ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE (82)

(Candidates offering Environmental Applications are not eligible to offer Environmental Science.)

The subject deals with the interdependence of living 3. To appreciate the influence of human activity on
things within their environment and provides an natural processes.
insight into the orderly interplay of factors 4. To develop an awareness of the need and
influencing environmental change. The impact of responsibility to keep the natural system in a
human demands on renewable and non-renewable condition that it sustains life.
resources and the limited availability of these
5. To develop sensitivity in personal attitudes to
resources in nature, have been linked to correlate with
environmental issues.
patterns of human behaviour necessary to evolve a
sustainable environmental paradigm. 6. To develop an understanding of how local
environments contribute to the global
Aims: environment.
7. To develop a sense of responsibility and concern
1. To acquire knowledge of the origin and
for welfare of the environment and all life forms
functioning of the natural system and its
which share this planet.
correlation with the living world.
8. To develop a keen civic sense.
2. To develop an understanding that human beings,
plants and animals are part of a natural 9. To develop a sound basis for further study,
phenomenon and are interdependent. personal development and participation in local
and global environmental concerns.
CLASS IX

There will be one paper of two hours duration carrying To be studied with reference to the developed
80 marks and Internal Assessment of 20 and developing countries.
marks.
(d) The root of environmental problems.
The paper will have two Sections:
Population crisis and consumption crisis
Section A (Compulsory) will contain short answer should be covered.
questions covering the entire syllabus.
(e) A sustainable world.
Section B will contain six questions. Candidates will
Concept of sustainability to be explained;
be required to answer any four questions from this
sustainable societies to be discussed.
section.
2. Living things in Ecosystems
1. Understanding our Environment
(a) What is an ecosystem?
(a) What is Environmental Science?
What do we understand by ‘Environment’? Concept of ecosystems to be explained; biotic
What does the study of Environmental Science and abiotic structures, organisms and species;
involve? populations, communities.

(b) What are our main environmental problems? (b) Habitat and ecological niche.

Environmental problems to be studied in terms To be discussed in terms of address and

of resource depletion, pollution and extinction function.
of species. (c) How species interact with each other.
(c) A global perspective of environmental Interaction of species should be covered in
problems. terms of - predation, competition, parasitism,

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 mutualism and commensalism. Law of Only threats to the specifically mentioned
Limiting Factors; synergisms. ecosystems will be tested for the purpose of
the examination. The rest are for knowledge
(d) Adapting to the environment.
and understanding.
Evolution by natural selection; co-evolution,
(e) Biogeographic zones of India.
extinction.
The different biogeographic zones/ regions of
3. How Ecosystems work India and predominant wildlife in these zones/
(a) Energy flow in ecosystems. regions.

An explanation of how life depends on the sun; 5. Water

who eats what; respiration: burning the fuel. (a) Our water resources.
Energy transfer: food chains, food webs and
Water resource in the form of frozen solid in
trophic levels.
polar ice caps, surface water (rivers of
(b) The cycling of materials. controversy, dams), groundwater (aquifers
The water cycle, the carbon cycle (how running low). Solutions to water shortages
humans are affecting the carbon cycle) and the must be covered in terms of desalting the sea,
nitrogen cycle; Not to be tested, for knowledge towing water, water conservation and water
and understanding only. harvesting.

Interdependence of natural cycles. (b) Freshwater pollution.

(c) How ecosystems change. Point pollution and non-point pollution;

wastewater treatment plants, pathogens. The
Succession- secondary and primary. manner in which water pollution affects
ecosystems; artificial eutrophication, thermal
4. Kinds of Ecosystems pollution. Cleaning up water pollution. The
(a) Forests. special problem of groundwater pollution;
bottled water.
Tropical rainforests and threats to rainforests;
temperate rainforests; temperate deciduous (c) Ocean pollution.
forests; Taiga. How pollutants get into oceans; preventing
(b) Grasslands, Deserts and Tundra. ocean pollution; who owns the oceans?
Tropical savannas; temperate grasslands: 6. Air
prairies, steppes and pampas; deserts; (a) What causes air pollution?
Tundra. Threats to the temperate grasslands,
deserts and Tundra. Air pollution due to - natural disasters;
domestic combustion; air pollution on wheels;
(c) Freshwater ecosystems. industrial air pollution.
The study to cover - lakes and ponds; wetlands
Major air pollutants - carbon monoxide,
- marshes and swamps; rivers. Threats to
oxides of nitrogen, oxides of sulphur, ozone,
wetlands and rivers must also be highlighted.
lead, hydrocarbons, benzene and particulates
(d) Marine ecosystems. -their sources, health effects and the
environmental effects must be studied.
Estuaries, coral reefs, oceans and how each is
threatened should be discussed. Polar Classification of air pollutants based on
ecosystems of the Arctic and the Antarctic and composition - gaseous pollutants and
the threats to them must also be covered. particulate matter (grit, dust, smoke and lead
oxide); broader classification - primary and
secondary pollutants.

