Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies

 “If you plan for one year, plant rice, if you plan for 10 years plant trees and if you plan for 100 years, educate people”  So, if we want to manage our earth, we must make people en

Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies

Lecture #1

 Definition

 Scope and Importance

 Need for public Awareness

 Green Technology

 “If you plan for one year, plant rice, if you plan for 10 years plant trees and if you plan for 100 years, educate people”

 So, if we want to manage our earth, we must make people environmentally educated

 Definition: Environmental Studies is the scientific study of the environmental system and the status of its changes on organism

 Environment can be defined as the circumstances or conditions that surrounds an organism

 Environmental Sciences, is the systematic study of our environment and existence in it

Framework for addressing environmental problem

• Scientific Assessment:

• Collection of information, data, simulations , model, predict the future

• Risk Analysis:

• Results from simulations are analyzed Potential effects

• Public Education and involvement:

• Through publications, awareness through media

• Explanation of the problem along with probable cost

• Political Action:

• Course of Action

• Evaluation:

• Actions to be evaluated, monitored

• Improve the initial assessment

 Scientific Assessment

 Risk Analysis

 Public Education and

Involvement

 Political Action

 Evaluation

Objectives of environmental studies

 Awareness

 To help people acquire an awareness of and a sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems

 Knowledge

 To help people acquire basic understanding of the total environment and associated problems

 Attitude

 To help people acquire social values, strong feelings of concern for the environment and the motivation to act in protecting and improving

 Skills

 To help people acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems

 Evaluation Ability

 Evaluate environmental measures and education programs

 Participation

 Active involvement at all levels in working towards resolving environmental problems

Importance of Environmental Studies

 Conservation of energy by introduction alternate sources, improved technologies, processes compatible with environment

 Increase in economic productivity through improved health of people

 Conservation of fast depleting natural resources

 New ways and means to maintain ecological balance

 Knowledge about waste management, treatment and disposal techniques

 Social responsibility towards control of environmental pollution and protection

Major Global Environmental Problems

 Rapid population growth

 Food shortage and famines

 Water Storage

 Depletion of non renewable fossil fuels

 Damage to the environment

 Acid Rain

 Global Warming

 Deforestation

 Disposal of solid and hazardous wastes

Solutions towards Global issues

 REDUCE

 Consumption of natural resources to the extent possible

 Emission of carbon into atmosphere

 Developmental projects affecting environment

 Human activities accelerating global warming and climate changes

 Deforestation for developmental activities

 Consumption of non biodegradable materials in every day life

 Human activities causing pollution of water bodies, air, forests, soil

 Consumption of energy to reduce pollution and exploitation of nature

 RECYCLE –

 All wasted/spent natural resources to reduce their consumption

 All used materials with the available technologies

 All used materials manufactured with trees/plants to reduce deforestation

 REUSE –

 All spent natural resources to reduce more fresh consumption

 All materials manufactured with trees/plants for their conservation

 All recycled materials to reduce the demand

Solutions towards Global issues cont

• Increasing awareness towards environmental issues

• Progress has been made in establishing laws, policies in controlling air and water pollution

• Food production has improved the nutrition of millions in developing world

• Decline in % of undernourished individual“If we don’t act now, we may not have another

chance to do so”

Public Awareness

• Environmental consciousness to be propagated at all the levels

• Present and future generations all want to share and enjoy clean environment and natural resources

• Sustainability development and conservation of natural resources and the eco system Major Goals of Environment Education

 development of educational material

 Encourage NGO’s, media to promote awareness at all levels

 Promote environmental education through existing educational / research institutes

 Training in environment education

 People’s awareness for preservation and conservation of environment

Environmental Education

 Formal

 Environmental education in school system

 Environmental education at college & university level

 Environmental Appreciation course

 Environmental concepts in management and Business studies

 Non- formal

 NGO’s

 Campaign

 Eco Clubs

Green Technology

 It is also known as Clean Technology

 It is application of environmental Sciences to conserve the natural environment and resources by curbing the negative impacts of human involvement

 The field of "green technology" encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods and materials, from techniques for generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products.

Expected Goals from green technology

 Sustainability

 Meeting the needs of society in ways that can continue indefinitely into the future without damaging or depleting natural resources

 Cradle to Cradle design

 Cycle of manufactured products, by creating products that can be fully reclaimed or re-used

 Source Reduction

 Reducing waste and pollution by changing patterns of production and consumption

 Innovation

 Developing alternatives to technologies - whether fossil fuel or chemical intensive agriculture - that have been demonstrated to damage health and the environment.

 Viability

 Technology used should not only be environmentally benign but also economical to enhance its implementation

Areas of Green Technology

 Energy

 The most urgent issue for green technology

 Includes the development of alternative fuels, new means of generating energy and energy efficiency

 Green Buildings

 Green building encompasses everything from the choice of building materials to building’s location

 Environmentally Preferred Purchasing

 Search for products whose contents and methods of production have the smallest possible impact on the environment

 Green Nanotechnology

 Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of materials at the scale of the nanometer, one billionth of a meter

 "Green nanotechnology" is the application of green chemistry and green engineering principles to this field

 Green Chemistry

 The invention, design and application of chemical products and processes to reduce or to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

 Example:

 20 percent – of building materials were

from recycled content and over

75 percent of construction waste

was recycled

 Power used for operations will be green power

supplied by wind energy

 The office chair contains 42% recycled material and is 96% recyclable