Module 1 - Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies

Multidisciplinary nature of environmental

studies

Definition of environment
• The word environment is derived from the French word environner,
meaning external conditions or surroundings.
• External conditions or surroundings is the environment which is the
aggregate of physical, chemical, biological, and social components on Earth
which are capable of causing direct or indirect effects in the short or
long term on living and non-living things and their interactions and
activities.
• Environment means the surrounding external conditions influencing the
development or growth of people, animals, or plants; living or working
conditions, etc.

Some important definitions of the environment are as under:

According to Boring:

‘A person’s environment consists of the sum total of the stimulation which

he receives from his conception until his death.

It can be concluded from the above definition that Environment comprises

various types of forces such as physical, intellectual, economic, political,
cultural, social, moral, and emotional. The environment is the sum total of all the
external forces, influences, and conditions, which affect life, nature, behaviour,
and the growth, development, and maturation of living organisms.

Douglas and Holland (1947),

“Environment is ‘a word which describes, in the aggregate, all of the

extrinsic (external) forces influences and conditions, which affect the life,
nature, behaviour and the growth, development, and maturation of living
organisms.”

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 Module 1 - Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies

Scope of environment
The environment consists of four segments which are as follows

1. Atmosphere
2. Hydrosphere
3. Lithosphere
4. Biosphere

Atmosphere:

• The atmosphere implies the protective blanket of gases, surrounding the

earth which includes nitrogen and oxygen. Besides, argon, carbon dioxide,
and trace gases.
• It sustains life on the earth.
• It saves it from the hostile environment of outer space.
• It absorbs most of the cosmic rays from outer space and a major portion
of the electromagnetic radiation from the sun.
• It transmits only here ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared radiation
(300 to 2500 nm) and radio waves. (0.14 to 40 m) while filtering out
tissue-damaging ultra violate waves below about 300 nm.

Hydrosphere:

• The Hydrosphere comprises all types of water resources oceans, seas,

lakes, rivers, streams, reservoirs, polar ice caps, glaciers, and
groundwater.
• Nature 97% of the earth’s water supply is in the oceans, and about 2% of
the water resources are locked in the polar icecaps and glaciers.
• Only about 1% is available as fresh surface water-rivers, lakes streams,
and groundwater fit to be used for human consumption and other uses.

Lithosphere

• Lithosphere is the outer mantle of the solid earth.

• It consists of minerals occurring in the earth’s crusts and the soil e.g.
minerals, organic matter, air, and water.

Biosphere

• Biosphere indicates the realm of living organisms and their

interactions with the environment, viz atmosphere, hydrosphere, and
lithosphere.

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 Module 1 - Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies

Multidisciplinary nature of environmental studies

• Environment studies is a multi-disciplinary science because it

comprises various branches of studies like chemistry, physics, medical
science, life science, agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering etc.
• Life science includes biology, zoology, botany, genetics, and
biochemistry which help in understanding the biotic components and their
interaction.
• Physical science includes physics, chemistry, earth science, and
atmospheric science which help in understanding the physical and
chemical structure of the biotic components, and energy transfer and
flow.
• Mathematics, statistics and computer science serve as effective
tools in environmental modelling and management.
• Economics, sociology, law, education, management, and mass
communication provide input for dealing with socio-economic aspects
associated with various developmental activities.
• Civil, chemical, hydraulic, and nanotechnology form the basis for
various technologies dealing with the control of environmental pollution,
waste treatment and development of cleaner technologies that are
important for the protection of the environment.
• So as the environment is complex and made up of many different
environments like natural, constructed and cultural environments.
• By studying environmental science, students may develop a breadth
of interdisciplinary and methodological knowledge in the environmental

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fields that enables them to facilitate the definition and solution of

environmental problems.

