1. What is meant by environment?

Answer
Environment is defined as the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all
resources. It includes all the biotic and abiotic factors that influence each other.
The biotic components include all the living beings, while the abiotic components
include non-living things like air, water, soil, etc.

2. What happens when the rate of resource extraction exceeds that of their
regeneration?
Answer
When the rate of resource extraction exceeds that of their generation, the resource gets
exhausted. This diminishes the carrying capacity of environment which is a potential
threat to the existence of life.

3. Classify the following into renewable and non-renewable resources (i) trees (ii)
fish (iii) petroleum (iv) coal (v) iron-ore (vi) water
Answer
Water, trees and fish are the renewable resources. Petroleum, coal and iron ore are
non-renewable resources.

4. Two major environmental issues facing the world today are_ ___________
and_____________.
Answer
global warming, ozone depletion.

5. How do the following factors contribute to the environmental crisis in India? What
problem do they pose for the government?
(i) Rising population
(ii) Air pollution
(iii) Water contamination
(iv) Affluent consumption standards
(v) Illiteracy
(vi) Industrialization
(vii) Urbanization

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(viii) Reduction of forest coverage

Rising population: The rising population creates pressure on available resources. The
intensive and extensive extraction of both renewable and nonrenewable resources has
led to exhaustion of the vital resources. Also, the explosive population size has
triggered excessive demand for housing, thereby, resulting in extensive deforestation
and fast depletion of other natural resources leading to ecological imbalances.
Therefore, it is high time for the Indian government to take preventive measures to
control population explosion.

Air Pollution: It is common in urban areas of India. Increased vehicular population is

the major reason of air pollution in cities. Even in villages, burning of firewood and
cow dung cakes contributes to air pollution. This causes hypertension, asthma,
problem in breathing and heart problems.
Therefore, the Indian government should take various steps to control air pollution,
avoid deforestation, increase health investment and also search for new alternative
pollution free technology such as CNG, etc.

water contamination: Contamination of water or pollution of water is posing a serious

threat to human life. It is one of the principal causes of all deadly diseases such as
diarrhea, hepatitis, cholera, etc. It occurs due to dumping of industrial waste,
agricultural waste and sewerage into the water bodies. Thus, the Indian government
should put a check on wastewater disposal. This calls for high capital investment for
installation and maintenance of purifier machines.

Affluent consumption standards: The recent influence of the West and a rise in
purchasing power of the middle class has led to affluent consumption standards and
unnecessary luxuries with a lifestyle of in the limelight consumption have increased.
This placed a huge stress on the environment in terms of resources supply and
assimilation of waste. The resources have become extinct and wastes generated are
beyond the absorptive capacity of the environment leading to environmental crises. The
government is compelled to spend huge amounts on research and development to
explore alternative environment friendly resources.

Illiteracy: It is a social problem leading to the lack of awareness about environment

and the harmful effects of various practices or products on the environment. The lack
of knowledge and skills may lead to excessive environmental quality entails huge cost.
extraction of resources and, thereby, its misuse. Thus, the government should take

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measures to create awareness and spread technical knowledge among people about
various efficient and economising methods.

Industrialization: On one hand, it enhances our living standards but, on the other
hand, it causes deforestation, depletion of natural resources. In order to speed up the
process of industrialisation, natural resources are exploited at a rapid pace. More
trees are being felled and, increasing volume of toxics and industrial wastes are
dumped into the water bodies. All these close to ecological imbalances posing threat to
sustainable economic development. Thus, the government should take measures to
check undue and unnecessary industrial growth in order to restore ecological balance.

Urbanisation, On the one hand, it infuses modernisation of lifestyle but, on the other
hand, it leads to deforestation. In order to meet the growing demand for houses, more
trees are to be felled, decreasing the land-per-man ratio. Rapid urbanisation puts an
excess burden on the natural resources, causing depletion. Urbanisation also reduces
the availability of land for farming purpose and lowers farm outputs. Hence, the
government should take measures to mitigate the impact of urbanisation by promoting
small and cottage rural industries, rural infrastructural development, thereby,
reducing the rural-urban migration. Further, the government should also promote
afforestation and most importantly, adopt measures to arrest population explosion.

Reduction of forest coverage: The need for reduction of forest coverage or

deforestation arises due to the growing demand for land, wood, rise in population and
river valley projects. Deforestation leads to reduction in oxygen level in air, soil
erosion, climate change and global warming due to rise in the CO2 level. Thus,
measures are needed to promote afforestation, opening up of sanctuaries and national
park such as Jim Corbett National Park.

