Environment and Sustainable

Development

Class 11
Chapter 9 –
Indian Economic Development
 Objectives
Environment and Sustainable Development
 To understand the concepts like environment and
sustainable development

 Analyze the causes and effects of environmental

degradation and resource depletion

 understand the nature of environmental challenges

facing our country

 Relate the environmental issues with the goal of

sustainable development
 What is the Environment?

The environment is the sum total of all the biotic elements like

plants and animals and abiotic elements like the air, water, soil, and

minerals that make up our surroundings and impact our existence

and the quality of our life.

 Functions of Environment
• Offers Resources: The environment offers resources for production.
It includes physical resources like minerals, wood, water, soil, and others which can be
used as inputs for production. Normally, two types of resources are provided by the environment,
namely:

• Renewable Resources: Renewable resources are those that can be used indefinitely
without getting depleted or exhausted. For example, air, sunlight etc.

• Non- Renewable Resources: These are the resources that deplete over time as a result
of extraction and use. For example, coal, fossil fuels etc.

• Environment Sustains Life: It includes resources like sun, soil, water, and air which are essential
for the sustenance of human life. The absence of these elements implies no existence of life.

• Environment Assimilates Waste: Production and consumption generate waste that the
environment absorbs.

• Enhances the Quality of Life: The environment enhances the quality of life through its
aesthetic and scenic beauty.
 Carrying Capacity of the Environment:
It refers to the situation where the exploitation of resources does
not exceed the regeneration of resources
and;
the generation of wastes does not exceed the absorption capacity
of the environment so that the environment is not polluted.

 Environmental crises occur when the carrying capacity of the

environment is exceeded through excessive exploitation of
natural resources and/or through the excessive generation of
wastes.
 Absorptive Capacity:
 The ability of the environment to absorb degradation and
pollution is referred to as absorptive capacity.
 Environment issues
Global Warming
 Since the Industrial Revolution, the increase in greenhouse
gases has resulted in a progressive rise in the average
temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere.

Ozone Depletion
 The phenomenon of ozone depletion refers to a decrease in the
amount of ozone in the stratosphere. High amounts of chlorine
and bromine chemicals in the stratosphere contribute to ozone
depletion. These chemicals are derived from
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are utilised as cooling agents
in air conditioners and refrigerators, as well as aerosol
propellants.
 State of India’s Environment

India is rich in natural resources and biodiversity. But,

the development activities have led to increased
pressure on limited natural resources.
 The major environment-related issues are
 Land Degradation
 Air Pollution
 Biodiversity Loss
 Management of Freshwater
 Solid Waste Management.
a. Land Degradation
It refers to the loss of fertility of the land which occurs due to the
following reasons:
 Loss of vegetation that occurs due to deforestation.
 Excessive extraction of fuel wood and fodder.
 The practice of shifting cultivation.
 Forest land encroachment.
 Forest fires and overgrazing.
 Lack of implementation of soil conservation measures.
 No or improper crop rotation.
 Excessive use of agrochemicals like fertilizers and pesticides.
 Inefficient planning and management of irrigation systems.
 Excess extraction of groundwater.
 b. Air Pollution

It occurs owing to the presence of pollutants in the air.

These are contributed by:
 Smoke is emitted by the industries, particularly those
using coals as energy.
 Poisonous gases emitted in the process of chemical
treatment of materials.
 The emission of gases by motor vehicles is assuming
alarming proportions due to the exponential rise in the
number of vehicles.
c. Biodiversity Loss

It refers to the decline, depletion or

extinction of the living species of the world
due to reasons such as,
 Climatic change,
 Pollution,
 Over-exploitation of natural resources etc.
d. Management of Freshwater

Improper management of water resources, or water pollution is

another issue the environment is facing.
The water pollution is caused due to:
 Industrial waste discharged in water resources that
contaminates the water owing to toxic chemicals and
pollutants.
 Dumping household wastes in the water resources.
 The use of chemicals and fertilizers by the farmers also adds
to the water pollution, as when it rains, the chemicals get
mixed up with the rainwater, which then flows to rivers etc.
 Doing household chores like washing clothes, bathing etc
also impacts the quality of water.
 e. Solid Waste Management

 Huge piles and dump of wastes in rural and urban

areas leads to various diseases and health
problems.
 Improper segregation of household waste,
littering on the roads, etc pose a serious threat to
the environment, hence there is an urgent need
of management of solid waste.
 Sustainable Development

 According to the UNCED, sustainable

development is the ‘development that meets
the needs of the present generation without
compromising the ability of the future
generation to meet their own needs’.
 Features of sustainable development
Main features of sustainable development is as under:

(i) Sustained rise in Real per Capita

Income and Economic welfare.
(ii) Rational use of natural resources.
(iii) No reduction in the ability of the future
generation to meet their own needs.
(iv) Check on pollution.
To achieve sustainable development, the
following needs to be done:

(i) Limiting the human population.

