ENVIRONMENTAL

SCIENCE
PROF. NAINA GOYAL 1
MODULE – 3 : ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS
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Meaning and Concepts. Types of Hazards and
Disasters. Man induced and Natural hazards. Global
warming. Ozone depletion. Green house effect. And
other major environmental problems.
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MEANING OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS
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The term, “technical disaster” defines the source of a
disaster and the term, “environmental disaster”
describes the results of problematic man-made
interferences with the natural environment.
Environmental disasters have a severe effect on
ecosystems. These catastrophes are often short in
duration, but have a lasting impact on the animals and
plants that live in the affected habitat. Occasionally,
environmental catastrophes change the physical
environment so much that the damage to the ecosystem
is irreversible. In other cases, environmental damage
can be contained and the habitat rehabilitated.
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 MEANING OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS Environmental disasters
fall into two general categories.
NATURAL DISASTERS
MAN-MADE DISASTERS
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MEANING OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS
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Environmental disasters fall into two general
categories. Some disasters are caused by natural
climate or weather events. These include wild fires,
landslides, floods, earthquakes, droughts, tsunamis, and
volcanic eruptions. Although the causes of these
natural environmental disasters do not involve human
activities, in some cases the effects are worsened by the
influence of people. For example, the environments
that suffered the most damage during the Indian Ocean
tsunami of 2004 were those where urban development
and construction had damaged coral reefs. In places
where coral reefs were healthy, the reef acted like a
buffer, deflecting the power of the giant wave.
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MEANING OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS
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A second category of environmental disasters includes
those caused by human activities. Examples of human-
induced environmental disasters include oil spills,
chemical spills, and nuclear incidents. In addition, wars
and terrorist activities can be disastrous to ecosystems.
In many cases, environmental disasters caused by
humans have longer lasting effects on the environment
than catastrophes brought on by natural events. For
example, the enormous oil spill that occurred when the
Exxon Valdez super tanker ran aground in Prince
William Sound in 1989 continues to have major
environmental repercussions. Twelve years after the oil
spill, significant deposits of oil, which is toxic to many
species, persisted throughout the affected area. In 2002,
the population size of at least eight species of fish and
mammals was still severely impacted from the oil spill.
PROF. NAINA GOYAL 6
DEFINTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS
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According to The Office of Enterprise Technology,
State of Minnesota :-
“The effects of
environmental threats that affect the environment and
lead to large scale impact on the environment,
economy, or human lives.” ❑
According to International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies :-
“
A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously
disrupts the functioning of a community or society and
causes human, material, and economic or
environmental losses that exceed the community’s or
society’s ability to cope using its own resources.
Though often caused by nature, disasters can have
human origins.”
(VULNERABILITY+ HAZARD ) /
CAPACITY = DISASTER
PROF. NAINA GOYAL 7
 CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS ➢
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DISASTER :-
The term disaster owes its origin to the French word
“Desastre” which is a combination
of two words ‘des’ meaning bad and ‘aster’ meaning
star.
Thus the term refers to ‘Bad or Evil star’.
“A serious disruption in the functioning of the
community or a society causing wide
spread material, economic, social or environmental
losses which exceed the ability of the
affected society to cope using its own resources”.
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 CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS ➢
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HAZARDS :-
The word ‘hazard’ owes its origin to the word
‘hasard’ in old French and ‘az-zahr’ in Arabic meaning
‘chance’ or ‘luck’.
“A dangerous condition or event, that threat or have
the potential for causing injury to life or damage to
property or the environment.”
Hazards can be grouped into two broad categories
namely natural and manmade.
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CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
DISASTERS
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A disaster is a result from the combination of hazard,
vulnerability and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce the
potential chances of risk.
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A disaster happens when a hazard impacts on the vulnerable
population and causes damage, casualties and disruption.
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Three alternatives or say parallel terms viz. environmental
hazards, environmental stresses and environmental disasters are
used in one way or the other to deal with the extreme events
whether natural or man-induced.
