ESD Module 1 PDF

Environment & Sustainable Development Module -1 Environment: The word environment has been derived from French word environner which means to encircle or to surround. Nature word is derived from Latin word natura which refers to characteristics of plants, animals an...

Environment & Sustainable Development Module -1 Environment: The word environment has been derived from French word environner which means to encircle or to surround. Nature word is derived from Latin word natura which refers to characteristics of plants, animals and other creatures. All organisms are obligatory dependent on the environment for food,energy,water,oxygen, shelter and for other needs.Environmentistotalsumofall conditionswhicheffectevolution anddevelopmentof life on earth surface where organisms live including both biotic and abiotic components. Abiotic components (nonliving things) for e.g.: energy, radiation, temperature, water, gas,wind,gravity, soil. Biotic components (living things) for e.g.:plants, animals, humans, microorganisms,parasites,decomposers.Theenvironmentvariesfro mplacetoplace dueto variations in climate, soil type and topography. The activities of an organisms influence the hydrosphere, the lower atmosphere and the near surface part of the lithosphere through exchanges of matter and energy. Energy: The word energy is derived from Greek word en-ergon which means work content therefore energy means the capacity of doing work. All livingthings possess some form of energy and simultaneously witness the flow of energy from one form to another. Energy is an important input for the overall development andis vital for the improvementinquality oflife.It’s usein sectors 1 like industries, commerce, transport, telecommunication, agriculture and in householdactivities hascompelledtomeeteverincreasing demandswhichcannotbefulfilled by conventional source of energy like coal, petrol, gas etc. There are two types of energy sources: (1)RenewableEnergySources (2)Non-RenewableEnergySources. Thereisaneedto explore the possibilities of harnessing energy fromrenewable sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, hydro energy, biomass energy etc. The Renewable energy sources comes from sources that regenerates as fast as they are consumedandare continuously available. TheNon-Renewable energy sourcessuchas fossil fuelsandnuclearmaterialsareextracted fromtheearthandcanbedepletedinnearfuture. Examples of fossils are coal, petroleum and natural gas and examples of non-fossils are thorium and uranium. Man,andEnvironment Relation: The environment influences the life of human beings and also human beings modify their environment as a result of their growth,dispersal, activities, death and decay etc. All living beingsincludingmanandtheirenvironmentare mutually affectingeachotherinanumberof ways and a dynamic equilibrium is 2 possible in between the two i.e., human beings (society) and environment are inter-dependent. The stages of interaction between human beings and nature have been progressive and as follows (9 stages): Stage1: Period of hunting and gathering Stage2: Period of plant domestication and pastoralism Stage3: Agriculture Revolution Stage4: Industrial Revolution Stage5: Medical Revolution Stage6: Information Technology Revolution Stage7: Biotech Revolution Stage8: Technological Revolution Stage9: Green Technological Revolution Environmental Degradation: Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as soil,water, air which leads to destruction of ecosystem and the extinction of wildlife. It refers to degradation of quality of environment and it may or may not be life threatening.Both natural and manmade (anthropogenic) causes to environmental degradation such as land disturbance, pollution (air, water, land, sound), overpopulation, landfills, deforestation, tidal waves, natural calamity. Effects of Environmental degradation are impact on human health, loss of biodiversity, ozone layer depletion, loss in tourism industry. 3  Solutions toenvironmental degradationare afforestation,government regulations,finesand punishments on damaging the surroundings or illegal dumping, reduce consumption level towardshazardousproducts,reuseandreduceofwastegeneration,avoi dplastic, education regarding environment, use of eco-friendly products. EnvironmentalEthicsandAwarenessProgrammes: Environmental Ethics is a branch of ethics that studies the relation of human beings and the environment.Itbelievesthat humansareapartofsocietyaswellasother livingcreatures.It builds on scientific understanding by bringing human values, moral principles and improved decision making into conversation with science. Environmentalawareness meanseducatingpeopleaboutecology.Itisnecessarytocease the harm which individual does to nature by anthropogenic activities. Awareness serves as an idea that enables humans across the region to understand the economic exquisite and biological importance of the environment and how to protect and preserve them. Numerous resources are available to promote environmental awareness like education (both in school, college), seminars,webinars, social media,articles,videos, brochures etc. Apart from these above-mentioned tools government plays a vital role and NGOs too. Programmes like The National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC), Go Green Campaign, Don’t Bitter Earth with Your Litter program etc. were initiated for 4 awareness campaigns. World’s Environment Day is celebrated 5th June. In 1972, the UN General Assembly designed 5th June as World Environment Day (WED). The first celebration, under the slogan: Only One Earth, took place in 1974.International Day of Forest also known as World Forest Day is celebrated every year on 21st March. ***** Hydrosphere 5  The hydrosphere is the total amount of water on earth. It consists of: Water on the surface of the earth such as lakes and seas. Underground water, and Water in the air or water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds. About 3/4th of the globe is covered by hydrosphere. Total surface area of the globe = 509,950,000 Km2 Hydrospherecovers (about 71%) = 361,060,000 Km2 Lithosphere covers (about29%) = 148,890,000 Km2 Thus, approx. 71% of earth’s surface is covered in water. Of all the water, only about 3% is fresh water and even smaller amount can be used as drinking water. Water is a chemical substance and H2O is the chemical formula for water, meaning that each of the molecules contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms. Water is a liquid. 6  The solid state of water is ice. The gaseous sate of water is steam Lithosphere The term lithosphere refers to the earth’s rigid, rocky outer layer. It is made up of the crust and the upper most solid layer of the mantle. Furthermore, it extends to a depth of about 60 miles. It disintegrates into a dozen separate, rigid blocks or plates. Lithosphere is important because it is where the living things o earth thrive and strive. The lithosphere provides us forests, grasslands for grazing, land for agricultureand human settlements and is also a rich source of minerals. There are two types of lithospheres: Oceanic: which is associated with oceanic crust and exists in the ocean basins. Continental: This is associated with continental crust. , 7  The earth’s crust is layered with sedimentary rocks on top, granitic amd metamorphic rocks in the centreand basaltic rocks at the bttom. A number of hug active tectonic plates make up the earth’s crust. These tectonic plates move slowly but contineously at an average rate of around 10 cm. Considering this, there was no Atlantic ocean and North Arerica and Europe tether were one continent 180 millions years ago. The atlanitc ocean came into being because of the drifting 8 apart from the Eursian and North America plates. 9