Scope of environmental studies

Environmental studies as a subject have a wide scope. It includes a large number
of areas and aspects, which may be summarized as follows

1. Natural resources- their conservation and management

• The study creates awareness among the people to know about various
renewable and nonrenewable resources of the region.
• The endowment or potential, patterns of utilization, and the balance of
various resources available for future use in the state of a country are
analyzed in the study.
2. Ecology and Biodiversity
• It provides knowledge about ecological systems and cause and effect
relationships.
• It provides necessary information about biodiversity richness and the
potential dangers to the species of plants, animals, and microorganisms in
the environment
3. Environmental pollution and control
• The study enables one to understand the causes and consequences due to
natural and human-induced disasters (flood, earthquake, landslide,
cyclones, etc.,) and pollution and measures to minimize the effects.
• It enables one to evaluate alternative responses to environmental issues
before deciding an alternative course of action
4. Human population and environment
• The study exposes the problems of overpopulation, health, hygiene, etc.,
and the role of arts, science, and technology in eliminating/ minimizing
the evils in the society
5. Social issues concerning the development and the environment
• The study tries to identify and develop appropriate and indigenous eco-
friendly skills and technologies for various environmental issues.

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Importance of environment studies

• The importance of environmental studies is that the current trend of
environmental degradation can be reversed if people of educated
communities are organized and empowered and experts are involved in
sustainable development.
• Environmental factors greatly influence every organism and their
activities.
• At present a great number of environmental issues, have grown in size
and complexity day by day, threatening the survival of mankind on earth.
• These issues are studied besides giving effective suggestions in
environmental studies.
• The environment studies enlighten us, about the importance of protection
and conservation of our natural resources, the indiscriminate release of
pollution into the environment, etc.
• Environment studies have become significant for the following reasons:

1. Environment Issues Being of International Importance:

• It has been well recognized that environmental issues like global
warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, marine pollution, and loss of
biodiversity are not merely national issues but are global issues and hence
must be tackled with international efforts and cooperation.
2. Problems Cropped in The Wake of Development:
• Development, in its wake gave birth to Urbanization, Industrial
Growth, Transportation Systems, Agriculture and Housing, etc.
• However, it has become phased out in the developed world.
• The North, to cleanse their own environment has, a fact fully,
managed to move ‘dirty’ factories to the South.
• When the West developed, it did so perhaps in ignorance of the
environmental impact of its activities.
• Evidently such a path is neither practicable nor desirable, even if
the developing world follows that.
3. Explosively Increase in Pollution:
• World census reflects that one in every seven persons in this plant lives
in India.
• Evidently with 16 percent of the world's population and only 2.4 percent
of its land area, there is heavy pressure on the natural resources
including land.

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• Agricultural experts have recognized soil health problems like deficiency

of micronutrients and organic matter, soil salinity, and damage to soil
structure.
4. Need for An Alternative Solution:
• It is essential, especially for developing countries to find alternative
paths to an alternative goal. We need a goal as under:
• A goal, which ultimately is the true goal of developing an environmentally
sound and sustainable development.
• A goal common to all citizens of our earth.
• A goal distant from the developing world in the manner it is from the
overconsuming wasteful societies of the “developed” world.
5. Need To Save Humanity From Extinction:
• It is incumbent upon us to save humanity from extinction.
• Consequences of our activities cause destructing the environment and
depleting the biosphere, in the name of development.
6. Need For Wise Planning of Development:
• Our survival and sustenance depend.
• Resources withdrawal, processing and use of the product have all to be
synchronized with the ecological cycles in any plan of development.
• Our actions should be planned ecologically for the sustenance of the
environment and development.

Need for public awareness

• It can be introduced as a course in schools and colleges.

• A government at its level cant achieve the goals of sustainable

development until the public has a participatory role in it.

• Mass media as newspapers, magazines, radios, tv, etc., can play an

important role in educating the masses regarding environmental problems
and issues.

• Through organizing seminars and conferences, organizing meeting

seminars, and conferences at various levels help in spreading
environmental information to the general public.

