ENVIRONMENTAL

STUDIES
&
Natural Resources

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Environment
Definition: The complex set of physical, geographic,
biological, social, cultural and political conditions that
surround an individual or organism and that ultimately
determines its form and nature of its survival.

1) All factors living and nonliving that affect an individual

organism or population at any point in the life cycle.
2) Set of circumstances surrounding a particular
occurrence.
3) All the things that surrounds us.
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Environmental Science
An interdisciplinary branch of science that investigates
questions related to the human population, resources, and
damages caused by pollution and disturbance.
Environmental science is integrative and involves complex
biology, chemistry, politics, sociology, geology, agriculture,
economics.

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Environment is of two types:

Natural Environment
Man - Made Environment

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Planet Earth: Segments of Environment

Lithosphere:

Crust: < 1% (Thin)

Everest: 8.85 km
Mantle, Cores

Hydrosphere:
(oceans, sea, livers )

Atmosphere:
~1%:
30 km (99% of air)
extends to 120 km
Biosphere: All life

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Components of Environment
(I)Biotic (Living things)
Animals,
plants, forests,
fungi, etc.

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(ii) Abiotic (Nonliving things)

Air, water, soil, clouds, rock

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Biotic Components

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Abiotic Components

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Humans and the world around us

Humans change the environment, often in ways not fully
understood
We depend completely on the environment for survival
Increased wealth, health, mobility, leisure time
But, natural systems have been degraded
- i.e., pollution, erosion and species extinction
Environmental changes threaten long-term health and
survival
Environmental science is the study of:
How the natural world works
How the environment affects humans and vice versa
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Objective of This Course

Develop a concern for our environment.

Begin to act at your own level to protect the environment

as we all live in.

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IMPORTANCE OF ES
Environment is not a
single subject
Plastic, waste food, solid
waste byproducts
Air pollution leads to
respiratory problems
Water pollution to
gastro-intestinal
diseases
And many pollutants are
known to cause cancer.
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Scope and Importance

We live in natural surrounding (forest, river, mountain,
etc.). Resources: renewable (forest and water) and nonrenewable (minerals and oil).
Due to increase in population these resources are getting
depleted gradually.
There is a need to understand make ourselves aware of
our natural assets and get concerned about our
environment and sustainable utilize the resources.
Scope of environmental studies is very wide and nearly
covers some aspects of every major discipline (biology,
chemistry, physics, geography, resource management,
economy, etc.).
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Importance
Water, air, soil, forests are all part of our life support
systems. Without them life itself would be impossible.
Natural resources are limited in nature and continue to
shrink and may be get depleted if not utilized in a
sustainable manner.
Almost every act of human beings cause some effect on
environment: solid waste, water pollution, air pollution,
soil pollution , etc. And these have ill-effect on human
health.
Individual efforts together with the public and also
government actions are needed to protect our
environment from further more degradation and
safeguard it.
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THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY
NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES

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Need for Public Awareness

Earths resources are dwindling and our environment is
being increasingly degraded by human activities and
hence something needs to be done.
Government alone cannot perform all the clean-up
functions.
Individual/group efforts in their own every possible way
has to be made to protect our environment.
Mass public awareness: newspapers, radio, television
strongly influences public opinion on conserving our
environment.
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Objectives of Public Awareness

To identify various plants, animals and other endangered
components of environment
To take appropriate decisions regarding the use of
natural resources (use in sustainable manner)
To adopt appropriate ways/methods to solve existing
environmental problems

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Methods for Public Awareness

Environmental education
Through media
Through organizing seminars & conferences
Entertainment
Science centres
Involvement of youth
Through print, broadcast and internet
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ECOLOGY

How does Environment differ from Ec

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Ecology
(Greek word: Okologie; meaning:
place to live)
Physical, biological and socio cultural adaptations

Branch of science that deals with the scientific

study of the interrelationships between
living

organisms

with

respect

to

each

other and to their surroundings.

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Natural Resources

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What are natural resources?

A natural resource may be defined as any
material given to us by nature which can be
transformed in a way that it becomes more
valuable and useful for human being or life on
earth. Natural resources sustain human life.
Every man-made product is composed of natural
resources
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crs2e2KWFT0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=a_6M3CNZRkU
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For example:
wood is used for making furniture.
Yarn obtained from cotton is used for
weaving cloth.
Likewise, various machine, tools and
household goods are made of metals.
Now furniture, clothes, machine, tools are
more valuable than their raw form i.e. like
wood, cotton and metal, respectively.
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Our natural resources

water,
forest,
energy,
land,
food and
minerals.

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The rainforest in Fatu-Hiva,in Marquesas Islands is an

example of an undisturbed natural resource. Forest provides
timber for humans; food and shelter for flora and the fauna.
The nutrient cycle between organisms form food chains and
biodiversity
of species.
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The Carson Fall

in Mount
Kinabalu,Malaysia is an
example of undisturbed
natural resource.
Waterfalls provide spring
water for humans,
animals and plants for
survival and also habitat
for marine organisms.
The water current can be
used to turn turbines
or hydroelectric generati
on.
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The ocean is an example of a natural resource. Ocean waves can

be used to generate wave power which is a renewable energy.
Ocean water is important for salt production and providing habitat
for deep water fishes. There are biodiversity of marine species in
the sea where nutrient cycles are common.

