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Chapter FourThe Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentIt is generallyaccepted thatglobalization willincreasingly affectthe environmentaround the world.The Nile Delta isthreatened with risingsea levels due to themelting of polar icecaps.Ideas and concepts, culture and society,capital and finance – together, these providethe elements according to which space canbe organized and environments created.They set the conditions within whichplanners work to produce an environmentconducive to sustainable human development.The intellectual challenge is to construct aconceptual framework that is clear andconsistent, and able to clearly pimpoint theissues and goals, so that decision-making inthe planning and development process ispredicated on a sound understanding. Theimpact of increasing globalization on theEgyptian environment, with respect toEgypt’s spatial, material, and humanresources is a question that relates directlyto planning success or failure. What is therole of planners, both urban and rural, giventhe potential impact of globalization? Andhere, it is important to differentiate betweenthe production and consumption processesin which individuals and organizations areengaged, and the contexts and structures inwhich these processes take place.Impact of Global EnvironmentalIssues on EgyptIt is generally accepted that globalizationwill increasingly affect the environmentaround the world. How will these changesimpact on Egypt? This section will discussthree major areas of concern: climatechange; ozone layer depletion; and someaspects of biodiversity.Climate ChangeClimate change is potentially a most seriousenvironmental threat to human survival. Itcan cause a variety of major alterations inclimatic behaviour, including changes inprecipitation patterns, wind currents andstorms; it can elevate temperatures and raisesea levels, and it can contribute to thespread of disease.Increased emissions of greenhouse gases(GHG) such as carbon dioxide, methane,and nitrous oxide, have the ability to absorbheat emanating from the Earth to theatmosphere, and are among some of theelements responsible for climate change.Carbon dioxide emissions come mainlyfrom the consumption of fossil fuels.Deforestation and land-use changes alsoincrease carbon dioxide levels in theatmosphere. The evidence shows that thepre-industrial concentration of carbon dioxidein the atmosphere was 280 particles permillion, and that this has now risen to about358 particles per million.Egypt’s current emission rates are consideredmoderate (about one metric ton per capita in1996) compared to the USA and Australia(15 metric tons per capita for the sameyear). Industrial nations such as these andalso oil producing countries such as SaudiArabia, resist the idea of changing fossilfuel consumption patterns to reduce carbondioxide emissions. But while most carbondioxide emissions originate in the developedcountries, the consequences of climatechange would touch all the countries of theworld. Unfortunately, the effects are likelyto hit poor countries harder than rich ones.Taking Egypt as an example, the Nile Deltais threatened with rising sea levels due tothe melting of polar ice caps. Variousscenarios estimate that one third of the Deltawill be inundated if the sea level rises by0.5-1.00 meters. Additionally, seawater willseep into the remaining parts of the Deltaand cause salinization of its soils. Evenmore alarming are the changes predicted forthe hydrological regime of the Nile, whichcould contribute to desertification anddrought.An equally serious threat associated withclimate change is the expected surge indiseases as the Earth’s atmosphere heats up.More floods and droughts create the conditionsnecessary for the spread of infectious64 -Egypt Human Development Report 2000/2001