents and the affected community address
the negative consequences or risks on the environment. The process assures
implementation of environment-friendly projects.

Lesson 2: Conservation Measure

What is Environmental Conservation?

Environmental conservation is a practice that paves the way for protecting the environment and
natural resources on the individual, organizational as well as governmental levels.

There are various core environmental issues that are taking a heavy toll on human lives.
Ranging from overpopulation, hydrological issues, ozone depletion, global warming to
deforestation, desertification and pollution, all these issues pose a severe threat to the existence
of humankind. Unless environmental conservation is becoming an effective mass movement, it
is futile to expect positive growth especially in the age of digital media which holds the potential
to bring a revolution to save our planet from destruction.

Importance of Environmental Conservation

It has become inherently important to work towards environmental conservation in
contemporary times. The following pointers elucidate this crucial need to save the environment
from further degradation:
i. To reduce air, water and land pollution
ii. To facilitate the conservation of natural resources for our future generations
iii. To ensure the protection of biodiversity
iv. To implement sustainable development
v. To restore the ecological balance
vi. To save our planet from harmful repercussions of global warming

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but
borrowed from his children.”
John James Audubon

The Methods of Environmental Conservation

Now that you are familiar with the meaning and importance of Environmental
Conservation, let’s understand the core methods through which it can be effectively facilitated:

i. Forest Conservation
We know that plants and trees are the essential sources of air, food as well as other
day-to-day products we use. Forests are the dwelling place of different living creatures
and a single disturbance in the ecosystem can cause disruption in the water cycle as
well as the food chain. Thus, afforestation is amongst the core Environmental
conservation and aims to plant more trees as well as save the existing ones from cutting
down as trees play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance.

Soil Conservation

As one of the prominent methods for environmental conservation, the need for soil
conservation has arisen to tackle the harmful effects of soil pollution. On earth, the soil
is the main element that plays a pivotal role in soil erosion, land degradation and floods.
Soil is filled with rich nutrients for plant production. Soil conservation can be carried out
by ensuring minimal use of fertilizers and venomous chemicals as well as abolishing the
disposal of harmful industrial waste in the soil.

ii. Waste Management

 Especially in developing countries and congested places, on a daily basis, a large
amount of waste is thrown away recklessly on the streets and roads. The improper
disposal of waste segregation can lead to various dreadful diseases as well as soil
pollution.

To ensure minimal wastage as well as facilitate waste disposal, we can opt for various
techniques like the 3R’s, i.e. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, dry and wet waste
segregation, amongst others.

iii. Public Awareness

 With the boom of information technology and the advent of digital media, public
awareness pertaining to environmental conservation can potentially yield promising
results. There is a dire need to aware the masses of the consequences of environmental
pollution and degradation. Further, every individual should be made conscious of how
they are polluting the environment and what steps can be taken to implement
environmental conservation, be it through using greener energy sources to following the
3Rs of Reduce, Recycle and Reuse.

iv. Pollution Control

As the increase in temperature is concerning, there is a need to keep a watch on the
toxic compounds we ingest that pollute the atmosphere. We need to adopt
environmentally sustainable methods to minimise multiple forms of emissions, such as
eliminating waste, saving electricity, limiting the unnecessary usage of fertilisers,
insecticides and pesticides, and using energy-efficient appliances, among others.

“In nature’s economy the currency is not money, it is life.”

Vandana Shiva

Ways of Conserving the Environment

Here are some ways of conserving the environment:
1. Deforestation must be stopped
2. Natural non-renewable resources must be utilized properly
3. Every year, we lose a huge number of forest life due to forest fire. We must find a
solution to this.
4. Afforestation is the best way to conserve the environment
5. Create public awareness
6. Control pollution and population
7. Recycle goods
8. Adopt an environment-friendly lifestyle
9. Adopt waste management techniques
10. Species on the verge of extension should be saved.
Lesson 3: Sustainability

Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. In addition to natural resources, we also need social and
economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism. Embedded in most definitions
of sustainability we also find concerns for social equity and economic development.

Environmental Sustainability
 Involves making life choices that ensure an equal, if not better, way of life for future
generations.
 Aims to improve the quality of human life without putting unnecessary strain on the
earth's supporting ecosystems. It’s about creating an equilibrium between consumerist
human culture and the living world. We can do this by living in a way that doesn’t waste
or unnecessarily deplete natural resources.
 Is the practice of interacting with the planet responsibly. We do it to avoid depleting
natural resources and compromising the future generation’s ability to meet their daily
needs.

Importance of Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is important because of how much energy, food and

human-made resources we use every day. Rapid population growth has resulted in increased
farming and manufacturing, leading to more greenhouse gas emissions, unsustainable energy
use, and deforestation.
In other words, we need more energy and materials than ever before. Despite this, our
planet can only provide so many resources before they begin to deplete. For this reason,
businesses must step in and do their part. They have more power than any group of individuals,
and they can help secure a livable future by investing in sustainable and responsible practices
like reducing waste, using commercial clean energy, and paying fair wages.

The 3 Pillars of Sustainability

 Economic sustainability is the responsibility of

businesses and communities. Here, they are
encouraged to use their resources responsibly
and efficiently. Economic sustainability is
designed to support long-term economic growth
without harming environmental, social and cultural
aspects of our global community.
 Social sustainability benefits people. Living
sustainably as individuals, families, communities
and countries means healthier air and less money
needlessly spent on healthcare. Using renewable
energy sources can reduce droughts as they
require less water and energy to maintain. The
eventual goal is that sustainable development will also reduce hunger, poverty and
generally provide a better global quality of life, promoting fairly distributed education and
healthcare.
 Environmental sustainability focuses on the state of the planet we leave it in. It
encourages individuals to live in a way that creates minimal waste and even regenerates
some of the resources we use every day.

Why do we need sustainability?

The general goal of environmental sustainability is to evens things out. Environmental

sustainability provides huge benefits for human health and that of all other species. It reduces
our global carbon footprint and reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and other harmful energy
practices. But does it benefit us in other ways?
Sustainability can increase life expectancy by providing healthier living conditions and better
healthcare, which could also lessen the divide between the rich and poor. Sustainable
development encourages more responsible manufacturing and production, covering the
industrial side of waste and pollution. It also encourages companies, industries, and
governments to make decisions based on long-term consequences, rather than taking the
easiest, cheapest option.

What are the issues of environmental sustainability?

a) Climate Change
b) Natural Resources Use
c) Waste Production
d) Water Pollution
e) Deforestation
f) Overfishing
 g) Ocean Acidification
h) Air Pollution

What are the benefits of environmental sustainability?

The benefits of environmental sustainability are:
 We can protect ecosystems
 We can continue to enjoy nature as it is
 We can protect endangered species
 Less pollution in the cities will result in better respiratory health for all
 It could halt or reverse the effects of global warming
 We won’t be creating huge landfills all over the world that will take hundreds of years to
break down

Assessment 5
Please click the link below

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEO0gM3plBSxANvcS8Sq_eEIkqUUkLif-
k1K3rV5KXjusX_Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

REFERENCES:

https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC045271/
https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC070789/#:~:text=Philippine%20Clean
%20Water%20Act%20of,water%20quality%20standards%20and%20regulations.
http://afeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/EMB-Environmental-Laws-and-Regulation.pdf
https://ecac.emb.gov.ph/?page_id=43#:~:text=REPUBLIC%20ACT%208749%20PHILIPPINE
%20CLEAN,associated%20impacts%20to%20the%20economy.
https://leverageedu.com/blog/environmental-conservation/
https://www.nrep.org/blog/environmental-sustainability-issues