Unit-IV

Human Population and Environment

Population Growth, Human Rights, Family Welfare Programmes, Environment and Human
Health, HIV/AIDS, Women and Child Welfare, Role of IT.
1. POPULATION GROWTH
Population
Population is a group of organisms of a particular species, sharing a particular characteristic of
interest, most often that of living in a given area at a specific time.
Population growth
Population growth is the change in a population per unit time. Population growth can be positive,
static or negative.
Major Periods of Growth of Human Population
As of November 2011, the human population of the world is 7 billion (estimated by the United
States Census Bureau).
The growth of human population is summarized in the following four periods:
i. Hunter-gatherer Era: It refers to the earliest period of human history. Humans were
mainly hunters and used to live in forests.
ii. Agricultural Era: Humans learnt agricultural practices and cultures were evolved.
iii. Era of Industrial Revolution: This era was of industrial advances.
iv. Modern Industrial Era Scientific and industrial revolution touched every sphere of
human life: health, education, living style, etc.

Factors affecting Population Growth:

1. Birth Rate: The crude birth rate is the number of child’s birth per 1000 people per year. In
India: 51 births a minute, 3,060 an hour, 73,440 a day, which calculates to nearly 26.1 million a
year. The birth rates are affected by a number of factors :
– Social beliefs – Literacy
– Religious beliefs – Economic prosperity
– Mortality rate – Abortion rate
2. Death Rate: The crude death rate is the number of deaths per 1000 people per year. The crude
death rate in India in 1981 was approximately 12.5, and that decreased to approximately 8.7 in
1999. The death rates are affected by a number of factors:
– Better medical facility – Tidy environment
3. Immigration: People from towns and villages generally migrate to cities in search of jobs and
better living standards which overpopulate the cities. Similarly, people from developing
countries try to migrate to developed countries making them overpopulated. This may also
happens due to natural causes like hurricanes, earthquakes etc.
4. Illiteracy: People of lower and poor classes generally have larger families due to poor education
facilities. In India, particularly in villages, due to religious beliefs or due to eagerness to have a
male child people tend to have big families.

Causes of population growth:

 i. Increase in food production and distribution.
ii. Improvement in public health.
iii. Advancements in medical technology.
iv. High birth rate and low death rate.
v. Attitude towards male child.
vi. Decline of infant mortality rate.
vii. Lack of public awareness.
viii. Illiteracy ignorance and superstitions.

Effects of population growth:

i. Environmental
• Deforestation
• Global Warming – Natural disasters, sea level rising
• Lack of natural resources
• Lack of freshwater
• Pollution
ii. Economic
• There aren't enough jobs for the number of people in the country so Unemployment
increases.
• There is increased Poverty because more people are born into families that are already
poor.
iii. Social
• Services like Healthcare and education can’t cope with the rapid increase in population,
so not everyone has access to them.
• Child labour: Children have to work to help support their large families, so they miss out
on education.
• There aren't enough houses for everyone, so people are forced to live in makeshift houses
in Overcrowded settlements. This leads to health problems because the houses aren't
always connected to sewers or they don’t have access to clean water.
• There are Food shortages if the country cant grow or import enough food for the
population.
iv. Political
• Most of the population is made up of Young people so the government focuses on
policies that are important to young people e.g. education and provision of things such
as childcare.
• There are fewer older people so the government doesn’t have to focus on policies that are
important to Older people e.g. pensions.
• The government has to make Policies to bring population growth under control so the
social and economic impacts of rapid population growth don’t get any worse.