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 Aerosols (smog), sources – natural exploited for cash and food crops, population
(continental, oceanic and anthropogenic); pressures, increasing demand for timber to
their effect on our lives. meet the needs of the developed world, grazing
and its link with desertification.
Air pollution episode - the Bhopal gas tragedy.
Effects of deforestation on climate, atmosphere
(b) Thermal inversions, photochemical smog and
and soil process.
acid precipitation.
(b) Soil erosion and desertification.
Thermal inversions (Los Angeles),
Photochemical Smog (Mexico City) and Acid Causes and consequences of soil erosion and
Precipitation (Mumbai) - how acid desertification - removal of vegetation,
precipitation affects ecosystems. overgrazing, overculture, clearance of slopes,
drought, heavy rainfall, bad farming practices.
(c) Impact of air pollution.
(c) Land pollution.
Impact of air pollution should be covered in
terms of economic losses, lowered agricultural Causes and consequences of land pollution -
productivity and health problems. salinization, fertilizers, pesticides, toxic
wastes, nuclear wastes, domestic wastes,
7. Atmosphere and Climate
ground water contamination.
(a) The atmosphere.
9. People
Balance between photosynthesis and
(a) World poverty and gap between developed and
respiration; layers of the atmosphere. Not to
developing countries.
be tested, for knowledge and understanding
only. Dimensions of world poverty and gap between
developed and developing countries using
(b) Climate.
development indicators such as per-capita
What determines climate (latitude, incomes, housing, levels of disease and
atmospheric circulation patterns, ocean nutrition.
circulation patterns, local geography,
(b) Poverty in developed countries, poverty in
seasonal changes in climate). Not to be tested,
developing countries.
for knowledge and understanding only.
Rural poverty and urban poverty.
(c) Greenhouse earth.
(c) The implications of poverty trap for the
The Greenhouse Effect, rising carbon dioxide environment in developing countries.
levels, GHGs and the earth’s temperature
(global warming); effect on weather, Self-explanatory.
agriculture and sea-levels; slowing the 10. Urbanisation
temperature change.
(a) Causes of urbanisation.
(d) The Ozone layer.
The push-pull factors to be discussed.
Ozone in the troposphere, ozone in the
(b) Manifestations of urbanisation.
stratosphere; detection of the damage to the
ozone layer; causes and consequences of ozone Growth of slums, growth of informal sector,
thinning; alternatives to CFCs. pressure on civic amenities; degradation of
human resources; growing sense of despair.
8. Soil and Land
(c) Social, economic and environmental problems.
(a) Deforestation.
Problems of housing, congestion, pollution,
Causes and consequences of rapid and loss of agricultural land and provision of
progressive deforestation in the developing services to be covered.
world - fuel crisis, competition for land, land

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11. Agriculture INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
(a) Unsustainable patterns of modern
Any one project/assignment from the prescribed
industrialised agriculture.
syllabus.
Monocultures, disappearance of traditional
crop varieties, pollution risk due to use of Suggested Assignments
pesticides and inorganic fertilizers; problems
of irrigation – surface and ground water. 1. Make a survey of any one threat to the local
environment with suggestions as to how the impact
(b) Environmental damage due to large farm units.
of the threat could be gradually reduced.
Self-explanatory.
2. Make a functional model of an
(c) Food mountains in developed countries.
apparatus/equipment that could be used to alleviate
Surplus and waste. the impact of any pollutant and, make a survey to
(d) The Green Revolution. study the effectiveness of this
apparatus/equipment. (The report of the study is to
Discussion on whether Green Revolution is a
form a part of the Project Work.)
success or a failure.

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 CLASS X

There will be one paper of two hours duration carrying (c) Strategies for controlling growth of population.
80 marks and Internal Assessment of 20 marks.
Strategies to include family planning and birth
The paper will have two Sections: control, health care, education, economic
development; women-centered human
Section A (Compulsory) will contain short answer
development.
questions covering the entire syllabus.
(d) Development framework for poverty
Section B will contain six questions. Candidates will
alleviation.
be required to answer any four questions from this
section. Social mobilisation, agricultural development,
small-scale industries, human development.
1. Controlling Air Pollution Not to be tested, for knowledge and
(a) From domestic combustion. understanding only.