(ii) Technological progress should be input efficient and not input
consuming.
(iii) Renewable resources should be extracted on a sustainable
basis, that is, the rate of
extraction should not exceed rate of regeneration.
(iv) For non-renewable resources, rate of depletion should not
exceed the rate of creation of renewable substitutes.
(v) Inefficiencies arising from pollution should be corrected.
Strategies for Sustainable Development

SSd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfsWI8XgQyo

One earth
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQYgCxu988s
I am Nature
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmVLcj-XKnM
Tunnel Rescue
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KO9nUv03w
 Strategies for Sustainable
Development

 Use of Non-Conventional  Traditional Knowledge and

Sources of Energy Practices
 LPG, Gobar Gas in Rural  Bio composting
Areas  CNG in Urban Areas
 Solar Power through  Wind Power
Photovoltaic Cells  Bio Pest Control
 Mini-Hydel Plants  Shift to Organic Farming
Strategies for Sustainable Development

Use of Non-Conventional Sources of Energy

 The dependency on thermal and hydro energy has adverse
effects on the environment. Thermal power plants release a lot
of carbon dioxide into the environment and can also cause water
pollution. Hydroelectric projects damage the forests and natural
flow of water. Sources like wind power and solar rays are better
sources of energy for the environment.
CNG in Urban Areas
 The use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in public transport has
significantly reduced air pollution.
Strategies for Sustainable Development

LPG, Gobar Gas in Rural Areas

 The use of wood, cow dung, or other biomass fuels encourages deforestation,
reduction in green cover, wastage of cattle dung, and air pollution. Instead, the use
of gobar gas and LPG is recommended. The cattle dung is used to produce gobar gas
which is a cleaner fuel and the slurry is an excellent fertilizer. LPG, which is also a
clean fuel, reduces household pollution considerably.
Wind Power
 In high wind areas, wind turbines are installed to move the wind to generate
electricity without any adverse effect on the environment. Though the initial cost of
setup is high, the benefits absorb the costs in the long run.
Solar Power through Photovoltaic Cells
 India is endowed with abundant sunlight which is a rich source of energy. Solar
energy and its conversion into electricity is an effective answer not only to the
problem of economic growth but also the problem of sustainable development.
Strategies for Sustainable Development

Mini-Hydel Plants
 Streams in India can be used to generate energy by installing mini-hydel
plants. These streams can move turbines which generate electricity. This
power can be used to meet local requirements. They are eco–friendly and do
not alter the land use pattern.
Traditional Knowledge and Practices
 India is a country where people have been closely connected to their
environment. All our traditional practices have been eco-friendly. When we
started to drift away from traditional systems and heritage, we caused
damage to our environment. Adopting simple and traditional practices not
only helps us lead a healthy life but also protects us from the side effects of
modern products and services.
Strategies for Sustainable Development

Bio composting
 Large-scale use of chemical fertilizers had adversely affected
productive land and water bodies. Compost made from organic wastes
of different types serve as excellent and eco-friendly fertilizers.
Bio Pest Control
 Chemical pesticides showed negative effects on food products, soil,
water bodies, and groundwater. Plant-based pesticides like Neem trees
are effective pest controlling agents. Awareness is also being spread
about a variety of birds and animals that help in pest control.
Shift to Organic Farming
 Shifting from conventional farming to organic farming also helps in
sustaining the environment as through organic farming the nutrients
of the are restored back, which is not the case in conventional farming.
 Lets work on these

1. Find the odd one out and justify your answer. (March 2011)
Forests, water, fossil fuel, wind.
2. UNCED stands for (March 2012)
a) United National Committee on Environment and Development
b) United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
c) United Nations Committee on Environment and Development
d) None of these
3. List four non-conventional sources of energy.
4. “Sustainable development requires an eco-friendly technology”.
Discuss.
5. Define sustainable development. Discuss the various strategies
for sustainable development.
 Lets answer these
6. What are the functions of the environment?
7. Identify six factors contributing to land degradation in India.
8. Explain how the opportunity costs of negative environmental impact
are high.
9. Outline the steps involved in attaining sustainable development in India.
10. India has abundant natural resources —substantiate the statement.
11. Is environmental crisis a recent phenomenon? If so, why?
12. Give two instances of
(a) Overuse of environmental resources
(b) Misuse of environmental resources.
 Connect column B with A. (Say 2016)

A B
 Kyoto Protocol Ozone depletion
 Organic fanning Renewable resource
 Chipko movement Reduction of greenhouse gases
 Solar energy Protection of trees and forests
 Emission of CFCs Bio composting