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A distinction must be drawn between the processes (casual
factors) and the responses (results) of extreme events. ‘Hazards’
are generally taken to the processes, both natural and
anthropogenic, which cause an accident/extreme event or danger
whereas ‘disaster’ is a sudden adverse or unfortunate extreme
event which causes great damage to human beings as well as
plants and animals.
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It, therefore, becomes obvious that the Environmental Hazards
are the processes whereas the Environmental Disasters are the
results or responses of environmental hazards.
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GLOBAL WARMING
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Global warming is the term used to describe a gradual
increase in the average temperature of the Earth's
atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to
be permanently changing the Earth’s climate.
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While many view the effects of global warming to be
more substantial and more rapidly occurring than
others do, the scientific consensus on climatic changes
related to global warming is that the average
temperature of the Earth has risen between 0.4 and 0.8
°C over the past 100 years.
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The increased volumes of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil
fuels, land clearing, agriculture, and other human
activities, are believed to be the primary sources of the
global warming that has occurred over the past 50
years.
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 Scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate carrying out global warming research have
recently predicted that average global temperatures
could increase between 1.4 and 5.8 °C by the year
2100.
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Changes resulting from global warming may include
rising sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice
caps, as well as an increase PROF. NAINA in GOYAL
occurrence and severity of storms 11

nd h h
DEFINITION OF GLOBAL WARMING
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“Global warming is the gradual rise in the earth's
temperature caused by high levels
of carbon-di-oxide and other gases in the atmosphere.”
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“An increase in the average temperature worldwide
believed to be caused by
the greenhouse effect.”
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“A slight but continuing increase in the temperature of
the lower atmosphere,
usually attributed to an intensifying of the greenhouse
effect that could lead
to harmful climatic conditions.”
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CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING
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The issues that cause global warming are divided into
two categories include "natural"
and "human influences" of
global warming. Natural Causes of Global Warming :
The climate has continuously changing for centuries.
The global warming happens because the natural
rotation of the sun that changes the intensity of sunlight
and moving closer to the earth.
Another cause of global warming is greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases are carbon monoxide and sulphur
dioxide it trap the solar heats rays and prevent it from
escaping from the surface of the earth. This has cause
the temperature of the earth increase.
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CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING
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Natural Causes of Global Warming (Contd.) :
Volcanic eruptions are another issue that causes global
warming. For instance, a single volcanic eruption will
release amount of carbon dioxide and ash to the
atmosphere. Once carbon dioxide increase, the
temperature of earth increase and greenhouse trap the
solar radiations in the earth.
Finally, methane is another issue that causes global
warming. Methane is also a greenhouse gas. Methane
is more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere
that carbon dioxide by 20 times. Usually methane gas
can release from many areas. For instance, it can be
from landfill, natural gas, petroleum systems, coal
mining, industrial waste process.
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CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING
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Human Influences on Global Warming : Human activities
include industrial production, burning fossil fuel, mining,
cattle rearing or deforestation.
Industrial revolution, Industrial have been using fossil fuels
for power machines. Everything that we use is involved in
fossil fuel. For example, when we buy a mobile phone, the
process of making mobile phone have involve machines and
machines uses fossil fuels, during the process carbon dioxide
is releasing to the atmosphere. Besides industrial,
transportation such as cars is also releasing carbon dioxide
from exhaust.
Deforestation is a human influence because human have
been cutting down trees to produce papers, wood, build
houses or more. If human continuing deforestation, carbon
dioxide will concentrate in the atmosphere because trees can
absorb carbon dioxide from atmosphere. Besides, human
also release carbon dioxide when breathe. Therefore the
amounts of millions of people breath have release carbon
dioxide to the atmosphere. If human continue deforestation,
human breathing that release carbon dioxide will stay at the
atmosphere.
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IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING
1. Rising Sea level: Flooding of fresh water
marshlands, low-lying cities, and islands with marine
water is one of the major effects of global warming. 2.
Changes in rainfall patterns: In some areas, droughts
and fires happen, whereas in other areas, flooding takes
place. This all is due to changes in rainfall pattern. 3.
