13. Madagascar
• 40 million years in isolation
• Astonishing biodiversity
• 85% species endemic
• Ecologists refer to it as 8th continent
• Humans arrived 1,500 years ago
• 80% of forests destroyed - soil erosion
• Most species endangered
• 50% may go extinct by 2025
7/28/2020 13
14. Easter Island and Madagascar
are far away,
surely it cannot happen in India . . !
7/28/2020 14
16. The Himalayas
• Responsible for India’s monsoon
• Source of many rivers
• Had 40% forest cover
• Immense biodiversity
• Metal deposits
• 50 million people in the region
7/28/2020 16
20. 7/28/2020 20
What is the state of
the world’s environment ?
What is the condition of
India’s environment ?
21. 7/28/2020 21
Water
World:
• 80 countries of the world suffer from serious water
shortages:
– 1.5 billion people, 1/4th of the population, have
no access to safe drinking water.
– Half the population lacks sanitation facilities.
India:
• No drinking water in > 60,000 villages
• Diarrhea kills 1 million children / year
• 45 million affected by polluted water / year
22. 22
• The scene on the bridge
over Periyar river
connecting Malyatoor –
Kodanaad .
• The river has given back
everything we gave it.
August -2018 floods in Kerala
25. 7/28/2020 25
Forests
World:
• More than 50 countries have lost between
90 to 100 % of their forests:
–Tropical forests are being cleared at the
rate of 1 hectare/second.
India:
• Forest cover down to 19 % or less
26. 7/28/2020 26
Air Pollution
World:
• At least 1 billion people in the world breathe
unhealthy air:
– 3 million die annually due to air pollution.
India:
• Indian cities among the most polluted in the
world.
• China – yellow fog
27. 7/28/2020 27
India (Air pollution):
Indian Medical Council - report
• Among 178 countries, we are @ 174th position.
• Delhi’s air quality is worse than Beijing.
• 5 times more than maximum permitted limit.
• 6.2 lakhs died in India in 2010.
• It is 6½ times more than that in 2000.
• Air pollution is in the 5th position among all
diseases in causing death.
• Beijing’s pollution is decreasing in the last few
yrs where as it is increasing in Delhi.
38. 7/28/2020 38
Biodiversity
World:
• 24% mammals, 12% birds,
25% reptiles, 30% fishes threatened or
endangered
– 100-1000 times faster than natural process of
extinction
India:
• > 10% flora and fauna are threatened,
many on verge of extinction
39. 7/28/2020 39
Coastal/Marine Degradation
World:
• Marine pollution has increased enormously.
• World fisheries have collapsed due to
overexploitation and pollution.
India:
• 50% of mangroves and corals lost
- Heavy sea erosion, sea water intrusion
41. Mangroves are semi aquatic woody plants and shrub that
inhabit the upper inter-tidal zones of saltwater areas.
7/28/2020 41
42. Primarily in tropical and subtropical coastal regions and form low diversity forests with
complex food webs and unique ecosystem dynamics.
7/28/2020 42
48. 7/28/2020 48
The World’s Cities
• Asia and Africa to double their urban
populations
–3.4 billion by 2030.
– Half the people in African and Asian cities lack
adequate water and sanitation.
– Urban air pollution kills 8,00,000 people each year
–Half of them in China
– Traffic accidents kill 1.2 mi. people every year and
injure 50 mi.
49. Dharavi one of the largest slums in Asia
• Suburb of Mumbai
• 0.67 square miles
• 1 million people
• Annual turnover
> Rs. 25 bi.
7/28/2020 49
53. • 50% of World’s
population lives in
urban areas – 2050
• 10% of World’s
urban population
are in India - 2025
7/28/2020 53
Five E’s
• Economically
cheap solutions
• Eco friendly
solutions
• Energy
resources-clean & cheap
• Empathy
• Equity
54. 7/28/2020 54
World watch: 2008 Review . . . .
• Arctic ice lowest since 1970
• Greenland ice melt maximum since 50 years
• Northwest Passage open
57. 7/28/2020 57
World watch: 2008 Review . . . .
• Global glacier melt doubled
• Amazon deforestation increasing
• Ocean dead zones doubles every decade
58. 7/28/2020 58
World watch: 2008 Review (contd…)
• S.E. Asian ocean running out of fish, threat to
livelihood of 100 mi. people
• China emissions 14% more than US
• Pollution: Russian tanker spill, 2000 tons near
Black Sea
Gulf of Maxico
• Health: China birth defects 40% up since
2001, due to pollution
59. 7/28/2020 59
Things are warming up !