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Wind is a natural resource

that can be used to
generate electricity, as with
these 5MW wind turbines
in Thorntonbank Wind
Farm 28 km (17 mi) off the
coast of Belgium.

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Natural Resources
Air (Wind)

Uses
Required for all living things for breathing, Use to
produce wind energy.

Animals / Plants

Provide food, cloth, shelter, medicine. Used as mode

of transport. Animal dung can be used as
fuel/fertilizer.

Soil

Used as the primary nutrient source for plants. It is

the habitat of many organisms.

Solar Light

Provide light, energy and help to plants

for making their foods

Wood / Tree

Used as construction material. Used to make

utensils, furniture and sporting equipments.

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Classification of Natural Resources

Natural Resources on the basis of Origin:
(1) Biotic Resources:
The Resources that are derived from the living world
(animals, plants).
e.g., Wood, Humus, Manure etc.
(2) Abiotic Resources
The Resources that are derived from the non-living
world (land, water and air).
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Natural Resources on the basis of continual utility:

(1) Renewable Resources:

These resources can be replenished (refilled) by naturally.
Resources, which can be renewed along with their
exploitation, are always available for
use. Hence they are called renewable resources.
Some of these resources, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are
continuously available and their quantity is not noticeably
affected by human consumption.
e.g., Plants, animals, solar energy, wind energy etc.
(2) Non-renewable Resources:
The natural resources that can not be replenished naturally.
e.g., Coal, minearls, petroleum, fossil fuels etc.
Their stock is limited in nature. Once they are used in
unlimited way, they cannot be easily replaced. Thus,their
exploitation at large scale will result in their fast depletion
that may cause serious problem for future generations.
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Examples of Renewable Resources:

1.solar energy

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2. Hybrid Of Wind And Solar

energy

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3. Biomass Energy

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Examples of Non-renewable Resources

COAL
OIL
NATURAL GAS
OIL SHALE AND TAR SANDS
NUCLEAR POWER
Over 85% of the energy used in the world is from nonrenewable supplies
Most developed nations are dependent on non-renewable
energy sources such as fossil fuels (coal and oil) and nuclear
power.
Industrialized societies depend on non-renewable energy
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Coal & Energy Security

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COAL
Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the
world with an estimated reserve of one trillion
metric tons.
world's coal reserves exist in Eastern Europe,
Asia and considerable amount in United States.
Coal formed slowly over millions of years from
the buried remains of ancient submerged plants
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Formation Of Coal

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Types of coal
Coal are formed due to differences in the
pressure and temperature during formation.
Peat coal
Lignite coal.
about 50% carbon , highest water 50%, low
amounts of smog-causing sulfur.
Bituminous coal
about 85% carbon and 3% water
Anthracite coal
almost 100% carbon ,hardest form of coal.
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Use Of Coal
Coal is used to produce 50% of the
electricity in the United States.
used for heating and cooking in less
developed countries while rural areas of
developed countries.

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OIL
Crude oil or liquid petroleum, is a fossil
fuel that is refined into many different
energy products.
Oil forms underground in rock such as
shale, which is rich in organic materials.
Wells are drilled into these oil reservoirs
to remove the gas and oil.
e.g., Gasoline, diesel, petrol fuel, jet fuel,
heating oil etc.
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Availability Of Oil
50 percent of the world's oil is found in
the Middle East
Additional reserves occur in North
America

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NATURAL GAS
Natural gas is a mixture of gases methane
ethane propane butane. It is cleanest burning
fossil fuel highly flammable and is odorless.
propane and butane are removed from the
natural gas and made into liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG)
Most of the world's natural gas reserves are
found in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
natural gas is used primarily for heating,
cooking, and powering vehicles.
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NUCLEAR POWER

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Natural Resources and their

associated problem

1. Unequal consumption of natural resources

(in USA 4% of worlds population consumes about 25% of worlds resources)

2. Producing animal food for human consumption require more

Land.
3. Our use of Natural Resources affects the environment in
many ways.
4. The lack of water is a big problem in cities, town, villages.
5. There are variety of resources that can be explored, and
thus, contribute to the socio-economical development.
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Habitat destruction
Extension of agriculture
Filling up of wetlands
Conversion of rich bio-diversity site for human
settlement and industrial development
Uncontrolled commercial exploitation
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Environmental Public Education and Awareness

Environmental education and awareness is increasingly

being promoted as a tool in managing our environment.
In the 20th century serious environmental concerns like
pollution, climate change, biodiversity, etc have triggered
great concern about the relationship between humanity and
the environment
In 1978 UNESCO Declaration, mentioned the need for
environmental education. This Declaration Convention
defined environmental education as a process of
developing a world population that is aware of and
concerned about the total environment and its
associated problems, and which has the knowledge,
skills, attitudes, motivation and commitment to work
individually and collectively towards solution of current
problems
andStudies,
the prevention
of new ones.
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Contd....
In recent years, the depletion of natural resources has
become a major focus of governments and organizations such
as the United Nations (UN).
In the UN's Agenda 21 Section Two, which outlines the
necessary steps to be taken by countries to sustain their
natural resources. The depletion of natural resources is
considered to be a sustainable development issue.
The term sustainable development has many interpretations,
most notably the Brundtland Commission's 'to ensure that it
meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
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