Environmental Studies

JE Variyar
Winter 2011
Lecture 01
 Origin of the Course
• Mandated by the Hon Supreme Court
that EVS is to be part of education at
every stage of the academic career.
• UGC setup a committee of experts to
write the syllabus
• Multidisciplinary course
 Why should you study this course?
• To bring about an
awareness of the variety
of environmental
concerns
• Create a pro-
environmental attitude
• Stimulate a behavioural
change
• Not a collection of facts or
information
– Its about the way we
should live
– We need to re-align the
way we live
 Course Syllabus
• Lecture Material available as PDF on the website
• Text books to be followed
– Environmental Studies by Erach Bharucha, Publishers – UGC
– Environmental Science and Ecological Studies – Khanna
Publishers
• Website material
– http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-contents/IIT-
Delhi/Environment%20and%20Ecology/index.htm
• Movie: An inconvenient Truth – Al Gore
• Presentations will be available on Moodle
• Environmental News from Times of India, Chennai Edition
 Assessment Methodology
• 2 Quizzes of 5 marks each
• One Assignment – 5 marks
• One Seminar – 5 marks
• CAT 1 – Open Book/ Notes
• CAT 2 – Open Book/ Notes
• TEE – Open Book/ Notes
 Assignment/
Seminar
• Group work
• Assignments to be
submitted as PDF files
on Moodle
• Any one of the group
will be asked to
present
• Any member of the
group will be
questioned about the
content of the
material
• Individual grades will
be assigned for
assignment/ seminar
 Quiz
• Based on topics in the news papers
– Please read Times of India, Chennai every day!
• Some material will be from the class notes/
Bharucha’s text book
 CAT/ TEE
• No direct questions
• You will be expected to analyze information
provided
• Model question paper for TEE will be available
on the website
 Assignment
• On a topic that is given to you during the week
of 10 Jan.
• You will be expected to know what is done by
the group
• Though it is group work, individual marks will
be assigned based on the viva.
 Seminar
• Should not be more than 10 minutes long
• One member of the group can present
• Any member of the group will be asked to
answer the questions.
• You can make a video or a PowerPoint
presentation.
• Schedule will be given to you the week of 17th
Jan
 Motivation
• Need sustainable development
• Degradation of environment linked to
– Problems of pollution
– Loss of forest
– Waste Disposal
– Economic productivity
– Ecological Security
 Key Words for Googling
• Copenhagen • Pachauri
• Kyoto • Al Gore
• Ozone layer
• Mrinal Gore
• Global Warming
• Carbon Trading • Medha Patkar
• Life Cycle Analysis • Sunita Narain
• Cancun • Salim Ali
• Narmada Sarovar Dam • Rukmini Devi Arundale
• Chipko Movement
• Sunder Lal Bahaguna
• Tehri Dam
• Bhopal
• Exxon Valdez
• Mexican Oil Spill - BP
• Climate Change
 CHY104
• Objectives
– To make students understand and appreciate the unity of life in
all its forms, the implications of life style on the environment.
– To give students a basic understanding of the major causes of
environmental degradation on the planet, with specific reference
to Indian situation.
– To inspire students to find ways in which they can contribute
personally and professionally to prevent and rectify
environmental problems.
• Expected Outcome
• Students will be able to
– Understand the need for eco-balance
– Acquire the knowledge on the methods of pollution prevention
 Unit 1 (Environment & Natural
Resources)
• Definition, scope, importance, need for the public -
Natural resources:
• Forest resources – Use, exploitation, deforestation,
construction of multipurpose dams, effect on forests
- Water resources: use of surface and subsurface
water; effect of floods, drought, water conflicts
• Food resources: Food problems, advantage and
disadvantage of fertilizers & pesticides, effect on
environment
• Energy resources: Need to develop renewable Energy
• Land resources: Land degradation, land slides, soil
erosion, desertification - Case studies
 Unit 2 (Ecology & Bio-diversity )
• Concept of ecosystem - Structure and function of
an ecosystem, producers, consumers and
decomposers, energy flow
• Ecological succession – Food chains, food webs and
ecological pyramids
• Bio diversity: Definition, genetic, species and
ecosystem diversity
• Bio-geographical classification of India, hotspots,
threats related to habitat loss, poaching of wildlife,
man-wildlife conflicts - Conservation of bio-
diversity.
 Unit 3 (Environmental Pollution)
• Definition – Causes, pollution effects and control
measures of air, water, soil, marine, noise,
thermal, nuclear hazards
• Solid waste management: causes, effects and
control measures of urban and industrial wastes –
Pollution measures
• Case studies - Disaster management: Floods,
earthquake, cyclone and landslides.
 Unit 4 (Social Issues and the
Environment)
• Urban problems related to energy and
sustainable development
• Water conservation, rain water harvesting,
watershed management, problems related to
rehabilitation – case studies
• Wasteland reclamation – Consumerism and waste
products
• Environment Protection Act, Air, Water, Wildlife,
Forest Conservation Acts, Environmental legislation
and public awareness.
 Unit 5 (Human Population and the
Environment)
• Population growth, variation among nations,
population explosion – Family Welfare Programme,
environment and human health
• Human rights, value education, HIV/AIDS,
women and child welfare - Role of information
Technology
• Visit to local polluted site / Case studies - Customer
orientation – Retention - QFD – CSM – TQM Models
– Case Studies
 Books and Lecture Material
• Lecture Materials
– http://nptel.iitm.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-contents/IIT-Delhi/Environm
ent%20and%20Ecology/index.htm
– PDF on Moodle (by 14 Jan 11)
• Text Book
– Kurien Joseph and R. Nagendran (2004), Essentials of Environmental
Studies, 1st Edition, Pearson Education.
• References
– Keerthinarayana and Daniel Yesudian (2004), Environmental Science
and Engineering, 1st Edition, Hi-Tech Publications.
– Erach Bharucha (2005), Text Book of Environmental Studies, Universities
Press (India) Pvt. Ltd.
– Howard S. Peavy, Donald R. Rowe and George Tchobanoglous (1987),
Environmental Engineering, McGraw-Hill.
– Metcalf and Eddy (2003), Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and
Reuse, Tata McGraw-Hill.
 World Newspaper Coverage on
Global Warming/ Climate Change
 Ozone Hole
• The atmosphere contains a
layer of Ozone(O3)
• The Ozone layer absorbs the UV
light
• Prevents 99% of UV reaching
the earth
• Thickness of Ozone measured
by Dobson units
– 100DU = 1mm thickness of Ozone
• Ozone is also a pollutant
– Photochemical smog
 Ozone Hole
• Antarctic Ozone hole was discovered in 1985 by British
scientists Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan
Shanklin of the British Antarctic Survey.
• Chlorofluro carbons lead to the destruction of ozone
• Montreal protocol banned the use of CFC
• Only 10 or less of every 106 molecules of air are Ozone.
• Majority of Ozone molecules resides in a layer between
10 and 40 kilometers (6 and 25 miles) above the Earth's
surface in  the stratosphere.
 Ozone Hole
• Ozone(O3) has three oxygen atoms
instead of two in Oxygen.
• Produced from O2 by the photochemical
decomposition
• Ozone is in equilibrium with Oxygen
• Pollutants can shift the reaction,
accelerating the breakdown of Ozone.
Ozone Cycle
 Effects of Ozone Hole
• Human Health • Food Production
– Sunburn – Affects ability of plants
– Cataract to capture light
– Skin Cancer – Reduces nutrient
– Reduction of Immune content
System
• Causes degradation of
material