Poaching: It is the illegal capturing, killing and hunting of animals. Due to this, many
animals are on the verge of extinction. The excessive hunting and killing of animals
result in serious ecological imbalances. Thus, in order to save the rare species such as
Tiger, Asian Elephants, Grevy's Zebra, etc. more sanctuaries and national parks are to
be set up. There is also need for various environmental legislations like Endangered
Species Act in the USA that imposes strict penalties on the law breakers.

Global Warming: It is a gradual increase in the average temperature of the earth due
to environmental pollution and deforestation. It is caused by the emission of Green
House Gases that include, particularly, carbon dioxide. The increase in the level of
carbon dioxide raises the temperature of the earth surface. This risen temperature

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accelerates the melting of polar ice that further leads to the rise in the sea level. Thus,
the incidence of natural calamities rises due to disturbed ecological balance, thereby,
posing a threat to human life.

6. What are the functions of the environment?

Answer

Function of Environment are:

→ It supplies resources:
→ It assimilates waste
→ It sustains life by providing genetic and bio diversity and → It
also provides aesthetic services like scenery etc.

7. Identify six factors contributing to land degradation in India.

Answer

The factors contributing to land degradation in India are:

→ Loss of vegetation occuring due to deforestation
→ Unsustainable fuel wood and fodder extraction
→ Shifting cultivation
→ Encroachment into forest lands
→ Forest fires and over grazing
→ Non-adoption of adequate soil conservation measures.

8. Explain how the opportunity costs of negative environmental impact are high.

Answer

Opportunity cost is the cost that is foregone when we make a choice or a decision.
When the rate of resource extraction is higher than that of its renewal then many
resources get exhausted. Therefore, we are compelled to spend huge amounts on
technology and research to explore new resources. Added to these are the health costs
of degraded environmental quality — decline in air and water quality have resulted in
increased incidence of respiratory and waterborne diseases. Hence, the expenditure on
health is also rising. To make matters worse, global environmental issues such as
global warming and ozone depletion also contribute to increased financial

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commitments for the government. Therefore, the opportunity costs of negative
environmental impact are high.

9. Outline the steps involved in attaining sustainable development in India.

Answer

The steps involved in attaining sustainable development in India are:

→ Use of non-conventional sources of energy: This will help in reducing our

dependency on thermal power and hydel power. Thus, use of non-conventional sources
of energy will help in ensuring sustainable development.

→ LPG, Gobar gas in rural areas: Use of LPG and gobar gas in rural areas will help
in reducing the extraction of firewood for fuel. Thus, it will help in reducing air
pollution and felling of trees.
→ CNG in urban areas: As the example of Delhi shows, increased use of CNG in
urban areas can help in improving air quality.
→ Wind power: Wind power is a renewable source of energy and can be harnessed
with available technology. Many wind farms are already operational in India.
→ Solar power through photovoltaic cells: Solar panels are being used for powering
traffic lights and hoardings in many cities. Solar cells are also being used in water
heaters and for lightning purposes.
→ Mini-hydel plants: Mini hydel plants can be ideal for hilly areas which have large
number of streams. Mini hydel plants can help in supplying electricity to remote areas
and also in preventing transmission losses.

10. India has abundant natural resources - substantiate the statement.

Answer

India has abundant natural resources in terms of rich quality of soil, hundreds of rivers
and tributaries, lush green forests, plenty of mineral deposits beneath the land surface,
vast stretch of the Indian Ocean, ranges of mountains, etc. The black soil of the Deccan
Plateau is particularly suitable for cultivation of cotton, leading to concentration of
textile industries in this region. The IndoGangetic plains are the most fertile, densely
populated and cultivated plains in the world. It stretches from the Arabian Sea to the
Bay of Bengal. India’s forests, though unevenly distributed, provide green cover for a

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majority of its population and natural cover for its wildlife. Large deposits of iron-ore,
coal and natural gas are found in the country. India alone accounts for nearly 20 per
cent of the world’s total iron-ore reserves. Bauxite, copper, chromate, diamonds, gold,
lead, lignite, manganese, zinc, uranium, etc. are also available in different parts of the
country.

11. Is environmental crisis a recent phenomenon? If so, why?

Answer

Yes, the environmental crisis is a very recent phenomenon. Before the industrial
revolution, the rate of extraction of resources was very low and it was less than that of
renewal of resources. But after so many years of industrial revolution and subsequent
development, the rate of extraction of resources has grown manifold. This has resulted
in exhaustion of resources in many countries. It has also resulted in high levels of
environmental pollution. Hence, it can be said that environmental crisis is a recent
phenomenon.

