EVS

UNIT 4
Environmental issues
It may present themselves as temporary or
permanent changes to the atmosphere,
water, and land due to human activities,
which can result in impacts that may be either
reversible or irreversible.
Urban/Social issues
It may emerge in the workplace of a
client’s/investee’s operations and may also
impact surrounding communities.
• ENERGY CONSERVATION
• WATER CONSERVATION
 Energy Use and Conservation

A client's/investee's operations consume

energy to power processes such as heating
and cooling; auxiliary systems such as motors,
pumps and fans; generating compressed air;
heating, ventilation and air conditioning
systems (HVAC); lighting systems or other
industry-sector specific processes
 Energy consumption at the facility level is typically
associated with specific production processes and
supporting utilities such as:
• Process heating: This is vital to many manufacturing processes including
heating for fluids, calcining, drying, heat treating, metal heating,
melting, melting agglomeration, curing and forming. In many process
heating systems, only a portion of the system’s energy input provides
true process heating while energy losses are caused by excessive
parasitic loads, distribution or conversion losses. Energy losses can be
reduced by identifying opportunities for improvement in a facility’s
process heating systems.
• Process cooling: This is vital to many manufacturing processes and
energy losses occur due to issues such as lack of insulation to reduce
heat gains; overcooling; poor refrigeration system design; and
refrigerant compressor and chiller efficiency. Energy losses can be
reduced by identifying opportunities for improvement in a facility’s
process cooling systems.
• Compressed air: In many industry sectors, this is the most commonly
found utility service, yet in many cases, the energy contained in
compressed air for use by a facility is often 10 percent or less the energy
used in compressing the air.
 Water Use and Conservation

A client's/investee operations use water in

various production processes, which vary by
industry sector.
 water use at the facility level is associated with
processes such as described here.
• Process water: Processes that typically use large quantities of water
include washing machines, rinsing, water jets or sprays to keep conveyors
clean or to cool product, and the use of tanks, which are refilled to control
losses. Opportunities for reducing water use exist through water reuse,
improved equipment maintenance and better process design.
• Building facility operations: Consumption of building and sanitary water is
typically less than that of industrial processes. Areas for reducing water
use include repairing leakages and installing water-saving devices.
• Cooling systems: Once-through cooling systems with cooling towers use
large quantities of water and can be replaced by closed circuit cooling
systems. Fresh water use can also be reduced by replacing it with treated
water.
• Heating systems: Closed heating systems based on the circulation of low
or medium pressure hot water may consume large quantities of water if
they leak and are poorly maintained. In some cases, large quantities of
water may be used by steam systems but water use can be reduced
through steam recovery systems and improved systems operations.
 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Environmental ethics is a branch of ethics
that studies the relation of human beings and
the environment and how ethics play a role in
this.
Environmental ethics believe that humans are
a part of society as well as other living creatures,
which includes plants and animals.
These items are a very important part of the
world and are considered to be a functional part
of human life.
Thus, it is essential that every human being
respect and honor this and use morals and ethics
when dealing with these creatures.
• Global warming, global climate
change, deforestation, pollution, resource
degradation, threat of extinction are few of
the issues from which our planet is suffering.
• Environmental ethics are a key feature of
environmental studies, that
establishes relationship between humans and
the earth.
• With environmental ethics, you can ensure
that you are doing your part to keep the
environment safe and protected.
 GLOBAL WARMING
• Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are dying,
and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace. It has become clear that
humans have caused most of the past century's warming
by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives.
Called greenhouse gases, their levels are higher now than at any
time in the last 800,000 years.
• We often call the result global warming, but it is causing a set of
changes to the Earth's climate, or long-term weather patterns,
that varies from place to place. While many people think of global
warming and climate change as synonyms, scientists use “climate
change” when describing the complex shifts now affecting our
planet’s weather and climate systems—in part because some
areas actually get cooler in the short term.
• Climate change encompasses not only rising average temperatures
but also extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and
habitats, rising seas, and a range of other impacts. All of those
changes are emerging as humans continue to add heat-trapping
greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, changing the rhythms of
climate that all living things have come to rely on.
Understanding the greenhouse effect
• The "greenhouse effect" is the warming that happens
when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. These
gases let in light but keep heat from escaping, like the glass
walls of a greenhouse, hence the name.
• Sunlight shines onto the Earth's surface, where the energy
is absorbed and then radiate back into the atmosphere as
heat. In the atmosphere, greenhouse gas molecules trap
some of the heat, and the rest escapes into space. The
more greenhouse gases concentrate in the atmosphere, the
more heat gets locked up in the molecules.
• Scientists have known about the greenhouse effect since
1824, when Joseph Fourier calculated that the Earth would
be much colder if it had no atmosphere. This natural
greenhouse effect is what keeps the Earth's climate livable.
Without it, the Earth's surface would be an average of
about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) cooler.
• Levels of greenhouse gases have gone up and
down over the Earth's history, but they had been
fairly constant for the past few thousand years.
• Global average temperatures had also stayed
fairly constant over that time— until the past 150
years.
• Through the burning of fossil fuels and other
activities that have emitted large amounts of
greenhouse gases, particularly over the past few
decades, humans are now enhancing the
greenhouse effect and warming Earth
significantly, and in ways that promise many
effects, scientists warn.
 RESETTLEMENT & REHABILITATION
ISSUES
• Literal meaning of settlement is a place where people
have come to live and have built home.
• The World Commission on Dams (WCD), in its report,
said that ‘impoverishment and disempowerment have
been the rule rather than the exception with respect to
resettled people around the world’.
• The report gives specific recommendations to national
governments, NGOs, affected people’s organization,
the private sector, aid agencies, and development
banks on all social aspects of large dam projects
including displacement and resettlement.
• On the other hand, attempts at environmental
conservation, by creating national reserves &
parks, has also led to a change in land use
practices .
• All such activities have been responsible for
forcing communities to move out of their
traditional homes and localities to new areas
where they are forced to start life afresh.
 ACTIVITIES LEADING TO RESETTLEMENT
(a) Natural Reasons for Resettlement: Natural reasons for needing resettlement of
populations are various kinds of natural calamities, like landslides, floods,
earthquakes, tsunami, avalanche, etc. These are usually a result of over
exploitation of natural resources, leading to an erosion & destruction of the
ecology. As a result of natural calamities, homes and lifestyles of the affected
populace are destroyed and the people are forced to move to new areas to start
life afresh.

