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Course “BCA”
Semester-2

ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES

Unit : 1
“Introduction to Environmental
Studies”

Introduction:
The environment is a word that describes all of the external forces influences and
conditions, that affect the life, nature, behavior, growth, and development.
Environment means “surroundings”. It includes all those things and conditions which
influences the organisms at a particular place.
 'Environment' is a term derived from the Latin word 'Environ' that means 'to
surround’. The environment is "the sum total of water, air, and land and the inter-
relationships that exist among them and with the human beings, other living
organisms".

This subject educates the students on various environmental issues. This course not
only educates students about environmental problems but also empowers them with
the knowledge, skills, and values needed to make meaningful contributions to a
sustainable future.

Important Terms:
Environment: The surrounding conditions in which an organism lives that include
both biotic and abiotic factors.
Environmental Science is the systematic and scientific study of our environment and
our role in it. This branch includes the knowledge of pure science and to some extent
social sciences.
Environmental Studies: The branch of study concerned with environmental issues. It
has a broader coverage than environmental science and includes the social aspects of
the environment.
Ecosystem: A community of living organisms interacting with their physical
environment.
Sustainability: It includes fulfillment of the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Environmental Education: Environmental education is a process that allows
individuals to explore environmental issues, engage them in problem-solving, and
take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper
understanding of environmental issues.
Natural Resources – The resources provided by nature that are essential for human
survival and development (e.g., water, air, soil, minerals).

Multidisciplinary Approach: Mixing the knowledge from various disciplines like

biology, geography, chemistry, sociology, and economics to understand
environmental issues.
Pollution: Contamination of the environment due to human activities that results in
harmful effects on living organisms.

Importance of Environmental Science:

1. Awareness of Environmental Issues: Helps students understand critical problems like
pollution, and climate change at local, national, and global levels.
2. Practical Experience: Field visits to wildlife areas, and polluted sites that provide
hands-on learning about ecosystems, biodiversity, and pollution control.
3. Skill Development: Builds critical thinking, observation, and problem-solving skills
essential for tackling real-world environmental challenges.
4. Personal Growth: Encourages reflection on personal habits and choices, fostering a
deeper sense of responsibility toward the environment.

Environmental issue/topics Major subject/ Topic knowledge

required

Nature and reaction of air pollutants Chemistry and Chemical engineering

Zoology and botany and various

Effects of air pollutants on human beings,
branches of life science. Physics and
animal and plants
Chemistry

Effect of air pollutants on materials Meteorology, Thermodynamics,

Geography

Effect of climate on air pollution Mathematical modeling, etc.

Air pollution control devices Physics, chemistry and various

branches of Engineering

History of air pollution and air pollution History

episodes

Economic impacts of air pollution Economics, Demography

Sociological impacts of air pollution Sociology

Alternative fuels Various branches of physical sciences

Conservation of resources and pollution Various branches of physical and

control political sciences

Ozone hole and global warming Almost all fields under the sun have
got something to contribute to the
understanding and prevention of this
phenomenon.
After the Course:
1. Lifelong Awareness: making students conscious of their environmental impact in
daily life.
2. Professional Advantage: Provides valuable knowledge for industries adopting eco-
friendly practices, such as IT, construction, and manufacturing.
3. Community Leadership: Prepares students to lead or participate in community
initiatives, such as waste management, water conservation, and green energy projects.
4. Adaptability: Helps students stay relevant in a world where businesses and
governments prioritize environmental protection.

Multidisciplinary nature of Environmental Studies:

Environmental science looks at our surroundings, including how we view, interpret, fit into,
interact with, and alter our surroundings. The study of environmental components is multi-
disciplinary in nature. Since it includes all disciplinary such as science, humanities,
commerce, meteorology, climatology, geography and other disciplines.
Environmental studies is a multi-disciplinary program created to promote the study of our
natural surroundings. Life sciences including botany, zoology, microbiology, genetics,
biochemistry, biotechnology help in understanding the biotic components and their
interactions. The physical and chemical structure of the biotic components and energy
transfer and flow are understood with the help of basic concept of physics, chemistry,
atmospheric science and oceanography.
Mathematics, statics and computer science serve as effective tools in environmental modeling
and management. Economics, sociology and mass communication provides the input for
dealing with socio economic aspects associated with various developmental activities.
Environmental laws provide the tools for effective management and protection of the
environment. Environmental pollution, waste treatment and development of cleaner
technologies are important for protection of environment.
For examples:
 Zoologists study animals,
 Botanists study plants,
 Ecologists study how plants and animals interact with their environment,
 Geologists study the formation, history, structure, and physical composition of the
earth,
 Chemists study the composition of both living, and non-living materials, and the
reactions controlling the distribution of materials,
 Social scientists and economists study how we use and interact with our
environment, Philosophers examine how we value our environment,
 Journalists describe and interpret our environment, and illustrators show us our
environment.
Because, the environment is complex and made up of many different environments, including
natural, constructed, and cultural environments, environmental studies are the
interdisciplinary examination of how biology, geology, politics policy studies, law, geology,
religion engineering, chemistry, and economics combine to inform the consideration of
humanity's effects on the natural world.
Environment has been classified into two components:
Biotic Component: these are living or biological objects which include green and non- green
plants, animals, parasites, human being etc. They undergo reactions, interactions and inter
related actions among them.
Abiotic Component: these are non-living or non- biological components which includes
(i) Non-living materials like air, water and soil,
(ii) forces of nature like fire, energy, wind, gravity
(iii) condition like time, temperature, light.
Components of the environment:
1. Atmosphere: The layer of gases surrounding the Earth, essential for weather, climate,
and supporting life through oxygen and carbon dioxide cycles.
2. Hydrosphere: All water bodies on Earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and
groundwater, crucial for sustaining aquatic life and ecosystems.
3. Lithosphere: The solid outer part of the Earth, comprising soil, rocks, and minerals
that form the basis for terrestrial life and ecosystems.
4. Biosphere: The zone where life exists, integrating the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and
lithosphere, where all living organisms interact.

