Unit-3

Infrastructure

Q1) What do you understand by Infrastructure Habitats?

A1)

Infrastructure habitats cover large areas and exist in most parts of the country. In addition there is an extensive organization to establish and maintain the infrastructure areal component, actual roads, railroad lines etc.

Infrastructure habitats highlight the positive potential for both endangered and common species in road and railway areas. In addition, goals and strategies for the optimal management of the infrastructure habitats was developed. 

 If infrastructure habitats are to become and remain important for the conservation of biodiversity, it is      crucial that their importance is assessed so that maintenance operations can be optimized. Management practices must be developed that help biodiversity, while still being practical and economically feasible.

Q2) Linear infrastructure habitats increase landscape-scale diversity of plants but not of flower-visiting insects explain.

A2)

Habitats along linear infrastructure, such as roads and electrical transmission lines, can have high local biodiversity. To determine whether these habitats also contribute to landscape-scale biodiversity, we estimated species richness, evenness and phylogenetic diversity of plant, butterfly and bumblebee communities in 32 km2 landscapes with or without power line corridors, and with contrasting areas of road verges. Landscapes with power line corridors had on average six more plant species than landscapes without power lines, but there was no such effect for butterflies and bumblebees. Plant communities displayed considerable evenness in species abundances both in landscapes with and without power lines and high and low road verge densities. We hypothesize that the higher number of plant species in landscapes with power line corridors is due to these landscapes having a higher extinction debt than the landscapes without power line corridors, such that plant diversity is declining slower in landscapes with power lines. This calls for targeted conservation actions in semi-natural grasslands within landscapes with power line corridors to maintain biodiversity and prevent imminent population extinctions.

Linear infrastructure habitats cover enormous areas globally, often surpassing the area of remnant natural habitats. They have also been shown to be able to harbour just as much biodiversity locally as their counterparts. However, the question whether this high local diversity also translates to higher landscape-level biodiversity in landscapes with large areas of linear infrastructure habitats remains unanswered.

Q3) Explain -Road to mayhem: Infrastructure projects affect protected habitats?

A3)

Across India, highways, power lines, bridges and rail links are eating into protected habitats, sending wild animals into direct conflict with humans.

It's not a joke any more. As roads, highways, railway links and power lines eat into shrinking forest cover, tigers are coming up against trucks and elephants are being forced to cross highways and railway tracks.

This is bad news, and not just for them. Ill-conceived and hastily executed infrastructure projects are eating into wildlife habitats, sending the wild animals trampling into areas inhabited by humans. And the bodies are piling up on both sides.

In Karnataka, 46-year-old Muttaku Kambiranda won't leave the house any more. The wife of a coffee plantation owner, she's terrified of the elephants that trampled her mother to death at the gate of their property last December, and almost killed her 13-year-old daughter.

"My daughter ran straight into the house and was saved. But that incident has scarred me. I am really scared for myself and my family," Muttaku says. "The elephants would come around earlier too, once every two months or so, usually at night. But for the past year-and-a-half, ever since the construction of a power line here, they have been walking around the house at all times of day."

Q4) What is linear infrastructure intrusion?

A4)

Linear infrastructure intrusions into natural ecosystems are man-made linear infrastructure such as roads and highways, electric power lines, railway lines, canals, pipelines, firebreaks, and fences. These intrusions cause linear opening through the habitat or breakage in landscape connectivity due to infrastructure creation and maintenance, which is known to have multiple ecological effects in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. These effects include habitat loss and fragmentation, spread of invasive alien species, desiccation, windthrow, fires, animal injury and mortality (e.g., roadkill), changes in animal behaviour, pollution, microclimate and vegetation changes, loss of ecosystem services, increased pressures from development, tourism, hunting, garbage disposal, and associated human disturbances. These intrusions, considered crucial infrastructure for economic sectors such as transportation, power, and irrigation, may also have negative social impacts on indigenous and rural people through exposure to novel social and market pressures, loss of land and displacement, and iniquitous distribution of costs and benefits from infrastructure projects. The study of the ecological effects of linear infrastructure intrusions has spawning sub-fields of research such as road ecology and railroad ecology.

Q5) Explain Landslide and soil erosion.

A5)

Linear infrastructure intrusions may cause landslides and soil erosion, particularly on steep and mountainous terrain. In southeast Asian tropical forests, roads on steep terrain contribute the largest surface erosion and landslide losses (per unit area disturbed) compared to other land uses. Landslide and surface erosion fluxes are typically ten to more than 100 times higher compared to undisturbed forests. In the Indian Himalaya, roads, road-building, and dumping of debris lead to loss of forest cover, increasing erosion, and creating a need for further maintenance. Roadside natural vegetation in forests play a role in slope stabilization, thereby accounting for a negative correlation between forest cover and landslide activity in the region. In humid tropical forests of Puerto Rico, landslide frequency within 85 m on either side of a road was 30 landslides per square kilometre, which was five times higher than the study area background frequency of about six landslides per square kilometre.

Q6) What Is Renewable Energy and what are the Types of Renewable Energy Sources?

A6)

Renewable energy, often referred to as clean energy, comes from natural sources or processes that are constantly replenished. For example, sunlight or wind keep shining and blowing, even if their availability depends on time and weather.

