Environmental Studies

JE VariyarWinter 2011Lecture 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• Kyoto• Ozone layer• Global Warming• Carbon Trading• Life Cycle Analysis• Cancun• Narmada Sarovar Dam• Chipko Movement• Tehri Dam• Bhopal• Exxon Valdez• Mexican Oil Spill - BP• Climate Change

• Pachauri• Al Gore• Mrinal Gore• Medha Patkar• Sunita Narain• Salim Ali• Rukmini Devi Arundale• Sunder Lal Bahaguna

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– Sunburn– Cataract– Skin Cancer– Reduction of Immune

System

• Causes degradation of material

• Food Production– Affects ability of plants

to capture light– Reduces nutrient

content