Raw materials safety II - M241008
Title: Surovinová bezpečnost II
Guaranteed by: Department of Sustainability and Product Ecology (241)
Faculty: Faculty of Environmental Technology
Actual: from 2024
Semester: summer
Points: summer s.:4
E-Credits: summer s.:4
Examination process: summer s.:
Hours per week, examination: summer s.:2/1, C+Ex [HT]
Capacity: unknown / unknown (unknown)
Min. number of students: unlimited
State of the course: taught
Language: Czech
Teaching methods: full-time
Teaching methods: full-time
Level:  
Guarantor: Kavina Pavel Mgr. Ph.D.
Cílek Václav RNDr. CSc.
Incompatibility : M241001
Interchangeability : M241001
Examination dates   
Annotation -
In recent years, various causes of the lack of some basic raw materials and resources have begun to appear. Some of them, such as the lack of water and subsequently food, had their origin in the world's climate change, others were caused by the corona virus epidemic, the disruption of transport infrastructure, speculative purchases, a lack of long-term vision or investment difficulties. Thus, for the first time since the post-war period, the world found itself in a situation where it realized that the basis of every civilization is water, energy, food and materials, and that part of national security is (1) the physical provision of these resources and raw materials, (2) the maintenance of social peace and (3) gentle, low-emission relationship with the environment. The aim of the course is to present the world as an ecosystem in which civilizational stability primarily depends on the proper management of flows of materials and energies that begin in the real, physical, "engineering" world, but combine with factors of the psychological, cultural and social spheres. The aim of the study is to obtain both a general overview of resources and raw materials and their civilizational links, as well as a specific insight into the raw materials policy of the Czech Republic and an overview of local and global reserves of ore and non-ore raw materials. The student thus gains awareness of the current, dynamic state of the use of raw materials and current trends in the treatment of resources. Furthermore, possible scenarios for the development of the availability of raw materials and risks linked to resources such as water or land will be presented.
Last update: Kavina Pavel (02.05.2024)
Course completion requirements - Czech

Zápočet: elektronicky v předstihu den před zkouškou odevzdat esej na domluvené téma (buď podle zájmů studenta nebo na zadání). V obou případech je konzultace s pedagogy nutná a může proběhnout již na začátku semestru. Konzultace budou probíhat buď po skončení vyučování, anebo po vzájemné domluvě.

! Esej vytisknout, podepsat a přinést na zkoušku.!

Last update: Kavina Pavel (02.05.2024)
Literature - Czech

Studenti dostanou výběr relevantní literatury v podobě wordovských nebo pdf dokumentů.

Last update: Kavina Pavel (02.05.2024)
Requirements to the exam - Czech

Zkouška: veřejná prezentace tématu eseje na max. 15-20 min, odpovědi na otázky týkající se tématu. Znamená to, že bude stanoven jeden zkouškový den, kterého se budou účastnit všichni studenti v roli posluchačů i přednášejících.

Last update: Kavina Pavel (02.05.2024)
Syllabus -

1. Global development and paths to national resilience – concept development, ecosystem, climate, social resilience.

2. Climate scenarios, trends and possible risks. Climate change and its impact on the quality of resources and the availability of raw materials.

3. Energy and civilizational transition - concept of energy slaves, Jevons paradox, Khazzoom-Brokes theorem, EROEI - energy return, development in the field of oil reserves (Light Tight Oil, conventional and shale gas, current development trends).

4. When institutions fail - principles of personal, family and community preparedness, types of crises, family preparedness, psychological habits, important things and tools.

5. Soil and the life of civilization - primary productivity as a fundamental factor in the collapse of pre-modern civilizations, a brief history of agriculture and pedology (nutrients, limiting elements), the food situation of ancient Rome, the current state, the Haber-Bosch reaction, the history of fertilization, trends and prospects, erosion, degradation and pathways to remediation.

6. Biosphere and renewable resources - biomass, wood - how much we have and what we can do with it, future of the forest, biogeochemical cycles, carbon pump, microbial cradles, environmental nitrification, mycorrhizal relationships.

7. Water and landscape - small and large water cycle, planetary boundary layer, jet stream, omega block, drying rivers, potential evapotranspiration (550 mm) versus average precipitation (650 mm), water retention technique in the landscape from prehistoric times to the present, three segments with different retention strategies: slopes, soil and river landscape.

8. Potential energy raw materials: geological hydrogen, methane hydrates and other prospective (or utopian) raw materials such as sea water, possibilities and hopes.

9. Invited lecture: Depending on the interest of the students, I will arrange for a colleague like last year V. Wagner with modular reactors and H. Beran with community energy. Space for discussion or return to topics that interested students.

10. Resilient urbanism: how to strengthen the city.

11. Discussion class, free topic according to the interest of the students and the focus of their work.

12. The world as an interconnected system, an attempt at a big picture of the world and raw material security.

Last update: Kavina Pavel (02.05.2024)