Reducing pollution from domestic cooking; 3. Managing the Urban environment

clean cooking - kerosene as a desirable
(a) Urbanisation - a challenge to the future.
cooking fuel in rural areas.
Sustainable cities: the need of the hour.
(b) From industries.
(b) Planning environmental improvement.
Measures for controlling industrial air
pollution - technological measures (energy Efficient land use, planning energy, shelter and
efficient devices, clean technologies), transport; water supply management,
meteorological controls; zoning strategy; wastewater and sanitary waste management,
penalties and subsidies; Case Study: the Taj construction activities.
Trapezium.
(c) Rural development to counter migration.
(c) From vehicles.
Self-explanatory.
Vehicle emission control - modify engine
(d) Development of secondary cities to counter
design (catalytic converters, four stroke
migration.
engines), clean fuels, public transport options,
traffic management, economic policy Self-explanatory.
measures. (e) Community participation and contribution of
private enterprises.
2. Addressing Population
(a) The link between growing population and Community participation in keeping
environmental degradation. surroundings clean, participation of private
enterprises in city improvement, measures to
UN’s population projections for 2050, the increase private enterprise participation.
climate link, the choice of alternative futures.
Growing population in the developing 4. Managing Soil and Land
countries and rising consumption in the
developed countries. (a) Conserving soil.
(b) The demographic transition. Erosion control techniques - terracing,
Stages of transition, transition stages of certain contour ploughing, dry farming, tree planting,
developed nations and developing nations bunds, gullies, wind-breaks, use of organic
(such as India, China, Korea, Malaysia). Not fertilizers.
to be tested, for knowledge and understanding Soil conservation techniques - land-use
only. management, vegetative and mechanical
practices, conserving soil and water together;

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 appropriate cropping systems – cropping Trickle drip irrigation – need for a trickle drip
patterns (strip cropping), tree crops, and irrigation system; operation of a drip
foliage crops. irrigation system; advantages and
disadvantages.
(b) Land reforms.
New organic fertilizers – integrated nutrient
Meaning, measures enforced in India to give
supply programme, organic fertilizers - bulky
land to the landless.
organic manures, green manures, bio-
(c) Integrated rural development. fertilizers, and sewage sludge.
Objectives, self-help schemes like social and Gene banks – what are gene banks; objectives
community forestry. of maintaining gene banks.
(d) Role of women and community in (b) Problem of global food security, food aid.
conservation.
Global food imbalance, distributional
Self-explanatory. inequality; role of food aid in achieving global
(e) Combating deforestation. food security.

Reforestation, energy plantations, forest 6. Biodiversity

harvesting of non-timber forest products,
(a) Biodiversity at risk due to human actions.
exploring alternative sources of livelihood,
change in consumption patterns. Reasons for loss of biodiversity; Man - the
super consumer: impact of his actions on the
(f) Managing forest grazing.
earth’s resources; reasons for concern:
Causes and consequences of overgrazing, economic, ecological and aesthetic.
controlled forest grazing as in National Forest
(b) Conserving our genetic resource: in-situ and
Policy, 1988.
ex-situ; harvesting wildlife.
(g) Alternatives to timber.
In-situ - wildlife sanctuaries, national parks
Recycling of timber and paper. and biosphere reserves.
Ex-situ – zoological parks, botanical gardens,
5. Food
gene banks in agricultural research centres
(a) Sustainable agriculture. and forestry institutions.
Integrated pest management – understanding Harvesting wildlife to meet commercial needs.
the term, aims, advantages, disadvantages.
(c) Conservation strategies at national and
Genetically modified organisms, application international levels.
in plants and animals and environmental risks.
Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Project Tiger
New crop strains – high yielding varieties and 1973, IUCN, the Ramsar Convention on
their viability, hybrid varieties. Wetlands, 1971, CITES, The Convention on
Mixed cropping – advantages and Biological Diversity.
disadvantages; regenerative farming
techniques - intercropping, crop rotation, agro 7. Energy
forestry, polyvarietal cultivation and (a) Fossil fuels used to produce electricity.
polyculture.
Electricity: energy on demand; dwindling
Conservation tillage farming - meaning of supplies of fossil fuels; renewable and non-
conservation tillage, advantages and renewable energy resources. Not to be tested,
disadvantages. for knowledge and understanding only.

