NSTP Environmental Protection

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Objectives:
At the end of the module, NSTP students must be able to:

1. explain the concepts of environmental protection;
2. identify and explain well the various ways on how students can
participate in environmental programs, and
3. plan and implement an activity on environmental protection
Discussion:
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the

environment, which can be done individually, with an organization or through
the initiatives of government and non-government entities. The practice which
is recognized and followed since 1960 was brought about by environmental
degradation due to population and technology.
Environmental protection deals with the following programs:
1. Pollution Control
Image from www.gravitatechnomech.com
Pollution is an environmental concern where contaminants cause

harmful changes both in the environment and in human conditions. It can take
the form of chemical substances, energy, noise, heat or light.
In almost all human activities, whether eating, working, driving,

fishing, planting rice, going to school, playing or just being simply alive,
people generate certain amount of waste. Often times, people forget to notice
that the accumulated waste thrown into the environment is already beyond
tolerable levels. Because of this, pollution in the environment becomes a
problem, disrupting the balance of nature.
Pollution causes a lot of problems, including floods due to clogged

drainage, loss of soil fertility, extinction of plants and animals, contamination
of potable water sources, population displacement, spread of disease-carrying
pathogens, death of natural habitats, and so on.
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The threats of pollution are man-made catastrophes, It is important therefore
that people take action so that the negative effects of pollution do not reach
intolerable levels. It is the responsibility of humans to clean-up and
minimize their own waste so that the proper balance of nature is conserved
for the generations to come.
2. Waste Management
Image from myefiko.com
RA 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act states, that

it is a “discipline associated with the control of generation, storage, collection,
transfer and transport, processing, and disposal of solid wastes in a manner
that is in accord with the best principles of public health, economics,
engineering, conservation, aesthetics, and other environmental considerations,
and that is also responsive to public attitudes”. The law aims to protect both
the public health and the environment.
3. Water Purification
Image from www.bbc.co.uk
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Water is essential to life on earth. The Earth’s water is 95% salt
water; 5% fresh water (river, lakes, streams) and only 1% of the fresh water is
available for use.
Water is one of our most precious resources. Our bodies are made up
of 66% water, and we must have water to survive. Thus, we need to conserve
water and protect our sources of water.
Sources of Water
 Groundwater – or the water emerging from some deep ground water

which may have been rain tens, hundreds and even thousands of years
ago
 Upland lakes and reservoirs –typically located in the headwaters of
river systems; upland reservoirs are usually sited above any human
habitation and may be surrounded by a protective zone to restrict the
opportunities for contamination
 Rivers, canals and low land reservoirs – low land surface waters
 Atmospheric water generation – is a new technology that can provide
high quality drinking water by extracting water from the air by
cooling the air and thus, condensing water vapor
 Rainwater harvesting – collected water from the atmosphere can be
used especially in areas with significant dry seasons and in areas
which experience fog even when there is little rain
 Desalination of seawater by distillation or reverse osmosis
Where does wastewater go when it leaves our homes?
The wastewater travels through pipes called a sewer system. The

sewer system brings the wastewater from your home to the Sanitation
Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Treatment Plant’s job is to SANITIZE or
clean the wastewater that just left your home.
The wastewater goes through 3 stages of treatment:
1. Chemical Treatment – which makes use of chlorine; and added to

wastewater
2. Physical Treatment – gravity pulls the solid waste to the bottom of

the treatment tanks. These solids are called sludge.
3. Biological Treatment – Tiny microorganisms that live off the oxygen

in the water eat about 92% of the waste that is left after the first two
steps of treatment. When the microorganisms are full, they sink to the
bottom becoming a sludge. The sludge is scraped from the bottom of
the tank and is separated from the water.
Water Treatment
 pre-treatment
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- Pumping and contamination
- Screening
- Storage
- Pre-conditioning
- Pre-chlorination
 Flocculation – is a process which clarifies water
 Sedimentation – allows floc to settle to the bottom
 Filtration – removes remaining suspended particles and unsettled floc
 Disinfection – filters out harmful microbes using disinfectant
chemicals
4. Climate Change Adaptation
Image from tunza.eco-generation.org
Climate change is a long-term change in the distribution of weather

patterns and hydrologic processes over periods of time that may range from
several decades or millions of years.
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change, “it is the change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to
human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which
is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time
periods.”
Effects or threats of climate change
a. Effects on Climatic Elements and Weather