Melting of the ice peaks: Due to melting of the ice
peaks, there is loss of habitat near the poles. Now the
polar bears are considered to be greatly endangered by
the shortening of their feeding season because of
declining ice packs. 4. Melting glaciers: There is a
significant melting of old glaciers. 5. Spread of disease:
There is spread of diseases like malaria, dengue,
yellow fever, etc.
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CONTROL MEASURES FOR
PREVENTING GLOBAL WARMING
(i) Reducing the use of fossil fuels. (ii) Use of bio-
fuels. (iii) Improving energy efficiency. (iv) Use of
renewable source of energy such as CNG etc. (v)
Reforestation. (vi) Recycling of materials.
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MEANING OF OZONE
DEPLETION/OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
▪ of Ozone the prime layer reasons depletion which is one are
of leading the most to serious global warming.
problems faced by our planet earth. It is also one
▪ ozone Ozone gas is a is colourless what which gas protects
which is us found from in the the harmful stratosphere
ultraviolet of our radiations upper atmosphere. of the sun.
The layer of
▪ earth’s The ozone atmosphere.
layer absorbs these harmful radiations and thus prevents
these rays from entering the
▪ earth’s Ultraviolet atmosphere radiations can are lead high
to energy various electromagnetic environmental issues
waves including emitted by global the sun warming, which if
and enters also the

number of health related issues for all living organisms.

From the 1970s the depletion of the ozone layer started to
capture the attention of the scientists, environmentalists, and
the world community at large.
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FACTS ABOUT OZONE
DEPLETION/OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
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In 1974, chemists Mario Molina and Sherwood
Rowland of the University of California, Irvine, first
warned of the danger of ozone deterioration in the
atmosphere.
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Their predictions were corroborated by observation in
1985, when an ozone hole was detected above the
Antarctic. The world took notice and agreed in
Montreal in 1987 to do something about the depletion
of the ozone layer.
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In 2018, scientists cautiously announced that the ozone
hole, which has been growing since it was discovered
in 1985, may have started to shrink.
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If the actions of humans have brought about an ozone
layer healing, the international community has proven
that it can solve serious environmental problems when
everyone works together.
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EFFECTS OF OZONE
DEPLETION/OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
Damage to Human Health
Impact
Devastation certain
to Materials
Environment
Effect on
Threat to Animals
Marine Life
PROF. NAINA GOYAL 20
EFFECTS OF OZONE
DEPLETION/OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
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Damage to human health :- If the ozone layer is depleted, it
means humans will be overly exposed to strong UV light.
Overexposure to strong UV light causes skin cancer,
cataracts, sunburns, weakening of immune system and quick
aging. ❖
Devastation to environment :- Many crops species are
vulnerable to strong UV light and overexposure may well
lead to minimal growth, photosynthesis and flowering. Some
of the crop species vulnerable to UV light include barley,
wheat, corn, oats, rice, just to name a few. Forests equally
bear the brunt of ozone depletion. ❖
Threat to marine life :- Certain marine life, especially
planktons, is greatly impacted by exposure to strong
ultraviolet rays. In the aquatic food chain, planktons appear
high up. If planktons decrease in number due to ozone layer
destruction, the marine food chain would be disrupted in
many ways.
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EFFECTS OF OZONE
DEPLETION/OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
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Effect on animals :-
In domesticated animals, too much Ultraviolet
radiation could also lead to skin and eye
cancer.
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Impacts certain materials :-
Materials like plastics, wood, fabrics, rubber are
massively degraded by too much
ultraviolet radiation
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SOLUTIONS TO OZONE
DEPLETION/OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
1. Desist from using Pesticides. 2. Discourage Driving
of Private Vehicles. 3. Utilize Environmental friendly
Cleaning Products. 4. Prohibit the use of harmful
Nitrous Oxide.
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SOLUTIONS TO OZONE
DEPLETION/OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
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Desist from using pesticides :- Pesticides are great chemicals
to rid the farm of pests and weeds, but they contribute
enormously to ozone layer depletion. The solution to get rid of
pests and weeds is to apply natural methods. Just weed the farm
manually and use alternative eco-friendly chemicals to alleviate
pests.