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 (b) Nuclear energy. 10. Towards a Sustainable Future
Nuclear fission, advantages and disadvantages (a) Global interdependence – economic and
of nuclear energy; safety concerns environmental.
(the Chernobyl disaster); nuclear fusion. Concept of economic and environmental
(c) A sustainable energy future. global interdependence; global environmental
health – the shared responsibility of nations;
Energy conservation; alternative energy trade and aid as ways of reducing world
sources - solar energy, wind energy, inequalities.
hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, biomass,
liquid fuels from biomass- methanol, ethanol, (b) International cooperation.
gasohol, CNG, hydrogen. The Montreal Protocol; the Global
Environmental Facility (GEF) support; the
8. Waste Earth Summit, UN’s International Conference
(a) Solid waste: the throwaway society. on Population and Development (Cairo); the
Kyoto Treaty.
Solid waste, biodegradable and non-
biodegradable materials; where does the trash (c) Sustainable development.
go - landfills and incinerators. The concept of sustainable development,
(b) Solid waste: options for the future. sustainable development and developed
countries; sustainable development and
Producing less waste, reusing, recycling, developing countries.
composting, vermiculture, biotechnology;
(d) Role of non-governmental organisations.
finding alternatives to materials we use.
Self-explanatory.
9. Environment and Development (e) Technology that sustains.
(a) Global environmental pollution. Satellite imagery as a means of monitoring the
Who is responsible - developed or developing global environment: satellite remote sensing,
countries? Need for mutual cooperation. advantages in collecting environmental data,
applying data in areas of environmental
(b) Economic development and environmental damage as deforestation, desertification, land
degradation. degradation, wastelands, mining, ozone layer
Role of developed and developing countries; depletion and predicting droughts and floods.
contrasting views of developed and developing The concept of alternate technology, adopting
countries; debt trap. alternate technology to create self-sustaining
(c) International trade. societies in the developed and developing
world.
Its link to environmental deterioration – unfair
trade practices. Role of biotechnology in achieving global food
security.
(d) Role of multinational corporations.
Definition of MNCs, their contribution to
development and debatable contribution to
environment; case study - Bhopal gas tragedy;
measures to regulate activities of MNCs in
developing countries.

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 INTERNAL ASSESSMENT EVALUATION
A minimum of three assignments as prescribed by the The assignments/project work are to be evaluated by
teacher, need to be completed. the subject teacher and by an External Examiner.
(The External Examiner may be a teacher nominated by
Suggested Assignments
the Head of the school, who could be from the faculty,
1. Make a field study of the effect of human but not teaching the subject in the section/class. For
interaction on the natural environment and write a example, a teacher of EVS of Class VIII may be
project report (1500 words) on the likely impact of deputed to be an External Examiner for Class X,
the interaction on the global environment. Environmental Science projects.)
2. Prepare an original study/essay (2000 words) on an The Internal Examiner and the External Examiner will
area of the prescribed curriculum that is indicative assess the assignments independently.
of his/her appreciation/concern for environmental
issues and make a functional model to support the Award of marks (20 Marks)
above.
Subject Teacher (Internal Examiner) 10 marks
External Examiner 10 marks
The total marks obtained out of 20 are to be sent to the
Council by the Head of the school.
The Head of the school will be responsible for the entry
of marks on the mark sheets provided by the Council.

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 INTERNAL ASSESSMENT IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE - GUIDELINES FOR MARKING WITH GRADES
Criteria Preparation Investigation/ Analysis/Inference Solutions Presentation Marks
Gathering Data Alternatives/
Innovations
Grade I Follows instructions with Is able to ask right Analyses Innovative Accurate. Feasible, 4 marks
understanding, modifies if questions. Knows whom systematically. Can ideas neat, well labelled
needed. Background to ask, when and how. see sequences or presented. diagrams. Index and
information correct. Level Can deal with more than correlation. Can Alternatives references given.
of awareness high. one variable. segregate fact from suggested.
opinion.
Grade II Follows instructions step- Is able to ask questions Makes observations Alternatives Accurate. Neat, well 3 marks
by-step. Awareness is and identify whom to ask correctly. Analysis presented. labelled diagrams,
good. Background when and how. Can fair. Innovative but index and references
information correct. handle two variables not practical. given.
only.

Grade III Follows simple instructions Needs help with the Observation - help Obvious A bit disorganised, 2 marks
only. Awareness basic. investigations. Has needed. Needs solutions but neat and
Background information suggestions but cannot guidance to see presented. Not accurate. Either
sketchy. decide. correlations or innovative. index or references
sequence. missing.

Grade IV Follows some instructions Needs to be told what Detailed instructions Thinks of Poorly organised. 1 mark
but confused. Has to be questions to be asked, required to draw solutions Some things
made aware. Background whom to ask or where to inferences. Charts under missing. Index and
information incorrect in gather the data from. have to be made. guidance. references missing.
places.

Grade V Confused about Gets stuck at every step. Even with help, Solutions not Overall impression 0 mark
instructions. Has to be Questionnaire has to be analysis is not clear. forthcoming. very poor. Not very
made aware. Needs help formulated. Takes teacher’s word accurate.
with background for it.
information.

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