The Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies:
Definition, components, scope, and importance, need
for public awareness
INTRODUCTION
❖The word environment is derived from the French word ‘environ’, which
means to ‘encircle or surround’.
❖Thus, our environment can be defined as “the Social, Cultural, and Physical
conditions that surround, affect, and influence the survival, growth, and
development of people, animals, and plants.”
❖This broad definition includes the natural world and the technological
environment as well as the cultural and social contexts that shape human
lives.
❖It includes all factors (living and nonliving) that affect an individual organism
or population at any point in the life cycle; a set of circumstances surrounding
a particular occurrence, and all the things that surround us.
,SEGMENTS OF ENVIRONMENT:
The environment consists of four segments.
1. Atmosphere- Blanket of gases surrounding the Earth.
2. Hydrosphere- Various water bodies present on the Earth.
3. Lithosphere- Contains various types of soils and rocks on the Earth.
4. Biosphere- Composed of all living organisms and their interactions with the
environment
, MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
❑ Environmental studies is a multi-disciplinary science because it comprises various
branches of studies like chemistry, physics, medical science, life science,
agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering etc.
❑ It is the science of physical phenomena in the
environment. It studies the sources, reactions, transport,
effect, and fate of physical and biological
species in the air, water, soil, and the effect
of from human activity upon these.
❑ As the environment is complex and actually
made up of many different environments like
natural, constructed and cultural environments,
environmental studies is interdisciplinary in
nature including the study of biology, geology,
politics, policy studies, law, religion engineering,
chemistry and economics to understand the humanity’s
effects on the natural world.
❑ By studying environmental science, a breadth of the interdisciplinary and
methodological knowledge in the environmental fields can be developed that
enables them to facilitate the definition and solution of environmental problems.
Definition, components, scope, and importance, need
for public awareness
INTRODUCTION
❖The word environment is derived from the French word ‘environ’, which
means to ‘encircle or surround’.
❖Thus, our environment can be defined as “the Social, Cultural, and Physical
conditions that surround, affect, and influence the survival, growth, and
development of people, animals, and plants.”
❖This broad definition includes the natural world and the technological
environment as well as the cultural and social contexts that shape human
lives.
❖It includes all factors (living and nonliving) that affect an individual organism
or population at any point in the life cycle; a set of circumstances surrounding
a particular occurrence, and all the things that surround us.
,SEGMENTS OF ENVIRONMENT:
The environment consists of four segments.
1. Atmosphere- Blanket of gases surrounding the Earth.
2. Hydrosphere- Various water bodies present on the Earth.
3. Lithosphere- Contains various types of soils and rocks on the Earth.
4. Biosphere- Composed of all living organisms and their interactions with the
environment
, MULTIDISCIPLINARY NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
❑ Environmental studies is a multi-disciplinary science because it comprises various
branches of studies like chemistry, physics, medical science, life science,
agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering etc.
❑ It is the science of physical phenomena in the
environment. It studies the sources, reactions, transport,
effect, and fate of physical and biological
species in the air, water, soil, and the effect
of from human activity upon these.
❑ As the environment is complex and actually
made up of many different environments like
natural, constructed and cultural environments,
environmental studies is interdisciplinary in
nature including the study of biology, geology,
politics, policy studies, law, religion engineering,
chemistry and economics to understand the humanity’s
effects on the natural world.
❑ By studying environmental science, a breadth of the interdisciplinary and
methodological knowledge in the environmental fields can be developed that
enables them to facilitate the definition and solution of environmental problems.