12. Give two instances of

(a) Overuse of environmental resources (b)
Misuse of environmental resources.

Answer

(a) Overuse of environmental resources

→ The increasing irrigation and construction of flood storage reservoirs are resulting
in the drying up of rivers.
→ The growing population and their ever growing demand are resulting in large scale
deforestation. This leads to soil erosion, making the soil infertile. (b) Misuse of
environmental resources.
→ Excess use of diesel and petrols are depleting the non-renewable sources of energy.
→ Wood is obtained from trees. Using wood instead of eco friendly alternative fuels for
cooking purposes brings about deforestation.

13. State any four pressing environmental concerns of India. Correction for
environmental damages involves opportunity costs. Explain.

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Answer

The four pressing environmental concerns of India are; air pollution, groundwater
pollution, deforestation and soil erosion.

The opportunity cost of correction for environmental damages refers to the huge
amount of expenditure incurred on searching for new efficient alternatives. The heavy
intensive and extensive extraction of both renewable and non-renewable resources
demands expenditure for exploring new alternative resources in order to avoid an
environmental crisis. The discovery of such resources requires heavy investment by the
government. Also, implementation and maintenance of these alternative resources
involve very high cost. For example to control air pollutions we need to fit vehicles
with catalytic converters which means increased cost of the vehicle.Therefore, the
correction for environmental damages involves opportunity cost that is very high.

14. Explain the supply-demand reversal of environmental resources.

Answer

Before the beginning of the Industrial Revolution the supply of natural resources was
higher than demand. But, in today's scenario with population explosion and industrial
revolution, the demand for environmental resources is far more than its supply.
Therefore, the available resources should be carefully utilised. This reversal in the
demand and supply relationship is referred to as the supply-demand reversal of the
environmental resources.

15. Account for the current environmental crisis.

Answer

The current environmental crisis is result of our unsustainable practices. The

population explosion and affluent consumption have placed an undue and excess
burden on the environment. The resources are increasingly exhausted day by day,
but the regeneration of resources is constant. So, when the resources are extracted
at a rapid pace than its regeneration, then the carrying capacity of the environment
reduces. Then environment fails to perform its function of sustaining life,
consequently, resulting in an environmental crisis. The current environmental crises
includes land degradation, global warming, biodiversity loss, waste management
etc.

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16. Highlight any two serious adverse environmental consequences of development in
India. India's environmental problems pose a dichotomy-they are poverty induced and,
at the same time, due to affluence in living standards. Is this true?

Answer

The two serious issues or consequences of development in India are land degradation
and Air pollution.

→ Land Degradation: The gradual but consistent loss of fertility of land is referred to
as degradation of land. This is emerging as a serious concern in the context of
environmental issues in India. The factors responsible for land degradation are soil
erosion, deforestation, shifting cultivation, improper crop rotation etc.

→ Air Pollution: In India, air pollution is widespread in urban areas where vehicles
are the major contributors and in a few other areas which have a high concentration
of industries and thermal power plants. Vehicular emissions are of particular
concern since these are ground level sources and, thus, have the maximum impact on
the general population.

The environmental problems points to the paradoxical situation in the country.

Deforestation in India is a rapid consequence of population explosion and widespread
poverty. The poor people in the rural areas are compelled to fell trees for earning their
livelihood. The growing demand for natural resources to carry out production activity
in the urban areas is also equally responsible for the present environmental
degradation. There are two different opinions on the effect of environmental activities.
One opinion advocates for India's prosperity by resorting to industrial production,
while, the other opinion highlights the threat of pollution due to rapidly growing
industrial sector. This can be understood as in the wake of rapid urbanisation, the
expansion of vehicular traffic generates pollution of noise and air.

17. What is sustainable development?

Answer

Development that meets the need of the present generation without compromising
the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs is called sustainable
development.

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18. Keeping in view your locality, describe any four strategies of sustainable
development.

Answer

The strategies of attaining sustainable development which I should use in locality are:
→ Switching to alternate sources of energy; like solar energy and wind energy →
Promoting afforestation to recover the loss of greenery. → Promoting the use of CNG
in vehicles → Building better public transport facilities.

19. Explain the relevance of intergenerational equity in the definition of sustainable

development.

Answer

Sustainable development is the real economic development which emphasis on

satisfying the current needs of population keeping in mind availability of resources for
future generation. Sustainable development maximises the welfare of both present and
future generations. This development does not mean a check on the existing pace of
economic growth. It only means a judicious or optimum utilisation of resources in such
a manner that pace of economic growth sustains with inter generational equity.

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