Introduction to the Environment

ENV101 Lecture#1
 What is Environment??
Origin of the Word- French word “Environner”, which means, ‘ to encircle or
to surround’

Definition of environment:

“All external conditions, factors, matter, and energy, living and nonliving, that affect
any living organism or other specified system.”

Our Environment: Everything in the world that surrounds us and affect our lives
The Environment: Everything in the world around us that surrounds and affects all
life on earth
 Environmental factors
• Any external force, substance or condition, which surrounds and affects the
life of the organisms in any way becomes a factor of its organisms.
• According to Oosting (1948) these factors include:
a. Substances- soil, water, air
b. Conditions- temperature, light
c. Forces- wind, gravity
d. Organisms- plants, animals, microorganism
 Components of the Environment

The Environment consists of:

Biotic Factors: living things
Abiotic Factors: non living things
 Benefits Derived From Our Environment
• Environment provides our life support system
-the air we breathe in
-the nutrition we obtain
-the place we live in
• Environment provides a means for our livelihood
-the crops we grow
-timber for various purposes
-various water bodies(e.g. rivers, lakes, oceans) used for various economic
purposes(fishing, transport, hydroelectricity, etc.)
• Others:
-Recreation
-Tourism
Benefits Derived From Our Environment

Thus, a healthy, fresh environment around us means a

healthy, prosperous and enjoyable life
How we effect Our Environment

• Deforestation
• Overexploitation of resources(especially non renewable resources,
extraction of groundwater)
• Release of greenhouse gases
• Use of artificial fertilizers leading to eutrophication
• Use of various kinds of pesticides having a multitude of harmful
effects on the environment
• Release of harmful chemicals into the air, water and soil
 What is Environmental Science?

Environmental science is the study of:

 How the natural world works
 How the environment affects humans and vice versa
 It also search for solutions to environmental problems

Definition
“Environmental Science is the systematic study of our environment and our
proper place in it.”
Environmental Science
The nature of science
• Science: A systematic process for learning about the world and
testing our understanding of it
• The accumulated body of knowledge that results from a dynamic
process of observation, testing, and discovery
• Science is essential: To sort fact from fiction
• Develop solutions to the problems we face
Environmental science is not environmentalism
• Environmental science
Scientists try to remain objective
• Environmentalism
-Environmental activism
- A social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world
-The pursuit of knowledge about the natural world
 Importance of Studying Environmental Science

1.To know about the constantly changing environment of the earth

2.To know about the current environmental problems and to find solutions to them
3.Environment issues being of international importance
4.Explosively increase in pollution made study of environment important
5.Need for wise planning of Development

Can You think of more???

• It is highly interdisciplinary, integrating natural sciences, social
sciences, and humanities in a broad, holistic study of the world
around us.
 Environmental Issues

1.Pollution- air, water, soil, noise

2.Deforestation
3.Global Warming and Climate Change
4.Ozone Layer Depletion
5. Biodiversity Loss
6.Ecosystem Disturbance

Can You think of more???

 Interrelated Nature of Environmental Problems

• Environmental Problems do not follow political boundaries

- Air pollutants produced in the industrial regions of US, causes acid rain in
Canada
- Desertification in the western region of Bangladesh due to construction
of a dam in the Ganges river in India
• Environmental Problems cause political friction between countries
• Solution to environmental problems requires international efforts
 How did Environmental Concern Arise??
1970’s and 80’s
• In 1962 Rachel Carson’s book “Silent
Spring” was published
- The book documented the detrimental
effects of pesticides (esp. DDT) on
environment
- Silent Spring conveyed the ecological
message that humans are endangering
their natural environment, and the need to
find some way of protecting themselves
- Set the stage for environmental movement
- DDT was banned in U.S.
How did Environmental Concern Arise??
• 1970- Environment Protection Act Air Quality Act.
-Environment Conservation Act Air Quality Act
In USA
• 1972-Stockholm Convention
-United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm,
Sweden
-Declaration of 26 principles ( for e.g. natural resource must be
safeguarded, environmental education is essential, wildlife must be
safeguarded and so on).
-Designates 5th June as World Environment Day
How did Environmental Concern Arise??

• 1972-Stockholm Convention
-creation of UNEP
-Objectives: the promotion of
worldwide environmental
responsibility and awareness
creation.
How did Environmental Concern Arose??
• 10 Years after Stockholm Convention
-most of the global environmental challenges were not
resolved, in fact some new problems arose
-Neither high-income countries nor low-income countries were
willing to give up an economic development based on growth,
but environmental threats, were impossible to overlook and
increasingly unacceptable.
-a need for a development concept reconciling economic
growth and environmental protection arose
How did Environmental Concern Arise??
• The conceptof ‘Sustainable Development’ arose
• In 1987, World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) ,
published a report ‘ Our Common Future’ (Brundtland Report) where the
concept of Sustainable Development was defined.

• 1988-IPCC formation
-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
-by WMO (World Meteorological Organizations) and UNEP
-to provide assessment report on Climate Change and its impacts based on
scientific information
How did Environmental Concern Arise??
• 1992-UN Earth Summit at Rio De Jeneiro, Brazil
-United Nation Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED)
-addressed Sustainable Development concept
-was attended by over 100 Heads of State and representatives from
178 national governments
-outcomes:
1. Agenda 21 (action plan with regard to sustainable development)
2. UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change)
3. UNCBD (United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity)
4. UNCCD (United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification)
 How did Environmental Concern Arise??
• 2002- World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002)- Rio+10
-reviewed progress in Agenda 21 implementation
-held in South Africa
• 2012-UN Conference on Sustainable Development (2012)- Rio+20
-outcome document- the future we want
-in Rio, Brazil
 Environmental Concern at Present
• 2015- COP 21 in Paris
- the members agreed to reduce their carbon output "as soon as
possible" and to do their best to keep global warming "to well below 2
degrees C”
Environmental Concern at Present
• 2016- COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco
• successfully demonstrated to the world that the implementation of
the Paris Agreement is underway and
• the constructive spirit of multilateral cooperation on climate change
continues.
 Sustainability
• Sustainable Development: "Sustainable development is development that
meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.“
--------(WCED, 1987)
• Sustainability involves:
1.Renewable energy sources
2.Soil conservation, high-efficiency irrigation, organic agriculture
4.Pollution reduction
5.Habitat and species protection
6.Recycling
7.Fighting global climate change
Sustainability

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gywtqSLrUOs
Environmental Ethics
• Ethics seek to define fundamentally what is right and what is wrong,
regardless of cultural differences.
• Environmental Ethics is a discipline in philosophy that studies the
moral relationship of human beings to, and also the values and moral
status of, the environment and its nonhuman contents.
……………..Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• It is important to explore environmental issues from several points of
view before taking a stand
• Ethical questions: should we build the dam? Should we construct a
building cutting down trees?
Ethical Perspective or Viewpoints
• Anthropocentrism- only humans have rights
-since the environment is crucial to human survival we have a
responsibility towards it
-anything not providing benefit to human have no value
• Biocentrism- all forms of life have right to exist
-development is opposed if it destroys life, even if it creates job
• Ecocentrism- whole ecological systems have value
• Values the well-being of species, communities, or ecosystems
• Holistic perspective, stresses preserving connections
Reference:
Video: Environmental Sustainability
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnYHFRq7-5s