Control measures for Population growth:

i. Education: Educate people in rural areas.
ii. Age of marriage should be raised.
iii. Family planning facilities.
iv. Women-empowerment.
v. Easy & cheap availability of contraceptives.
 vi. Legislation.
vii. Two-child policy and Gender Un-biasness.
.
Population Forecasting Methods
To plan services like designing a new water supply scheme and/or wastewater treatment plant, the
population needs to be calculated after a few decades so that the scheme remains useful for the
expected period. For population forecasting, data available from a municipality-based census is
used.
Important methods of population forecasting are described below:
A. Arithmetical Increase Method: This method is useful for metro cities which have reached
their saturation. This method is based on the principle that the rate of change of population
with time is constant. Future population is calculated by using the following formula:
Px = P0 + x I

Where:
Px is forecasted population in the ‘x’ decade
P0 is present population
x is number of decades between P0 and Px
I is average increase of population in a decade
B. Geometric Increase Method: This method is useful for developing countries which have
high population growth. This method is based on the principle that the percentage growth
rate of a population with time is constant. Future population as per this method is calculated
by using the following formula:
𝑟
Px = P0 + [1 + 100]𝑥

Where
Px is forecasted population in the ‘x’ decade
P0 is present population
x is number of decades between P0 and 𝑃𝑥
r is the percentage growth rate of population
C. Incremental Increase Method: This method is useful for cities of medium population growth.
To have more accurate predictions, both arithmetic and geometrical increase of population is
taken into consideration. As per this method, future population is calculated by using the
following formula:
𝑥(𝑥+1)𝑟′
Px = P0 + x I + x I + 2
Where
Px is forecasted population in the ‘x’ decade
P0 is present population
x is number of decades between P0 and Px
I is average increment of a decade
r’ is the average incremental rate of a decade
D. Graphical Extension Method This method consists of the following
steps:
Step I: Draw a growth curve between population and time using the past data.
Step II: Obtain shape of the curve till the present population.
Step III: Extend the curve till the decade of population forecasting
 Demography: Study of statistics of human populations. Here statistics such as birth, deaths,
income, incidence of disease etc. are considered
Demographic Transition: Change from stable population with high fertility and mortality to a
new stability in population due to low fertility and mortality.
There are five demographic stages/phases:
Phase-I: Due to lack of awareness, poor medical facilities, low education levels and natural
disasters, high birth rates and high death rates are there.
Phase-II: In developing countries, due to advancement in technologies and improvement in
medical facilities and education system, death rates dropped rapidly compared to corresponding
birth rates. This caused high increase in population in countries.
Phase-III: In this, due to urbanization and industrialization, reduction in natural resources,
women’s education and family planning scheme, high reduction in birth rates was observed which
tried to level off the population growth.
Phase-IV: In this phase, both birth rates and death rates are low. High living standards and more
jobs by women lead to reduction in fluctuating birth rates and death rates are also low because of
high technologies and excellent medical facilities.
Phase-V: In developed countries like UK where population are now reducing well below their
replacement level and population growth may tend to negative or zero.
Population Explosion:
It is the sudden spurt in the rate of population growth. Occurs in 2 nd as well as 3rd stage of
demographic transition.
Population Explosion in Indian Context India alone has about 16% of the world’s population.
India has a population growth rate of about 2.15%. Population growth is the reason for every
environmental problem faced by Indian citizens:
i. About one-third of the total population is poor and is subject to live below the poverty
line.
ii. About 53% of India’s total land area is prone to soil erosion.
iii. Forests have been declining.
iv. Water and other natural resources are diminishing.
v. Major population lacks basic amenities of living such as water, food, health care, etc.
vi. Ecosystems and biodiversity is in danger.
vii. India is facing energy crisis.
viii. Due to upcoming shelter needs for the growing population, agricultural land is
shrinking and leading to food crisis.
ix. Population explosion has resulted in overcrowding, creation of slums, etc.
x. Because of unemployment, rural people are migrating to urban cities; so the
government is not able to provide jobs to all.
Population Stabilization
Population stabilization means the attainment of zero growth, in which the number of births in a
population equals the number of deaths. Population stabilization occurs when parents have enough
children to replace them in population. In industrialized countries, a total fertility rate of 2.1 is
considered to be a replacement-level fertility needed for population stabilization.
2. Human Rights:
Human rights are the rights a person has which he or she must enjoy on this earth because he or
she is a human being.
Rights Guaranteed by the Indian Constitution (Fundamental Rights)
The rights guaranteed by the Indian constitution are called fundamental rights because
i. These rights are quite essential for the all-round development of the citizens,
ii. No government can abridge or abolish them, and
iii. Democratic government is not possible to run without these rights being given to the
citizens.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in1948. The declaration states that the inherent dignity of all members of the human family is the
foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. With the main objective of teaching the
common language of humanity to people and to build a universal culture of human rights, the
United Nations has initiated efforts to promote human rights education. It is believed that
knowledge (Information about human rights and the mechanisms that exists to protect rights) helps
in development of values, beliefs and attitudes (towards the establishment of a peaceful and
harmonious society) which promotes an action (encouraging people to defend human rights and
prevent human rights abuses).
Some of the important articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are summarized
below:
Article 1 All human beings are born free and are equal in dignity and rights.
Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind, such
as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.
Article 3 Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4 No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be
prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.
Article 6 Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7 All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal
protection of the law.
Article 8 Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for
acts violating the fundamental rights granted to him/her by the constitution or by law.
Article 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10 Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and
impartial tribunal, in the determination of his/her rights and obligations and of any criminal charge
against him/her.
Article 11
• Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved
guilty according to law in a public trial at which he/she has had all the guarantees necessary
for his/her defense.
• No one shall be held guilty of any panel offence on account of any act or omission which
did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it
was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at
the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his/her privacy, family, home
or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his/her honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to
the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13
• Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each
state.
• Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his/her own, and to return to his/her
country.
Article 14
• Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
• This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from
nonpolitical crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the UN.
Article 15
• Everyone has the right to a nationality.
• No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his/her nationality nor denied the right to change
his/her nationality.
Article 16
• Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have
the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage,
during marriage and at its dissolution.
• Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
• The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection
by society and the state.
Article 17
• Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
• No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his/her property.
Article 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right
includes freedom to change his/her religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community
with others and in public or private, to manifest his/her religion or belief in teaching, practice,
worship and observance.
Article 19 Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and
ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
• Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21
• Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his/her country, directly or through
freely chosen representatives.
• Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his/her country.
• The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be
expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage
and shall be held by a secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22 Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to
realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the
organization and resources of each state, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable
for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23
 • Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable
conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
• Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
• Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for
himself/herself and his/her family an existence worthy of human dignity, and
supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
• Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his/her
interests.
Article 24 Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working
hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
• Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of
himself/herself and of his/her family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care
and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment,
sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances
beyond his/her control.
• Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether
born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26
• Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and
fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional
education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally
accessible to all on the basis of merit.
• Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the
strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote
understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religions groups, and
shall further the activities of the UN for the maintenance of peace.
• Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their
children.
Article 27
• Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy
the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. Everyone has the right to
the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or
artistic production of which he/she is the author.
Article 28 Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms
set forth in this declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29 Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of
his/her personality is possible.
• In the exercise of his/her rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such
limitations as are determined by law slowly for the purpose of securing due recognition
and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of
morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
• These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and the
principles of UN.
Article 30 Nothing in this declaration may be interpreted as implying for any state, group or person
any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the
rights and freedoms set forth herein.
3. Family welfare programmes
Family welfare programmes aim at improving the quality of life by providing food, shelter,
medical facilities, education and developmental assistance. It also emphasis on the role of jobs,
safe water supply, environmental sanitation, healthy work conditions, and smart investments in
education and healthcare in improving welfare of families. A focused approach in this direction
will improve productivity and economic growth.
Objectives of Family Welfare Programmes:
The objective of the National Family Welfare Programme, launched in 1952 in India has been to
stabilize the population at a level consistent with the requirement of the national economy by
reducing the birth rate to the extent necessary.
Salient features:
i. India was the first country in the world to launch a national programme for family planning
when it did so in 1952. In India, family planning has been chiefly due to the efforts of the
government.
ii. The programme has undergone a massive transformation from its early days when the focus
was in terms of a clinical approach to today when the focus is on reproductive health, and
in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates, child mortality and morbidity.
iii. The National Population Policy (NPP) launched in 2000 has helped in the reduction of
fertility.
iv. As part of the programme, the government established several clinics for reproductive
health and family planning.
v. There is also much awareness through various media propagating family planning, the need
for spacing between children, and for having a lesser number of children per couple.
vi. The government has popularized the slogan, “Hum Do, Humare Do”, for promoting the
Two-Child Norm.
vii. The programme was tied to the Five Year Plans of the government.
viii. Over the course of the years, the preferred method of birth control shifted from rhythm
method to sterilization and IUDs.
ix. In the 1970s, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had executed a forced sterilisation
programme which led to people having an aversion to sterilisation.
x. By the year 1996, the family planning programme had successfully averted an estimated
16.8 crore births.
xi. However, there is a variance between regions in the country in family planning adoption.
Achievments of Family Welfare Programmes:

i. The fertility rate is on a decline. In 1966, it was 5.7 births per woman, while as on 2014
(latest data), it is 2.3 births per woman. This is only 0.2 less than the ideal replacement
rate of 2.1.
ii. There is more awareness of more modern methods of contraception.
 iii. There has been an increase in the usage of contraceptives including condoms, which
are also essential to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
iv. There is increased awareness of female sterilization techniques, which are safer.
v. Among educated women and high-income groups, the fertility rate is low.
vi. The annual exponential growth in the population of the country has been decreasing,
from 2.20% in 1971, it was 1.64% in 2011.

Problems of Family Welfare Programmes:

i. Awareness (poor): Inadequate awareness about family welfare programmes, like Pulse-
Polio Movement.
ii. Infanticide (girl child) : Due to female infanticide, male–female sex ratio has reached
an alarming stage at the national as well as state levels.
iii. Male dominance : Due to male dominance in society, women are generally forced to
adopt means of family planning.

4. Environment and Human health:

Environment is defined as man along with his surroundings, which consists of biotic, abiotic and
sociological components. Therefore, when we cause danger to these components, which surrounds
us, they in turn affect our health.
The environmental dangers created by man are many: Population explosion, unregulated
urbanization, creating water, air and landscape pollution, deforestation, desertification, use of
pesticides in agriculture etc.
Every one of these has implications for the health of the individual as well as society as a whole.
Health hazards may be arising from: water contamination or pollution, air pollution, use of
pesticides enters through food chain, radiation effect of nuclear water, diseases caused from
improper disposal of solid wastes and also due to noise pollution.
Resource depletion, waste generation, disturbance of ecosystems, consumerism, discharge of air
or water pollutants, etc., are some of the human activities which have continuously been changing
our environment. As a result of this, human health has been adversely affected.
The following facts are indicators which support that health is an outcome of the interactions of
humans with their environment:
i. Due to exposure to the air pollutants released by industries, motor vehicles, smoking,
etc., humans suffer from serious respiratory diseases such as tuberculosis and lung
cancer.
ii. Due to consumption of impure water, cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea, dysentery, etc., are
caused.
iii. Due to contamination of water through harmful pesticides, cancer, infertility and
neurological diseases are caused.
iv. Due to scarcity of water and consequent unhygienic conditions, tuberculosis, tetanus
and leprosy are caused.
v. Due to stagnant water, mosquitoes breed and spread malaria.
vi. Due to high-rise buildings, visual pollution and mental strain is caused.
vii. Due to untreated human excreta, several kinds of virus and bacteria grow which give
rise to diseases like cholera, typhoid, jaundice, diarrhoea, etc.
 viii. By direct contact with blood of infected persons or by exchange of body fl uids during
sexual contact, Acquired Immune Defi ciency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused.
ix. By consuming arsenic-contaminated water for more than 5 years, humans develop
colour change on the skin, cancer of skin, bladder, kidney, lungs and legs.
x. Deforestation has resulted in biodiversity loss and depleted flora and fauna.
.
We must work for a sustainable environment, which ultimately will result in good health for all.
A sustainable environment and good health is achieved through
i. Avoiding consumerism.
ii. Anti-smoking movements and campaigns.
iii. Population control.
iv. Using public transport, controlling transport emissions.
v. Afforestation and reforestation.
vi. Preventing industrial pollution, preferred use of renewable nonconventional energy
instead of thermal power generation.
vii. Reduction in the consumption of natural resources, protection and conservation of
natural resources,