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Discourage driving of private vehicles :- The easiest technique
to minimize ozone depletion is to limit the number of vehicles
on the road. These vehicles emit a lot of greenhouse gases that
eventually form smog, a catalyst in the depletion of ozone layer.
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Utilize environmental friendly cleaning products :- Most
household cleaning products are loaded with harsh chemicals
that find way to the atmosphere, eventually contributing to
degradation of the ozone layer. Use natural and environmentally
friendly cleaning products to arrest this situation.
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Prohibit the use of harmful nitrous oxide :- The Montreal
Protocol formed in 1989 helped a lot in the limitation of
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). However, the protocol never
covered nitrous oxide, which is a known harmful chemical that
can destroy the ozone layer. Nitrous oxide is still in use today.
Governments must take action now and outlaw nitrous oxide use
to reduce the rate of ozone depletion.
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MEANING OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
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Greenhouse effect, a warming of Earth’s surface and
troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere)
caused by the presence of water vapour, carbon
dioxide, methane, and certain other gases in the air. Of
those gases, known as greenhouse gases, water vapour
has the largest effect.
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The origins of the term greenhouse effect are unclear.
French mathematician Joseph Fourier is sometimes
given credit as the first person to coin the term
greenhouse effect based on his conclusion in 1824 that
Earth’s atmosphere functioned similarly to a
“hotbox”—that is, a heliothermometer (an insulated
wooden box whose lid was made of transparent glass)
developed by Swiss physicist Horace Bénédict de
Saussure, which prevented cool air from mixing with
warm air.
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MEANING OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
▪ planet's The greenhouse surface to effect a temperature is
the process above by what which it would radiation be from
without a planet's its atmosphere.
atmosphere warms the
▪ reaches The greenhouse the Earth’s effect atmosphere, is a
natural some process of it is that reflected warms back the
Earth’s to space surface. and the When rest the is absorbed
Sun’s energy and re-radiated by greenhouse gases.
▪ artificial Greenhouse chemicals gases such include as water
chlorofluorocarbons vapour, carbon (CFCs).
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some
▪ of Earth’s fossil natural fuels and greenhouse clearing of
effect forests, is critical have strengthened to supporting the
life. greenhouse Human activities, effect mainly and caused
the burning global warming.
▪ through The term glass "greenhouse and warming effect" a
greenhouse. arose from a The faulty way analogy a
greenhouse with the retains effect heat of sunlight is
fundamentally
passing
different, as a greenhouse works mostly by reducing airflow
so that warm air is kept inside
PROF. NAINA GOYAL 26
DEFINITION OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
❑
According to the Department of Environment and Energy :-
“The Greenhouse effect is
the warming effect of the sun on greenhouse gases like CO2
that act to trap this heat in our atmosphere.”
❑ dioxide “The greenhouse in the air. These effect gases is
the trap problem the heat caused from by the increased sun,
and quantities cause a gradual of gases rise such in the
as carbon
temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.” ❑ caused “Warming
by conversion of the surface of solar and radiation lower
atmosphere into heat in of a a process planet (such involving
as Earth selective or Venus) transmission that is

f short wave solar radiation by the atmosphere, its absorption

by the planet's surface, and reradiation as infrared which is
absorbed and partly reradiated back to the surface by
atmospheric gases.”
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CAUSES OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
Burning of Fossil Fuels
Deforestatio
Increase in n
Population
Farming
Industrial Waste and Landfills
PROF. NAINA GOYAL 28
CAUSES OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
1. Burning of Fossil Fuels: Fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas have
become an integral part of our life. They are used on large basis to
produce electricity and for transportation. When they are burnt, the
carbon stored inside them is released which combines with oxygen in the
air to create carbon dioxide.
2. Deforestation: Large scale development has resulted in cutting down
of trees and forests which has forced people to look for alternate places
for living. When the wood is burnt, the stored carbon in converted back
into carbon dioxide.
