UNIT 1
MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF ENVIRONMENT STUDIES
Environmental studies deals with every issue that affects an organism. It is
essentially a multidisciplinary approach that brings about an appreciation of our
natural world and human impacts on its integrity. It is an applied science as it‘s
seeks practical answers to making human civilization sustainable on the
earth‘s finite resources. The complex relationship that exist in our natural
environment among people, animals, others organisms, water soil, air tree,
ocean, and so on. The interconnections are numerous and involve many
different disciplines. We need inputs from diverse disciplines such as biology,
botany, zoology, soil science, technology oceanography, atmospheric
science, economics, sociology, anthropology and ethics. Environmental
studies involve educating the people for preserving the quality of
environment.
Definition of the Environment
Environment is defined as the social, cultural and physical conditions that surround,
affect and influence the survival, growth and development of people, animals and
plants.
Environment includes everything around us. It encompasses both the living (biotic) and
non-living (abiotic) components of the earth.
,There are four different segment of environment:
1. Atmosphere:
The air envelope surrounding the earth is known as Atmosphere. This protective
envelop surrounding earth sustain life on earth and protect us from unfriendly
environment of outer space. It consists of life saving gases like O2 for human beings
and animals and CO2 for plants.
2. Hydrosphere:
It covers more than 75% of the earth surface either as oceans or as fresh water.
Hydrosphere includes sea, rivers, oceans, lakes, ponds, streams etc.
3. Lithosphere:
The solid component of the earth is called Lithosphere, which includes soil, earth, rocks
and mountains etc.
4. Biosphere:
This segment of environment consists of atmosphere (air- 02, N2, C02). Lithosphere
(land- minerals, salts, food, nutrients) and hydrosphere (water- dissolved oxygen, Salts)
which influences and support the entire biotic and abiotic life systems.
,Scope of Environmental Studies
Read and understand
[As we look around at the area in which we live, we see that our surroundings
were originally a natural landscape such as a forest, a river, a mountain, a
desert, or a combination of these elements. Most of us live in landscapes that
have been heavily modified by human beings, in villages, towns or cities. But
even those of us who live in cities get our food supply from surrounding
villages and these in turn are dependent on natural landscapes such as
forests, grasslands, rivers, seashores, for resources such as water for
agriculture, fuel wood, fodder, and fish. Thus our daily lives are linked with
our surroundings and inevitably affects them. We use water to drink and for
other day-to-day activities. We breathe air, we use resources from which food
is made and we depend on the community of living plants and animals which
form a web of life, of which we are also a part. Everything around us forms
our environment and our lives depend on keeping its vital systems as intact
as possible.
Our dependence on nature is so great that we cannot continue to live without
protecting the earth‘s environmental resources. Thus most traditions refer to
our environment as ‗Mother Nature‘ and most traditional societies have
learned that respecting nature is vital for their livelihoods. This has led to
many cultural practices that helped traditional societies protect and preserve
their natural resources. Respect for nature and all living creatures are not
new to India.
The industrial development and intensive agriculture that provides the goods
for our increasingly consumer oriented society uses up large amounts of
natural resources such as water, minerals, petroleum products, wood, etc.
Non renewable resources, such as minerals and oil are those which will be
exhausted in the future if we continue to extract these without a thought for
subsequent generations. Renewable resources, such as timber and water,
are those which can be used but can be regenerated by natural processes
such as regrowth or rainfall. But these too will be depleted if we continue to
use them faster than nature can replace them. For example, if the removal of
timber and firewood from a forest is faster than the regrowth and regeneration
of trees, it cannot replenish the supply. And losses of forest cover not only
depletes the forest of its resources, such as timber and other non-wood
products, but affect our water resources because an intact natural forest acts
like a sponge which holds water and releases it slowly. Deforestation leads
to floods in the monsoon and dry rivers once the rains are over. Such multiple
, effects on the environment resulting from routine human activities must be
appreciated by each one of us, if it is to provide us with the resources we
need in the long-term. Our natural resources can be compared with money in
a bank. If we use it rapidly, the capital will be reduced to zero. On the other
hand, if we use only the interest, it can sustain us over the longer term. This
is called sustainable utilization or development.
Scope of Environmental Studies
The scope of environmental studies is very wide and it deals with many areas like
Conservation and management of natural resources (like forest and water
resources etc.)
Conservation of bio diversities (like ecosystem and landscape diversity etc.)
Control of environmental pollutions (like air, water, soil, noise etc)
Control of human population
Replacement of development like urbanization, economic growth
(industrialization) with sustainable development.
1. Developing an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its related
problems.
2. Motivating people for active participation in environmental protection and
improvement.
3. Developing skills for active identification and development of solutions to
environmental problems.
4. Imbibe and inculcate the necessity for conservation of natural resources.
5. Evaluation of environmental programmes in terms of social, economic, ecological
and aesthetic factors.
IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
The environment studies make us aware about the importance of protection and
conservation of our mother earth and about the destruction due to the release of
pollution into the environment. The increase in human and animal population, industries
and other issues make the survival cumbersome. A great number of environment issues
have grown in size and make the system more complex day by day, threatening the
survival of mankind on earth. Environment studies have become significant for the
following reasons:
Environment Issues are being of Global: It has been well recognized that
environment issues like global warming and ozone depletion, acid rain, marine pollution
MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF ENVIRONMENT STUDIES
Environmental studies deals with every issue that affects an organism. It is
essentially a multidisciplinary approach that brings about an appreciation of our
natural world and human impacts on its integrity. It is an applied science as it‘s
seeks practical answers to making human civilization sustainable on the
earth‘s finite resources. The complex relationship that exist in our natural
environment among people, animals, others organisms, water soil, air tree,
ocean, and so on. The interconnections are numerous and involve many
different disciplines. We need inputs from diverse disciplines such as biology,
botany, zoology, soil science, technology oceanography, atmospheric
science, economics, sociology, anthropology and ethics. Environmental
studies involve educating the people for preserving the quality of
environment.
Definition of the Environment
Environment is defined as the social, cultural and physical conditions that surround,
affect and influence the survival, growth and development of people, animals and
plants.
Environment includes everything around us. It encompasses both the living (biotic) and
non-living (abiotic) components of the earth.
,There are four different segment of environment:
1. Atmosphere:
The air envelope surrounding the earth is known as Atmosphere. This protective
envelop surrounding earth sustain life on earth and protect us from unfriendly
environment of outer space. It consists of life saving gases like O2 for human beings
and animals and CO2 for plants.
2. Hydrosphere:
It covers more than 75% of the earth surface either as oceans or as fresh water.
Hydrosphere includes sea, rivers, oceans, lakes, ponds, streams etc.
3. Lithosphere:
The solid component of the earth is called Lithosphere, which includes soil, earth, rocks
and mountains etc.
4. Biosphere:
This segment of environment consists of atmosphere (air- 02, N2, C02). Lithosphere
(land- minerals, salts, food, nutrients) and hydrosphere (water- dissolved oxygen, Salts)
which influences and support the entire biotic and abiotic life systems.
,Scope of Environmental Studies
Read and understand
[As we look around at the area in which we live, we see that our surroundings
were originally a natural landscape such as a forest, a river, a mountain, a
desert, or a combination of these elements. Most of us live in landscapes that
have been heavily modified by human beings, in villages, towns or cities. But
even those of us who live in cities get our food supply from surrounding
villages and these in turn are dependent on natural landscapes such as
forests, grasslands, rivers, seashores, for resources such as water for
agriculture, fuel wood, fodder, and fish. Thus our daily lives are linked with
our surroundings and inevitably affects them. We use water to drink and for
other day-to-day activities. We breathe air, we use resources from which food
is made and we depend on the community of living plants and animals which
form a web of life, of which we are also a part. Everything around us forms
our environment and our lives depend on keeping its vital systems as intact
as possible.
Our dependence on nature is so great that we cannot continue to live without
protecting the earth‘s environmental resources. Thus most traditions refer to
our environment as ‗Mother Nature‘ and most traditional societies have
learned that respecting nature is vital for their livelihoods. This has led to
many cultural practices that helped traditional societies protect and preserve
their natural resources. Respect for nature and all living creatures are not
new to India.
The industrial development and intensive agriculture that provides the goods
for our increasingly consumer oriented society uses up large amounts of
natural resources such as water, minerals, petroleum products, wood, etc.
Non renewable resources, such as minerals and oil are those which will be
exhausted in the future if we continue to extract these without a thought for
subsequent generations. Renewable resources, such as timber and water,
are those which can be used but can be regenerated by natural processes
such as regrowth or rainfall. But these too will be depleted if we continue to
use them faster than nature can replace them. For example, if the removal of
timber and firewood from a forest is faster than the regrowth and regeneration
of trees, it cannot replenish the supply. And losses of forest cover not only
depletes the forest of its resources, such as timber and other non-wood
products, but affect our water resources because an intact natural forest acts
like a sponge which holds water and releases it slowly. Deforestation leads
to floods in the monsoon and dry rivers once the rains are over. Such multiple
, effects on the environment resulting from routine human activities must be
appreciated by each one of us, if it is to provide us with the resources we
need in the long-term. Our natural resources can be compared with money in
a bank. If we use it rapidly, the capital will be reduced to zero. On the other
hand, if we use only the interest, it can sustain us over the longer term. This
is called sustainable utilization or development.
Scope of Environmental Studies
The scope of environmental studies is very wide and it deals with many areas like
Conservation and management of natural resources (like forest and water
resources etc.)
Conservation of bio diversities (like ecosystem and landscape diversity etc.)
Control of environmental pollutions (like air, water, soil, noise etc)
Control of human population
Replacement of development like urbanization, economic growth
(industrialization) with sustainable development.
1. Developing an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its related
problems.
2. Motivating people for active participation in environmental protection and
improvement.
3. Developing skills for active identification and development of solutions to
environmental problems.
4. Imbibe and inculcate the necessity for conservation of natural resources.
5. Evaluation of environmental programmes in terms of social, economic, ecological
and aesthetic factors.
IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
The environment studies make us aware about the importance of protection and
conservation of our mother earth and about the destruction due to the release of
pollution into the environment. The increase in human and animal population, industries
and other issues make the survival cumbersome. A great number of environment issues
have grown in size and make the system more complex day by day, threatening the
survival of mankind on earth. Environment studies have become significant for the
following reasons:
Environment Issues are being of Global: It has been well recognized that
environment issues like global warming and ozone depletion, acid rain, marine pollution