Global warming is happening:
• The Arctic is melting.
• Antarctic ice shelves are breaking off.
• The weather is becoming unpredictable.
• The frequency of natural disasters and the number of
people affected are increasing.
• Sea level rise is threatening the existence of small
islands.
India: The Himalayan glaciers are receding !
60. 7/28/2020 60
State of the World - 2009
• We are entering a warmer world
• Human alteration of climate will continue
during our lifetime & beyond
• We still have a narrow window of opportunity
to act to stop the warming before it becomes
irreversible
• If WE do not act now…
61. Tuvalu Island
• Pacific ocean
• Population 11,000
• 4.5 mts above
the sea level
7/28/2020 61
63. Health Impacts of Environmental Damage
• 13 million deaths annually
• Upto 25% of all diseases worldwide
• 33 % of illnesses in children < 5 years
All these are due to
preventable environmental causes:
World Health Organization (WHO)7/28/2020 63
64. Why are we in such a mess?
• We are consuming natural resources at a
rapid rate.
– We do not give enough time for nature to
regenerate the resources.
• We are miss-using the resources
● But our consumption is often continued far
beyond survival--OVERCONSUMPTION.
● Overconsumption leads to very little/no scope
for the improvement in well-being.
7/28/2020 64
65. ● But it damages the environment and reduces
well-being for others and future
generations...UNSUSTAINABILITY
• We are rapidly and heavily polluting the
environment.
– Nature cannot absorb this pollution.
Our ecological footprint
is getting larger and larger !
7/28/2020 65
67. Ecological Footprint
Amount of area required to sustain:
– a person
– a city’s population
– a country, etc.
Accounts for the use of energy, food, water,
building material and other consumables
and the wastes created.
7/28/2020 67
68. What is our ecological footprint ?
• Humanity's Ecological Footprint is already
80% larger than the area of the Earth.
• That is, it now takes more than 1 year and
8months for the Earth to regenerate what
we use in a single year.
• By early 2030s, we will need TWO planets
to keep up with our consumption.
7/28/2020 68
76. Is there a global environmental
crisis?
What is your view?
7/28/2020 76
77. Different Perceptions
• Environmental problems are not as bad as
they are made out to be.
• George W. Bush
• There are problems, but S&T will find
solutions.
• Dr. Abdul Kalam
7/28/2020 77
78. Different Perceptions
• Hunger and poverty are more important
issues, we need economic growth.
–Poverty is the worst pollution.
Indira Gandhi (1972)
Stockholm
UN Conference on the Human Environment
7/28/2020 78
79. Gaia Theory
● By James Lovelock.
● Gaia: Greek Earth Goddess
● Earth with all intricate and interacting systems is like a
Super-Organism
● Self regulation: chemistry of oceans, atmosphere,
temperature, living beings
● It appears as if Earth had a purpose...to nurture life and
maintain life-friendly conditions.
79Watch Video: How Wolves Change Rivers (5)
80. Gaia Theory ....contd
● This perspective brings a new awareness that can enable
further evolution of humanity’s understanding of Nature
and interactions with it:
– When all systems in nature work in order to nurture us, it
is in our best interest to design our activities so as to be
in harmony with it.
– This idea can be the foundation of all future
development.
80Watch Video: How Wolves Change Rivers (5)
81. • The Earth is a self-evolving and self-
regulating living system and it will survive
(Gaia Theory).
• It is all part of a Grand Design. God made
this world, and He will take care of it.
• There is a real crisis, the wolf is at the door,
there is no way out !
7/28/2020 81
82. Wait a minute,
Were we not living happily for thousands of years?
Why is there a crisis now?
7/28/2020 82
83. Earth, Nature, Man: The Long View
We have survived for so long:
• Earth: 5 billion years (500 crore)
• Man: 3 to 5 million years (50 lakh)
• Civilization: 10,000 years
We know:
• Nature absorbs disturbances !
• Man is the master !
• S & T can solve all problems !
• Economic development is the key.
7/28/2020 83
92. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
o The Idea of Progress
16th/17th Century - Europe
Industrial Revolution
o New attitude towards nature
Man is most important
Nature is for exploitation
o Exponential growth in many areas
Supported by Science & Technology
7/28/2020 92
93. Anyone who believes that exponential
growth can go on forever
in a finite world
is either
a mad man or an economist.
