What are the main three problems causing our environmental challenges, and why did you choose these? Your response is suggested to be a ½ to a one page.
Sustainability & Contemporary Environmental Challenges
Urban & Environmental Studies
Critical Thinking on the Urban-Environment Interaction
Urban & Environmental Studies 
I believe that environmental challenges cannot be limited to just three as each problem is interrelated / interdependent.
From my point of view and within my personal experience, water, energy and waste would stand out as the top 3! Yet, they can never be limited to just 3 words. Each challenge includes regulations, policies, processes, public awareness, education from an early age, community engagement and inclusion of all.
In Egypt for example, I learned today that
– Scarcity of water is heading towards a doomed crisis both on the national and global level.
– Agriculture , crop reduction and fish migration resulting in fishermen losing means of living is a dominant threat in the Delta region due to freshwater salinisation
– And Alexandria will diminish further and further over time; its sea level rise will reach
38 cm above sea level by 2030 and 50 cm above sea level by 2050 resulting in loss of property, biodiversity and high soil salinity due to salt water.
Are the government and media addressing these subjects within context and magnitude? Are people aware of the severity? Are precautions in place? Were these topics addressed at COP27 and COP28?
Likewise energy and waste management face the same neglect. As much as Egypt has in place so many renewable energy projects are we able to quantify the capacity and supply? Can we measure accurately the consumption from the grid versus the consumption from renewable energy sources? Projects are announced in the media but their progress and impact are always ambiguous.
Waste management is totally different story … there are widespread small initiatives by independent informal sectors in Egypt (Robabekya, 7ay El Zabaleen, …) yet missing process and governance. Should stakeholders get together and include these sectors I’m sure a sustainable business model would result to benefit everyone.
I have also learned of a brilliant financial model called debt swap between countries! WOW! Didn’t know such a thing existed and I have no idea why it is not adopted more often. In a debt swap between countries, the creditor country either forgives some of the existing debt or offers new debt with better terms (e.g. France or Italy). In return, the debtor country (e.g. Egypt) commits to financing local development projects using its own currency. I think in light of the huge debts and the need for development projects in Egypt, maybe such a model can be considered / studied more often.
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The main three problems causing our environmental challenges is people mindset regarding priorities, office bureaucracy & world hidden agenda
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