- Increased amount of precipitation
- Prolonged episodes of drought
- Increased risk of floods, storms and forest fires
- Heat waves and air pollution
- Stagnant weather conditions
- Increased surface temperature of water bodies
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- Elevation of mean sea level
- Extreme weather conditions
- Increased frequency and intensity of El Nino
b. Effects on Biodiversity
- Degradation of natural habitats and ecosystems
- Disruption of phonological processes such as flowering and
migration
- Increased risk of extinction of many flora and fauna
c. Effects on Human Population and Health

- Changes in range and seasonality of infectious diseases
- Population displacement
- Changes in agricultural productivity and reliable food supplies
- Deaths and injuries caused by floods and other calamities
Mitigation and Adaptation
Adaptations are responses of humans to the changing climate to

minimize the potential impacts and adverse effects of climate change. Some
adaptation strategies include construction of dams along flood-prone areas,
implementation of soil and water conservation practices, implementation of
best practices in crop production etc.
Mitigations, on the other hand, involve intervention and creation of

policies to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. The United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change is one of the international bodies
that impose legal policies against carbon emissions
The effects of climate change may differ from one geographical

location to another. The assessment of risk and vulnerability however may
reveal specific tendencies that would help formulate adaptation and mitigation
strategies that are appropriate for a specific area. In the same manner, different
threats are approached in different ways. For a certain threat, coming up with
several strategies is desirable, providing more options and solutions to the
people concerned.
5. Nursery Establishment
Nurseries are places where plants are propagated and grown to usable
size. Plants may be propagated by seeds, but often desirable cultivars are
propagated asexually by budding, grafting, layering or other nursery
techniques. Nurseries come very useful in producing plants in big volumes.
Forest rehabilitation, for instance, requires big volume of planting materials.
6. Environmental Laws
Environmental protection is influenced by three interwoven factors:

environmental legislation, ethics and education. Each of these factors plays an
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influencing part in the environmental decisions. Environmental legislation is in
the forms of Presidential Decrees, Republic Acts, Ordinances and
Environmental Policies. These legislations cover the wildlife (flora and fauna)
and the challenge to protect the environment.
Examples:
1. RA 8749 or Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999
2. RA 9003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000
a. Environmental Ethics or philosophy extends the traditional

boundaries of ethics from solely humans to non-human world. It
serves as basis for ethical decisions that human beings make with
respect to the environment.
Examples:
 Should we continue to cut trees and denude forests for the sake of
human consumption?
 Should we continue to make gasoline powered vehicles?
 Is it right for humans to intentionally cause the extinction of species
for the convenience of humanity? Say for instance, crocodiles and
snakes?
b. Environmental Education is a learning process that increases people's

knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated
challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the
challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to
make informed decisions and take responsible action (UNESCO,
Tbilisi Declaration, 1978).
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1.What is our obligation as citizen of the country to protect

our environment?
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2.Give at least 5 things that you can do to help protect the
environment in your community.
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

At the end of the module, NSTP students must be able to:

Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the

Environmental protection deals with the following programs:

Image from www.gravitatechnomech.com

Pollution is an environmental concern where contaminants cause

In almost all human activities, whether eating, working, driving,

Pollution causes a lot of problems, including floods due to clogged

Image from myefiko.com

RA 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act states, that

Image from www.bbc.co.uk

 Groundwater – or the water emerging from some deep ground water

Where does wastewater go when it leaves our homes?

The wastewater travels through pipes called a sewer system. The

The wastewater goes through 3 stages of treatment:

1. Chemical Treatment – which makes use of chlorine; and added to

2. Physical Treatment – gravity pulls the solid waste to the bottom of

3. Biological Treatment – Tiny microorganisms that live off the oxygen

4. Climate Change Adaptation

Image from tunza.eco-generation.org

Climate change is a long-term change in the distribution of weather

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Effects or threats of climate change

a. Effects on Climatic Elements and Weather

c. Effects on Human Population and Health

Mitigation and Adaptation

Adaptations are responses of humans to the changing climate to

Mitigations, on the other hand, involve intervention and creation of

The effects of climate change may differ from one geographical

Environmental protection is influenced by three interwoven factors:

a. Environmental Ethics or philosophy extends the traditional

b. Environmental Education is a learning process that increases people's

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1.What is our obligation as citizen of the country to protect

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