- Kenneth Boulding
7/28/2020 93
94. List of Environmental Issues
• Air Pollution
• Water pollution and scarcity
• Contamination of food
• Land degradation, desertification
• Acid Rain
• UV exposure due to ozone depletion
• Global Climate Change; weather patterns, severe
weather episodes, ocean currents
• Hazardous wastes, radioactive, bio-hazards, e-wastes,
heavy metals
• Loss of Biodiversity, mass extinction
7/28/2020 94
95. What has the world done about it?
• Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (1962)
• Paul R. Ehrlich : The Population Bomb (1968)
• Environmental movement
• Stockholm Conference (1972)
• UNEP, UN Conventions & Agreements
7/28/2020 95
96. What has the world done about it?
• Earth Summit, Agenda 21 (1992)
• World Summit on Sust. Development (2002)
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC)-1988,
• Kyoto Protocol-1997.
7/28/2020 96
97. 7/28/2020 97
TERI
(The Energy & Resources Institute)
Rajendra K Pachauri
Chairperson IPCC – 2002
Nobel Peace – 2007 with
Al Gore
98. Changes are coming !
Within your lifetime, you will see
major environmental and social changes.
They will not be pleasant
for you, your children, and humanity.
You can, however, mitigate the impact
by taking action NOW.
There is no time to lose !
7/28/2020 98
99. Human beings and
the natural world
are on a collision course.
- World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity
So, it is much worse than I imagined !
7/28/2020 99
100. There is no hope, then?
If things are so bad and disaster is imminent,
should I just give up?
No, I must find out
the real enemy of the environment !
7/28/2020 100
101. Who is the real enemy ?
• Rich countries like the US that consume and
pollute a lot?
• Companies that use natural resources and
throw away the waste?
• Corrupt officials who let the companies
pollute?
• Municipalities that do not clear the garbage?
• My neighbor who throws the garbage on the
street?
7/28/2020 101
103. Who is responsible?
• Don’t say that you have nothing to do with it; you are
party to it and also the sufferer.
• Don’t blame it on overpopulation: it only amplifies
what is basically wrong.
• Don’t blame the ‘system’ or politics; you form the
‘system’.
• Don’t say you are helpless and insignificant; small
steps make big impacts.
I am responsible for the damage and for bringing
change
7/28/2020 103
105. I am the cause of it all !
The root causes:
• My consumption
• The waste that I create and throw away
• The unsustainable or polluting nature of my
work, my organization
• The corruption that I support, directly or
indirectly
• NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome
7/28/2020 105
108. So, I am now part of the problem !
Can I become a part of the solution ?
7/28/2020 108
109. Why Study This Course?
• Earth-threatening anthropogenic
environmental issues
• In developed countries, pollution and
environmental damage may be less obvious
• Shocking state of the environment in India
7/28/2020 109
110. Only when the last tree has been cut down
Only when the last river has been poisoned
Only when the last fish has been caught
Only then we will find that money cannot be eaten
A native American saying
7/28/2020 110
111. Fine. I’m ready to do what it takes.
But what am I supposed to do?
What are WE supposed to do?
We all need to work towards:
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
7/29/2020 111
112. • SD is the economic development to meet human
needs while preserving the environment.
• Meet needs into the indefinite future.
• Present economic growth is unsustainable since it
leads to social inequities and environmental
damage.
• Economy, Society, Environment: 3 interdependent
and mutually reinforcing pillars of SD.
7/29/2020 112
Sustainable Development (SD)
113. Quote for the Topic
We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history,
A time when humanity must choose its future.
As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile,
the future at once holds great peril and great promise.
To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of
a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms
we are one human family and
one Earth community with a common destiny.7/28/2020 113
114. Preamble to the Earth Charter (2000)
We must join together to bring forth
a sustainable global society
founded on respect for nature,
universal human rights, economic justice,
and a culture of peace.
Towards this end, it is imperative that
we, the peoples of Earth,
declare our responsibility to one another,
to the greater community of life,
and to future generations.
7/28/2020 114
115. Look forward to learning more about
our wonderful environment with
you…
7/28/2020 115
116. Books
• P. Venugopal Rao: ‘Textbook of Environmental
Engineering’ Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi, 2002
• J. P. Sharma, ‘Comprehensive Environmental Studies’,
Laxmi Publications, New Delhi, 2004
• Santosh kumar Garg: ‘Environmental Engineering (Vol.I
and II)’, Khanna publishers,New Delhi,2004.
REFERENCE BOOK
• Environmental Engineering: Gerard Kiely, McGraw-Hill
International Edition, 1997
• Textbook of Environmental Studies, Erach Bharucha,
University Grants Commission, 2004
7/28/2020 116