While renewable energy is often thought of as a new technology, harnessing nature’s power has long been used for heating, transportation, lighting, and more. Wind has powered boats to sail the seas and windmills to grind grain. The sun has provided warmth during the day and helped kindle fires to last into the evening. But over the past 500 years or so, humans increasingly turned to cheaper, dirtier energy sources such as coal and fracked gas.

Types of Renewable Energy Sources

Solar Energy

Humans have been harnessing solar energy for thousands of years—to grow crops, stay warm, and dry foods. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, “more energy from the sun falls on the earth in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year.” Today, we use the sun’s rays in many ways—to heat homes and businesses, to warm water, or power devices.

Wind Energy

We’ve come a long way from old-fashioned wind mills. Today, turbines as tall as skyscrapers—with turbines nearly as wide in diameter—stand at attention around the world. Wind energy turns a turbine’s blades, which feeds an electric generator and produces electricity.

Q7) What Is Non-Renewable Energy and what are the Types of Non-Renewable Energy Sources?

A7)

Non-renewable energy is a source of energy that will eventually run out. Most sources of non-renewable energy are fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, and oil.

These natural resources are a major source of power for a vast amount of industries – however, there are numerous downsides to non-renewable energy, including their negative environmental impact and the fact they are in limited supply.

Coal

Coal comes from the remains of plants that died hundreds of millions of years ago. It has the highest level of carbon of all fossil fuels.

Oil

Oil – also known as petroleum – can be extracted and refined in order to make products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is released when atoms' nuclei are fused together (fusion) or split apart (fission). Nuclear power plants produce electricity through nuclear fission.

Q8) Why hydropower is preferred over solar and wind?

A8)

Hydropower represents a more stable and reliable means of generating electricity than solar power. Solar power generation works best when the sun is at its peak, which generally happens during the middle of the day. After the sun sets, solar power systems have no more energy to draw from.

Q9) What is Hydro Power Vs. Solar Power Advantages?

A9)

Hydro and solar power technologies are two time-tested forms of renewable energy. While both of these technologies offer significant benefits to the environment compared to the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal or gas, each also comes with its own distinct set of advantages and potential drawbacks that affect energy policy and power production in the United States.

Cost Considerations

In terms of production costs, hydropower holds a strong advantage over solar power. The U.S. Department of Energy calls hydropower the most common and least expensive form of renewable energy in the United States. Hydroelectricity represents 6 percent of all U.S. energy production, and accounts for 70 percent of all renewable energy generated in the United States. Solar installations tend to cost much more. For example, 1 megawatt-hour of electricity costs $90.3 in 2011 dollars to generate using hydropower, or $144.30 to generate using solar collectors, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Environmental Impact

Solar power production poses few risks to the environment, according to the National Atlas of the United States. Much of the environmental cost of solar energy use comes from the manufacture, production and transportation of the collector panels themselves. Hydroelectric power generation, on the other hand, often comes with significant impact to the environment. Damming rivers impacts local habitats and ecosystems and may lead to flooding, changes in flow patterns and problems with fish migration.

Supply Stability

Hydropower represents a more stable and reliable means of generating electricity than solar power. Solar power generation works best when the sun is at its peak, which generally happens during the middle of the day. After the sun sets, solar power systems have no more energy to draw from. Storms and clouds can also impact solar power production. The U.S. Department of the Interior calls hydropower more responsive than other systems for meeting peak energy demands. Hydro plants have the ability to switch systems on and off with ease to respond to changes in demand, which can help to eliminate blackouts and brownouts.

Availability and Access

Solar energy can be used almost anywhere to power a home, generate electricity or run small appliances like roadside signs or even calculators. The U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Potential Map shows that every location in the continental United States offers enough sunlight to generate at least 250 watts of electricity per square foot of collector space per day, with many locations capable of generating much more than that. Hydropower production, on the other hand, is limited to locations with access to a sufficient supply of running water to power turbines and other generating equipment. Many areas in the United States are considered exclusion areas, where federal or other statutes prohibit the use of hydropower production

Q10) What are Non-renewable Resources and How Do We Protect Them?

A10)

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, non renewable resources are any resources that “do not form or replenish in a short period of time.” The most common non-renewable resources include fossil fuels like crude oil, natural gas, and coal, as well as uranium nuclear energy.

Fossil fuels are formed from organic carbon material that has been heated and compressed over millions of years. To put it another way—our most frequently used energy sources like oil and coal are made from the buried remains of plants and animals from millions of years ago.

Earth minerals and metal ores like gold, silver, and iron are sometimes also considered to be non-renewable resources since they’re similarly formed from geological processes that span millions of years. On the other hand, renewable resources include solar power, wind power, and sustainably harvested timber. They’re renewable because they can be reasonably harvested or created within meaningful timeframes to match demand.

How to Protect Non-renewable Resources

Our society is dependent on non-renewable resources that have expiration dates. For this reason, it’s important to promote alternative energy sources, including renewable resources like solar and wind power.

Reducing our reliance on non renewable resources and expanding our renewable energy usage is one of the keys to a sustainable future. This movement includes both big, sweeping structural changes like the Paris Agreement, and the choices that businesses and individuals can make every single day.

Actions like driving electric and hybrid vehicles, installing solar panels on and properly insulating your business and home, and using energy-efficient appliances are all smaller-scale changes that you can make to reduce your non renewable resource usage.

If you are interested in learning more about the circular economy, take a look at our recent blog post on the latest sustainability trends.