5. HIV/AIDS -Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome

(AIDS). In the absence of an immune system, a minor disease may be fatal. AIDS is one of the
most destructive epidemics in recorded history. The Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization estimated that AIDS has killed more than 25
million people as of January 2006 since it was first recognized on December 1, 1981. There are 38
million patients are suffering from AIDS globally and about 23 lacs in India.
• Acquired means disease is not hereditary but develops after birth from contact with a
disease causing agent.
• Immune deficiency means that the disease is characterized by a weakening of immune
system.
• HIV-Human immune deficiency virus causes AIDS.
Transmission of AIDS
i. From an infected mother to her baby before birth, during birth and after birth. Breast
milk can also transmit HIV infection to the infant.
ii. HIV is mostly transmitted through semen and vaginal fluids during unprotected sex.
iii. Sharing of syringes and needles among intravenous drug users can transmit HIV from
an infected person to a normal person. Some nurses/doctors have become infected after
being stuck with needles containing HIV infected blood or through splashes inside his
or her nose or into their eyes.
iv. By transfusion of blood having HIV, the virus can be transmitted to healthy persons.
Screening test:
• ELISA-Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbant Assay
• Saliva and urine test
• Branched DNA test
• Immuno fluorescent antibody assay.
Symptoms:
• Persistent fever and night sweetening.
• Frequent fungal infections.
 • Fatigue, weakness.
• Swollen lymph glands.
• Diarrhea
• Weight and memory loss.
• Depression and other neurological disorders.
• Low number of T cells in blood.
Prevention of HIV/AIDS:
To ensure an HIV/AIDS free society, the following awareness and proactive actions need to be
implemented:
• Having a faithful monogamous sexual relationship with an uninfected partner
• Spreading awareness, proper medical care for HIV positive pregnant women can prevent
HIV infection to the newborn.
• Use of condoms (safe sex)
• Transfusion of unaffected blood ensured by proper test for HIV freeness.
• Use of sterilized dispensable syringes.
Social Impacts of HIV/AIDS: Impacts of AIDS are briefly summarized below:
• Millions of young people are dying every year due to AIDS. Increased mortality of
earning members results in loss of family income.
• Expenditures on treating the sick, caring for AIDS orphans, training to replace sick
workers keeps on growing.
• Victims of AIDS, who are still alive are unable to work. They require special medical care.
Newly trained workers have little knowledge and work experience so the productivity
reduces, increasing pressure for the state’s fi nances.
• Many orphans are left behind.
• Social unrest in the society is the outcome.
• Taxable population reduces as a result of mortalities, due to AIDS.
Treatment:
• AZT-Azidi thymidine
• DDI – Dideoxyinosine
6. Women and Child Welfare
Women and child are usually soft, who suffer in a number of ways mainly because they are weak,
helpless and economically dependent.
A. Women Welfare: The main aim of women welfare is to improve the status of the women by
providing opportunities in education, employment and economic independence.
Need of Women Welfare: Generally women face the following problems in the society. So there
is an urgent need for policy reforms and more stringent legislation, education and legal awareness
among women for checking injustice towards her.
i. Generally women suffer gender discrimination and devaluation at home, at workplace,
in matrimony, in public life and power.
ii. High number of cases of dowry deaths, rape, domestic violence, criminal- offences and
mental torture to women.
iii. The human rights of women are violated, in the male dominated society.
iv. Generally in policy making and decision making process, women are neglected.
Objectives of Women Welfare (or) Necessity of formation of women self help group: To
overcome the above problems, a sound national strategy is needed with the following objectives.
 i. To provide education.
ii. To impart vocational training.
iii. To generate awareness about the environment.
iv. To improve the employment opportunities.
v. To aware problems of population. To restore the dignity, status, equality and respect for
women.
Protection of Women rights
A. National Commission for Women: A National Commission for Women has been created
by Government of India, its main objectives are:
i. To examine constitutional and legal rights for women.
ii. To review existing legislations.
iii. To sensitize the enforcement and administrative machinery to women's causes.
B. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW): It has created an international standard for the protection and
promotion of women's human and socio-economic upliftment.
C. Non-Government Organizations (NGO's) as Mahila Mandals: It creates awareness
among women of remote villages to empower them, train them, educate them and help
them to become economically self-dependent.
D. Ministry for Women And Child Development: It aims to work for the upliftment of
women by family planning, health care, education and awareness.
B. Child Welfare
Children occupy nearly 40% of total population. They are considered to be the assets of a society.
Of 21 million children born every year in India, 20 million children in our country are estimated
to be working as child labours in various hazardous industries like match industry, fire work
industry, pottery industry.
Reason for Child Labours
i. Poverty: Poverty is the main reason to force these children to work in unhealthy
conditions.
ii. Want of Money: Parents require money for their family, so they are in a position to send
their children for work. Measures (or) Various schemes of Various Organisations towards
Child Welfare.
iii. Family size: Bigger and poor families.
Protection of child rights