• Awareness can also be spread by organizing various competitions on

environmental problems, non-conventional energy sources, etc.

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• Environmental awareness can also be propagated through folk songs,

street plays, documentaries, etc.,

Public awareness is necessary for the following reasons

Growing Population:

• A population of over thousands of millions is growing at 2.11 percent

every year.
• Over 17 million people are added each year.
• It puts considerable pressure on its natural resources and reduces the
gains of development.
• Hence, the greatest challenge before us is to limit population growth.
• Although population control does automatically lead to development,
the development leads to a decrease in population growth rates.

Poverty:

• India has often been described as a rich land with poor people.
• Poverty and environmental degradation are mixed.
• The vast majority of our people are directly dependent on the natural
resources of the country for their basic needs of food, fuel shelter,
and fodder.
• About 40% of our people are still below the poverty line.

Environment degradation

• It has adversely affected the poor who depend upon the resources of
their immediate surroundings.
• Thus, the challenge of poverty and the challenge of environmental
degradation are two aspects of the same challenge.

Agricultural Growth:

• The people must be made familiar with the methods to sustain and
increase agricultural growth without damaging the environment.
• High-yielding varieties have caused soil salinity and damage to the
physical structure of the soil.

Need to Increase Groundwater:

• It is essential of rationalizing the use of groundwater.

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• Factors like community wastes, industrial effluents, chemical

fertilizers, and pesticides have polluted our surface water and
affected the quality of the groundwater.
• It is essential to restore the water quality of our rivers and other
water bodies.
• Suitable strategies for the conservation of water, provision of safe
drinking water, and keeping water bodies clean should be developed.

Development and Forests:

• Forests serve catchments for the rivers.

• With the increasing water demand, a plan to harness the mighty river
through large irrigation projects was made.
• Certainly, these would submerge forests; displace local people, and
damage flora and fauna.
• Forests in India have been shrinking for several centuries owing to
pressures of agriculture and other uses.

Degradation of Land:

• At present out of the total 329 MHA of land, only 266 MHA possess any
production potential.
• Of this, 143 MHA is agricultural land nearly and 85 suffer from varying
degrees of soil degradation.
• Of the remaining 123 MHA, 40 are completely unproductive. The
remaining 83 MHA is classified as forest land, of which over half is
denuded to various degrees.
• Nearly 406 million heads of livestock have to be supported on 13 MHA, or
less than 4 percent of the land classified as pasture land, most of which
is overgrazed.
• Thus, out of 226 MHA, about 175 MHA or 66 percent is degraded to
varying degrees.
• Water and wind erosion causes further degradation of almost 150 MHA
• This degradation is to be avoided.

Evil Consequences of Urbanization:

• Nearly 27% of Indians live in urban areas.

• Urbanization and industrialization have given birth to a great number of
environmental problems.
• Over 30 percent of urban Indians live in slums.

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• Out of India’s 3,245 towns and cities, only 21 have partial or full
sewerage and treatment facilities.
• Hence, coping with rapid urbanization is a major challenge.

Air and Water Pollution:

• Majority of our industrial plants are using outdated and pollution-causing

technologies and makeshift facilities devoid of any provision for treating
their wastes.
• A great number of cities and industrial areas have been identified as the
worst in terms of air and water pollution.
• Acts are enforced in the country, but their implementation is not so easy.
• The reason is their implementation needs great resources, technical
expertise, and political and social will.
• Again the people are to be made aware of these rules. Their support is
indispensable to implement these rules

Assignment
1. What is the Environment?

2. Discuss the scope of Environment studies.

3. Describe the importance of environmental studies.

4. “The need for public awareness about the environment is of vital

importance.” Discuss.

5. Define environments.

6. Discuss the scope of the environment.

7. Write a note on the importance of environmental studies.

8. Write a note on the need for public awareness about the

environment.

9. Write a note on the scope of the environment.

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