ENVIRONMENTAL

STUDIES
Sakshi Bansal
 Module 1: The multidisciplinary
nature of environmental studies

Books referred: (i) Environmental Studies by B. S. Chauhan

(ii) Textbook of Environmental studies by
Deeksha Dave, S.S. Katewa
 What is Environment?
Environment is derived from a French word “Environ”,
which means to encircle or surround.
Definition:
“Environment refers to sum total of conditions which
surround man at a given point in space and time”
Environment

Abiotic Biotic
(non living) (living)

Air Plant Animal Microbes

Water Soil
The global environment consists of four segments:
1. Atmosphere: It is the protective blanket of gases
surrounding the earth, which sustains life, earth and
saves it from hostile environment of outer space
• It absorbs most of the cosmic radiations from outer
space, major portion of electromagnetic and tissue-
damaging UV radiations from the sun
• It emits only near ultraviolet, visible, near infrared
radiation and radio waves
• Atmosphere plays a key role in maintaining heat
balance of the earth
• The major components of the atmosphere are
Nitrogen and Oxygen while minor components are
argon, carbon dioxide, and some trace gases
• The atmosphere is divided into 4 layers
i. Troposphere- is the lowest layer where living
organisms operate. It is the region of strong air
movements and cloud formation is characterized by
steady decrease in temperature. Water vapour and
dust occurs in extremely variable concentration
ii. Stratosphere- contains ozone layer (formed by
photochemical reaction of oxygen) which absorbs
UV radiation from sun. It also serves as a blanket in
reducing the cooling rate of earth
iii. Mesosphere- has cold temperature with a minimum
of -95 0C and low atmospheric pressure.
iv. Thermosphere- is characterized by an increase of
temperature and ionization of oxygen molecules
occur and so it is also called ionosphere
v. Exosphere-is outer space which lacks atmosphere
except that of hydrogen and helium. It has high
temperature due to solar radiation.
2. Hydrosphere- includes all types of water resources-
oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, streams, reservoirs, glaciers,
polar ice caps and groundwater.
• About 97% of the earth’s water is in the oceans, where the
high salt content does not permit its use for human
consumption
• About 2% of the water resources is locked in the polar ice
caps and glaciers
• While 1% is
available as fresh
water (surface
waters- rivers,
lakes, streams,
and groundwater)
for human
consumption and
other uses
3. Lithosphere- It includes the solid part of the earth. It
consists of two layers: crust and upper mantle. The crust
is the outermost layer and is composed of different
types of rocks, minerals and soil. There are two types of
lithosphere:
• Oceanic lithosphere is associated with oceanic crust, and is
slightly denser than continental lithosphere
• Continental lithosphere, associated with continental crust,
can be much, much thicker than its oceanic cousin,
stretching more than 200 kilometers below Earth’s surface.
4. Biosphere- It is that part of Earth which includes
air, land, surface rocks and water, and all
components within which life occurs. It is the
life zone of Earth and includes all living
organisms.
 Environmental science
• Environmental science is a systematic study of the effects
of human on the environment
• It can also be defined as the application of scientific
principles to understand environmental issues by studying
the impact of interaction between different parameters of
environment
• Environmental science needs the basic knowledge of
physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering,
anthropology, sociology, economics, management,
ecology, etc.
• Environmental science integrates natural sciences, social
sciences with environmental ethics, environmental impact
and planning.
• Environmental science has emerged as a multi-
disciplinary field of study to access the impact of
interaction of living beings and micro environments in
which they live.
 Scope of Environmental Studies
• Ecosystem structure and function- The study of
ecosystems mainly deals with the processes
linking biotic to abiotic components
• Natural resource conservation- Deals with
maintenance and managing of natural resources
like forests and wildlife
• Environmental pollution control- With the
knowledge of environmental sciences, one can
look for methods to control pollution and manage
waste effectively
• Environmental management- includes policy
making, pollution control and maintenance of
ecological balance
• Industry- Industrialization is increasingly
degrading the environment, so there is a growing
trend to manufacture green goods and products
• Research and Development- R&D is helping to
develop methods for monitoring and controlling
pollution
• Social Development- NGO’s create awareness for
controlling population control
• Environmental journalism- bringing
environmental problems to public notice
• Environmentalists- analyze the causes and effects
of environmental issues locally and globally.
• Green advocacy- Environmental lawyers deal
with cases related to water and air pollution,
biodiversity protection etc.
• Green marketing- refers to the process of
selling environmentally friendly products and
services
 Importance of Environmental Studies
• Environment Issues are of International Importance:
environmental issues such as global warming, ozone
depletion, biodiversity loss, marine pollution etc. have a
global implication.
• Problems Cropped in the Wake of Development : rapid
development in selected area leads to Urbanization,
Industrial Growth, Transportation Systems, Agriculture
and Housing etc. which in turn leads to environmental
pollution.
• Rapid increase in Population: The rapid growth of human
population has resulted into tremendous increase in the
demand of resources such as food resources, energy
resources ultimately leading to the environmental
degradation.
• Need for An Alternative Solution: The current way of
economic development is not feasible for long term
as the resource base is not unlimited giving rise to the
concept of sustainable development.
• Need To Save Humanity From Extinction: There is a
grave threat on humanity due to continuous
degradation of its resource base which has
implication on survival and well being of human
society.
 Need for Public Awareness
Any government at its own level cannot achieve the goals of
sustainable development until the public has a participatory role
in it. Public participation is possible only when the public is
aware about the ecological and environmental issues
This awareness can be achieved by various mean:
• Environmental education- Environmental science knowledge
should be used to educate the masses about the problems being
faced by present generation as well as the problems to be faced
by future generation
• Multimedia- can play leading role for dissemination of
information by using different tools like advertisements, group
discussion, feature films, video conferencing, and website and
internet services
• Printing media can initiate the campaigns regarding impact of
degraded environment on living organisms by publishing
articles through newspapers, magazines, newsletters
• Through organizing seminars and conferences- may help
in spreading environmental information
• Awareness campaign can be launched through displaying
several holdings, posters at prominent places and
organizing exhibitions, face to face interaction, online e-
mail service, SMS service throughout the country
• Science centers- in villages and remote areas can be
effective in disseminating information about
environmental problems, their causes and control measures
• Involvement of public figures for promoting
environmental issues
• Involvement of youth by performing street plays, making
posters, etc.
 Assignment 1:
Q1. Discuss the case study on Chipko Movement
Q2. Define potable water?
Q3. What is the difference in composition of rainwater
and seawater?