(a) Manmade Reasons for Resettlement: Growing industrialization has led to an

increase in the number of factories, etc, being set up. Globalization has led to the
setting up of Special Economic Zones or SEZ in most countries, especially in the
Third World, for the setting up of industries of various kinds, with all the modern
amenities and infrastructure being provided to the industries concerned. This
needs a lot of land to be set aside for the development of such areas with the
necessary infrastructure – roads, transportation, ports, warehouses, electricity,
water, etc. As a result cities are expanding, with the villages being moved into
forest areas and forest cover being reduced. The original inhabitants of the area,
therefore, need to be resettled in new areas.
The displaced people often face several problems
related to resettlement and rehabilitation.
• Basic infrastructure and basic needs are not provided in the
new area by the concerned authority.

• Very often, temporary camps become permanent shelters.

• The compensation paid to the victims is often inadequate;

sometimes, they don’t get it at all.

• In case of any displacement of tribal groups, they do not

get any compensation since their lands are not legalized.

• Sometimes, agents and the corrupt officials deprive the

poor of the full compensation.
 Environmental Legislations
• Environmental legislation is a set of laws and
regulations which aim at protecting the environment
from harmful actions.
• Legislation may take many forms, including regulation
of emissions that may lead to environmental pollution,
taxation of environment- and health-damaging
activities, and establishing the legal framework for
trading schemes, for example, carbon emissions.
• Other actions may rely on voluntary agreements.
Among major current legislative frameworks are those
relating to environmental permitting, and those
mandating environment and health impact
assessments.
 Environmental Protection act 1986
• Environmental Protection Act, 1986, was a statutory response
that came into effect a year after the tragic Bhopal Gas Tragedy
and is considered an umbrella legislation as it addresses many
loopholes in the existing environmental laws.
• It was enacted as per the spirit of the Stockholm Conference
held in June 1972 to take suitable measures for the protection
and reinvigoration of environment and related matters.
• The Environment (Protection) Act is applicable to whole of India
including Jammu & Kashmir.
• It came into force on November 19, 1986. EPA 1986 was enacted
largely to implement the decisions made at the UN Conference
on Human Environment held at Stockholm in June, 1972.
• It was to co-ordinate the activities of the various regulatory
agencies under the existing laws. It also seeks collection and
dissemination of information on environmental pollution.
 Acts Related to Air Pollution