A. UN Conventions on Rights of Child (or) International Law: It formulated a set of

international standards and measures to promote and protect the well being of children
in our society.
B. Rights of the Child: The international law defines right of the child to survival,
participation, development and protection.
i. The right to survival: It emphasizes on good standards of living, good nutrition and
health.
ii. The right to participation: It means freedom of thought and appropriate information
to the child.
iii. The right to development: It ensures access to education, childhood care and support,
social security and recreation.
 iv. The right to protection: It means freedom from exploitation, inhuman treatment and
neglect.
C. World summit on children: It had focussed agenda for the well being of the children
targeted to be achieved in the beginning of the new millennium.

7. Role of Information Technology in the Environment

Some of the important applications of IT in the field of environment and ecology are listed below:
i. Information Technology helps to achieve major objectives of environmental studies
like awareness, knowledge, skills, attitude and participation.
ii. Weather forecasting through Geographical Information System (GIS) for agricultural
production, water resource management, etc.
iii. Exploring the possible availability of crude oils, gold mines, metal ores, geothermal
power sources, etc.
iv. Remote Sensing Information System (RSIS) for:
a. Optimization of site selection for railways or industry, etc.
b. Biodiversity conservation by mapping and monitoring various natural resources
flora and fauna.
c. Monitoring of environmental pollution through remote sensing.
v. Disaster management in calamity-hit areas by extracting information.
vi. Simulation of environmental scenarios for analysis, prediction, decision making and
development activities.
vii. Collaboration, communication and coordination among environmental scientists for
decision-making.
viii. Information on health, epidemics and their prevention is maintained on web sites of the
World Health Organization. Through electronic media; dengue fever, bird flu and other
epidemics are brought to the attention of people.
ix. Dates of immunization and sanitation programmes are transmitted to public using
television, computers, satellite communication, etc.
x. Bioinformatics is used in the Human Genome Project (HGP) to create a map of the
entire set of genes (genome) in the human cell by decoding the three billion units of
human DNA.
xi. Help and expert opinion can be obtained from expert doctors of any part of the world
through telemedicine.
xii. Health training is imparted using satellite communication system.
Case Study
The world is facing many environmental problems. Humans are exploring and discovering
innovative solutions for these problems using information technology. They are working in
exploration and discovery teams and making observations, asking questions, exploring the
literature, finding inspiration, sharing data and ideas. For testing ideas, they are gathering data and
are working on various hypotheses and comparing observations and results of expected and actual
findings:
(1) Supportive, (2) Contradictory, (3) Surprising, or (4) inconclusive. This is helping them in
interpreting the data to (1) support, or (2) oppose, or (3) inspire revised/new hypothesis, or (4)
inspire revised assumptions, respectively.
Testing of hypotheses and ideas is done through discussions with colleagues, publication,
replication, peer review analysis and feedback. The above testing of ideas helps experts in coming
up with new questions and/ or ideas. It also helps in theory building. When curiosity is satisfied,
knowledge is built and technology is developed, social issues are addressed, policies are made and
informed, and then everyday problems get solved. These are the real benefits and outcomes of the
exploration and discovery process.