3. Increase in Population: Over the last few decades, there have been
huge increase in the population. Now, this has resulted in increased
demand for food, cloth and shelter. New manufacturing hubs have come
up cities and towns that release some harmful gases into the atmosphere
which increases the greenhouse effect.
4. Farming: Nitrous oxide is one the greenhouse gas that is used in
fertilizer and contributes to greenhouse effect which in turn leads to
global warming.
5. Industrial Waste and Landfills: Industries which are involved in
cement production, fertilizers, coal mining activities, oil extraction
produce harmful greenhouse gases. Also, landfills filled with garbage
produce carbon dioxide and methane gas contributing significantly to
greenhouse effect.
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EFFECTS OF GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
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Depletion of the ozone layer, causing the harmful UV
rays to enter the Earth. This can
cause skin cancer and other severe diseases.
Global rise in temperature (Global warming) due to the
fact that greenhouse gases trap
heat.
Melting of the polar ice caps, leading to rise in sea
level
Destructive floods and loss of human and animal life.
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PROF. NAINA GOYAL 31
CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS
1. Natural Hazards :- a. Terrestrial hazards Those
hazards which originate inside the earth or its
atmosphere are called terrestrial hazards. i. Endo-genic
Hazards : Hazards which originate inside the surface of
the earth are termed as endogenic hazards. E.g.
Volcanic, Earthquake. ii. Exo-genic Hazards : Hazards
which originate above the surface of the earth (in the
atmosphere) are called exogenic hazards. These can be
further sub-divided into the following categories:
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CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS
A. Atmospheric Hazards Natural hazards that originate in the
atmosphere of the earth are called atmospheric hazards.
These include cyclones, droughts, thunderstorms ,Drought,
Rainfall, Snowfall, Winds, Hailstorm, etc. B. Hydrospheric
Hazards Those natural hazards that are related to water in the
atmosphere are termed as hydrospheric hazards. Wave
Currents, Tsunamis, Floods. C. Lithospheric Hazards
Lithospheric hazards are those natural hazards that occur
near to the surface of the earth. It includes the following
hazards: Landslides, weathering, erosion, shifting,
avalanches, sink Holes. Calcium carbonate inside the surface
of the earth is dissolved by the underground running water
and taken away with it, creating holes. This causes the earth
to become hollow and eventually the earth above it settles
down under load.
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CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS
iii. Biotic Hazards :
The types of hazards that originate through plants,
animals or humans.
A. Floral Hazards (Plants)
The type of hazards that originate from plant life.
B. Faunal hazards (Animals)
The type of hazards that originate from animal life.
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CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS
C. Anthropogenic Hazards (Man Induced) :
1. Physical
Earthquake, Landslide, Erosion.
2. Chemical
Release of Toxic Chemical, Nuclear Explosion.
3. Biological
Eutrophication, Population Explosion.
b. Extra-Terrestrial hazards :-
The kinds of hazards which originate outside the earth and its
atmosphere are called extra-terrestrial hazards. e.g meteorites.
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CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS (SOME
TERMINOLOGIES)
❑
❑❑❑
❑ the Weathering effects of : sun, Changes wind, to or the
other colour weather or form conditions.
of something over a period of time because of
Shifting : Always changing or moving. Avalanches : A mass
of snow, ice, and rocks falling rapidly down a mountainside
(snow slide). (such depletion Eutrophication as phosphates)
of dissolved : The process that oxygen.
stimulate by which the a growth body of of water aquatic
becomes plant life enriched usually resulting in dissolved in
the
nutrients
or reach such up a Meteorites shooting meteoroid, and as the
radiate friction, surface star : that A that or meteorite
pressure, falling of originates energy. a planet star.
and is It a in then or solid chemical outer moon. becomes
piece space When interactions of and a debris the meteor
survives object from with and enters an its the forms object,
passage atmospheric the a fireball, atmosphere, such through
as also gases a comet, the known various atmosphere cause
asteroid,
as
it factors to to
heat
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