book

Environmental Studies

by Anindita Basak

February 2009

Intermediate to advanced

320 pages

10h 39m

English

Pearson India

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1.1 Definition, Scope and Importance of Environmental Studies1.2 The Need for Public Awareness1.3 Environment and its Components1.3.1 Segments of the Environment
2.1 Natural Resources2.1.1 Natural Resources and Associated Problems2.2 Forest Resources2.3 Deforestation2.3.1 Timber Extraction2.3.2 Dams and their Effects on Forests and Tribal People2.4 Water Resources2.4.1 Hydrosphere—As a Source of Water on Earth2.4.2 Use and Overexploitation of Surface and Groundwater2.4.3 Floods2.4.4 Drought2.4.5 Conflicts over Water2.5 Mineral Resources2.5.1 Mining2.6 Food Resources2.6.1 World Food Problems2.6.2 Changes Caused by Agriculture and Overgrazing2.6.3 Effects of Modern Agriculture2.7 Energy Resources2.7.1 Growing Energy Needs2.7.2 Non-renewable Sources2.7.3 Renewable Sources2.7.4 Land Resources
3.1 Concept of Ecosystem3.2 Structure and Function of an Ecosystem3.2.1 Biotic Component3.2.2 Abiotic Components3.3 Types of Ecosystem3.4 Functional Components of an Ecosystem3.4.1 Biodiversity3.4.2 Productivity3.4.3 Food Chains and Food Webs3.4.4 Material Cycling and Energy Flow3.4.5 Balance of Nature3.4.6 Succession and Evolution of the Ecosystem3.5 Different Ecosystems3.5.1 Forest Ecosystem3.5.2 Grassland Ecosystem3.5.3 Desert Ecosystem3.5.4 Aquatic Ecosystem3.6 Biogeochemical Cycles

4.1 Biodiversity and its Conservation4.1.1 Introduction4.1.2 Biogeographical Classification4.1.3 Values of Diversity4.1.4 Hotspots in Diversity4.2 India—A Megadiversity Nation4.2.1 Endangered and Endemic Species of India4.2.2 Hotspots of India4.3 Threats to Biodiversity4.3.1 Degradation of Habitat4.3.2 Overexploitation of Resources4.3.3 Pollution4.3.4 Extinction of Species due to Aggressive Non-native Species4.3.5 Global Environmental Change4.4 Threats to Indian Biodiversity4.4.1 Combating the Problem4.4.2 Poaching of Wildlife4.4.3 Elephant Poaching and Ivory Trade4.5 Man–Wildlife Conflict4.6 Conservation of Biodiversity4.6.1 In-situ Conservation4.6.2 Ex-situ Conservation4.7 Bioprospecting and Biopiracy
5.1 Introduction5.2 Air Pollution5.2.1 Sources of Air Pollution5.2.2 Types of Air Pollutants5.2.3 Air Pollution and Biosphere5.2.4 Meteorology and Air Pollution5.2.5 Air Quality5.2.6 Control Measure of Air Pollution5.3 Water Pollution5.3.1 Types of Water Pollution5.3.2 Sources of Water Pollution5.4 Soil Pollution5.4.1 Mining Activities5.4.2 Control of Soil Pollution5.5 Noise Pollution and Sound5.5.1 Classification of Noise5.5.2 Effects of Noise Pollution5.5.3 Control of Noise Pollution5.6 Thermal Pollution5.7 Nuclear Hazards (Radiation Pollution)5.7.1 Radiation Pollution5.8 Solid Waste Management5.9 Pollution Prevention5.9.1 Role of Individual in Pollution Prevention5.10 Disaster Management5.10.1 Floods5.10.2 Droughts5.10.3 Earthquakes5.10.4 Cyclones5.10.5 Landslides5.10.6 Tsunami
6.1 Elementary Idea on Sustainable Development6.1.1 Concept of Sustainable Development6.2 Urban Problems Related to Energy6.3 Water Conservation6.3.1 Rain Water Harvesting6.3.2 Watershed Management6.4 Wasteland Reclamation6.5 Resettlement and Rehabilitation6.6 Air Pollution and the Biosphere6.6.1 Climate Changes6.7 Nuclear Accidents and the Holocaust6.8 Consumerism and Waste Products6.9 Laws Relating to Environment, Pollution, Forest and Wildlife6.10 Environmental Impact Assessment6.11 Precautionary Principle
7.1 Population Growth Variation among Nations7.2 Family Welfare Programme7.3 Environment and Human Health7.4 HIV/AIDS7.5 Woman and Child Welfare7.6 Role of Information Technology in Environment and Human Health
8.1 Introduction8.2 Experiments

Content preview from Environmental Studies

UNIT I

Definition, Scope and Importance of Environmental Studies

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying Unit I, students will be able to:

Define the scope and importance of environmental studies.
Describe the need for public awareness.
Identify the different components of the environment.
Describe the history of environmental laws, and myths and misconceptions about the environment.
Explain the importance of environmental studies in promoting sustainable development.
Analyse the components of natural, man-made environment and social environment of the Earth – and explain the interdependence of these components on each other.