• The Factories Act and Amendment, 1948 was the first to express concern
for the working environment of the workers. The amendment of 1987 has
sharpened its environmental focus and expanded its application to
hazardous processes.
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 provides for the
control and abatement of air pollution. It entrusts the power of enforcing
this act to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1982 defines the
procedures of the meetings of the Boards and the powers entrusted to
them.
• The Atomic Energy Act, 1982 deals with radioactive waste.
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act,
1987empowers the central and state pollution control boards to meet
with grave emergencies of air pollution.
• The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 states that all hazardous waste is to be
properly packaged, labeled, and transported.
 Acts Related to Water Pollution

• The Indian Fisheries Act, 1897 establishes two sets of penal offences whereby the government can
sue any person who uses dynamite or other explosive substance in any way (whether coastal or
inland) with the intent to catch or destroy any fish, or poisonous fish in order to kill.
• The River Boards Act, 1956 enables the states to enroll the central government in setting up an
Advisory River Board to resolve issues in inter-state cooperation.
• The Merchant Shipping Act, 1970 aims to deal with waste arising from ships along the coastal areas
within a specified radius.
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 establishes an institutional structure for
preventing and abating water pollution. It establishes standards for water quality and effluent.
Polluting industries must seek permission to discharge waste into effluent bodies. The CPCB
(Central Pollution Control Board) was constituted under this Act.
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977provides for the levy and collection
of cess or fees on water consuming industries and local authorities.
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Rules, 1978contains the standard definitions
and indicates the kind of and location of meters that every consumer of water is required to affix.
• The Coastal Regulation Zone, 1991 Notification puts regulations on various activities, including
construction. It gives some protection to the backwaters and estuaries.
 Acts Related to Forests

• The Indian Forest Act and Amendment, 1984 is one of the many
surviving colonial statutes. It was enacted to ‘consolidate the law
related to forest, the transit of forest produce, and the duty to be
levied on timber and other forest produce’.
• The Wildlife Protection Act and Rules, 1973 and Amendment 1991
provides for the protection of birds and animals and for all matters
that are connected to it, whether it be their habitat or the
waterhole or the forests that sustain them.
• The Forest (Conservation) Act and Rules, 1981, provides for the
protection of and the conservation of the forests.
• The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 is an act to provide for the
conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its
components, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising
out of the use of biological resources and knowledge associated
with it.
 The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
Short title, extent and commencement: This Act may be called the Wild Life (Protection) Act,
1972. It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It shall come into force in a State or Union territory to which it extends, as the Central
Government may, by notification, appoint, and different dates may be appointed for
different provisions of this Act or for different States or Union territories.
• In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— “animal” includes mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fish, other chordates and invertebrates and also includes their young
and eggs;
• “animal article” means an article made from any captive animal or wild animal, other than
vermin, and includes an article or object in which the whole or any part of such animal 2[has
been used, and ivory imported into India and an article made there from; “Board” means a
State Board for Wild Life constituted under sub-section (1) of section 6;
• “captive animal” means any animal, specified in Schedule I, Schedule II, Schedule III or
Schedule IV, which is captured or kept or bred in captivity;
• “Chief Wild Life Warden” means the person appointed as such under clause (a) of sub-
section (1) of section 4; 6[(7A) “circus” means an establishment, whether stationary or
mobile, where animals are kept or used wholly or mainly for the purpose of performing
tricks or manoeuvres; “Collector” means the chief officer-in-charge of the revenue
administration of a district or any other officer not below the rank of a Deputy Collector as
may be appointed by the State Government under section 18B in this behalf