Objectives of Environmental Studies

 Creating the awareness about environmental problems among the students.
 Giving basic knowledge about the environment and its related problems to the
students.
 Developing an attitude of concern for the environment among the students.
 Motivating students to participate in environment protection and environment
improvement.
 Acquiring skills to help the concerned individuals in identifying and solving
environmental problems.

Needs for Public Awareness

Public awareness means helping people understand the problems our environment is facing.
When people know about these issues, they can take steps to solve them. Education helps
people:
 Learn how to protect nature.
 Take actions like saving water or planting trees.
 Support good rules and policies for the environment.
Examples of Problems:
 Global Problems: Climate change, cutting down forests, and plastic pollution.
 Local Problems: Lack of clean water, too much garbage, and air pollution in cities.
 Climate Change: A problem that involves science, money, and government policies.

 Deforestation: Cutting down trees affects animals, weather, and people who depend
on forests.
Why Studying the Environment is Important
Efforts that we can do to improve the environment:
 Save Natural Resources: Protect water, air, and forests.
 Control Pollution: Reduce harmful things in air, water, and land.
 Solve Big Problems: Work on climate change and saving endangered animals.

Examples of Awareness Campaigns

 Clean India Mission (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan): Encourages people to keep their
surroundings clean.
 Earth Hour: A global event where people turn off lights to save energy.
 Environmental pollution is affecting plants, animals, and human life. The soil,
minerals, water, fuel, plants, and animal resources are being depleted and climatic
changes, desertification, and floods are becoming drastic.
 Moreover, the human population is growing faster than ever and creating more
pressure on the environment.
 More of the environmental problems are global therefore every citizen of the world
needs to be aware and actively participate in protecting the global environment for
participation, public awareness is essential.
 It can be introduced as a course in schools and colleges. It is the most successful
method of propagating environmental awareness.
 This course spreads awareness regarding the protection of the environment.
 A government at its level can’t achieve the goals of sustainable development until the
public has a participatory role in it.
 The public has to be educated about the fact that if we keep degrading our
environment we are harming ourselves.
Importance of Environmental Studies
 Environmental studies help to maintain ecological balance by providing a basic
operating knowledge of environmental systems and processes.
 Environmental studies help to achieve sustainable development and understand the
relationship between development and the environment.
 This discipline helps to educate people regarding their duties towards environmental
protection.
 Better Understanding: Helps us learn how to solve environmental problems.
 Finding Solutions: Different ideas from different fields help us fix issues.
 Making Good Choices: Helps people and governments make smart environmental
decisions.
 The discipline provides us with basic knowledge of the environment and various
environmental issues. It examines the scientific basic for environmental and social
concerns about our present energy needs, global climate changes, toxic emission and
waste disposal.
 It also provides knowledge about the development and utilization of energy resources.
 Environmental studies also aim to protect biodiversity growth in the human
population and the resulting increase in material consumption and technological
development have increased the rate and scale of degradation of the environment.
 The concepts from environmental studies can be applied to the study of agriculture
and the design of sustainable production systems.

Measures for goals

(i) Using appropriate technology, the one which is locally adaptable, eco-friendly,
resource efficient and culturally suitable. It mostly involves local resources and local
labour. Indigenous technologies are more useful, cost-effective and sustainable.
(ii) Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle approach: The 3-R approach advocating minimization of
resource use, using them again and again instead of passing it on to the waste stream
and recycling the materials goes a long way in achieving the goals of sustainability. It
reduces pressure on our resources as well as reduces waste generation and pollution.
(iii) Promoting environmental education and awareness: Making environmental education
the centre of all learning process will greatly help in changing the thinking pattern and
attitude of people towards our earth and the environment
(iv) Resource utilization as per carrying capacity: Any system can sustain a limited
number of organisms on a long-term basis which is known as its carrying capacity. In
case of human beings, the carrying capacity concept becomes all the more complex. It
is because unlike other animals, human beings, not only need food to live, but need so
many other things to maintain the quality of life. In order to attain sustainability it is
very important to utilize the resources based upon the above two properties of the
 system. Consumption should not exceed regeneration and changes should not be
allowed to occur beyond the tolerance capacity of the system.
(v) Improving quality of life including social, cultural and economic dimensions:
Development should not focus just on one section of already affluent people. Rather it
should include sharing of benefits between the rich and the poor.