Environmental studies is the interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment. It includes subjects like humanities, commerce, meteorology, climatology, geography and others. Studying environmental studies provides basic knowledge of our surroundings and develops skills to identify and solve environmental problems to maintain ecological balance and sustainable development. The scope of environmental studies includes environmental management, research and development, pollution control, ecosystem structure and function, and natural resource conservation. Popular methods to generate environmental awareness include formal education in schools and colleges as well as informal education through mass media, meetings, and folk songs. Famous Indian environmentalists who have contributed to the field include Sunita Narain, Anil Agarwal, Medha Patkar,

1. CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

2. What do we mean by Environment ????
Environment is what surrounds us !!
It is the sum total of all social, economical , biological , physical and
chemical factors which constitute the surroundings of humans, who
are both the creators and moulders of the environment.

3. Environment is of two types:
Natural Environment
Man - Made Environment

4. Components such as air, water, soil, land, forest, wildlife, flora ,
fauna, etc. constitute the Natural Environment
Alteration of the natural environment to serve specific uses by the
human beings is termed as Anthropogenic Environment. For eg
agricultural field is an anthropogenic environment and so are the
gardens and aquaculture farms.

5. Realms of the earth
There are four realms of the Earth :
Lithosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
Biosphere

6. What does each type of environment comprise of ?
There are two main components of Environment
Biotic Components
Abiotic Components

7. Biotic Components

8. Abiotic Components

9. How does “Environment” differ from “Ecology”

10. Ecology
Branch of science that deals with the scientific study of the
interrelationships between living organisms with respect to
each other and to their surroundings.

11. Common terms used in Ecology
Species
Population
Vegetation
Biomass
Biome
Community
Habitat

12. Why do we study Ecology ?
•To know about the local and geographic distribution and abundance of
organisms.
•To record the temporal changes in the occurrence, abundance, and
activities of organisms .
•To understand the interrelationships between organisms in
populations and communities.
•To understand the behaviour of organisms under natural conditions.

13. Ecology and Man Environment Relationship :
Physical, biological and socio cultural adaptations

14. Factors responsible for changing human-nature
relationships
Growing Human Population
Economic Development
Consumption of natural resources
Health hazards

15. Do the terms “Ecology” and “Environmental Studies” mean the
same ?
The two terms are used commonly but differ with respect to their
scope and objectives
Environmental Studies refers to the study of environment. There are
a number of programs under Environmental Studies

16. Environmental Studies
It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study which studies the
interaction of human beings with the environment.
Environmental Science
It is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and
biological sciences to address the environmental problems.
Environmental Engineering
It is the application of science and engineering principles to improve
the quality of environment to provide healthy living conditions.

17. Multidisciplinary nature of Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies is a multidisciplinary subject that includes all
other disciplines such as humanities, commerce, metrology,
climatology, geography and other disciplines.

18. Why it is important to study “Environmental Studies”
To get basic knowledge of our surroundings.
To develop skills for identifying and solving environmental
problems in our surroundings.
To maintain ecological balance and to strive to achieve sustainable
development.
To educate people for their duties towards environmental
protection.

19. In which areas the Environmental studies finds scope ?
Environmental Management
Research and
Development
Environmental Pollution Control
Ecosystem
Structure and
Function
Natural resource
conservation

20. Methods to generate public awareness
The methods to generate environmental awareness generally
falls in two categories :
Formal Method
Introduction of Environmental Studies as a course in schools and
colleges
Non Formal Method
Mass media such as newspapers, magazine, radio, T.V., etc
Organizing meetings, seminars and conferences
Organizing various competitions
Through folk songs, street plays, TV serials, etc.

21. People in Environment
Rajendra Kumar Pachauri has been serving as the
chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) since 2002. To acknowledge his
immense contribution to the field of environment, he
has been awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2008.
Sunita Narain is an Indian environmentalist and
political activist. Currently she is serving as the
Director, Centre for Science and Environment.

22. Anil Agarwal was a prominent Indian
environmentalist
who
redefined
environmental problems through the eyes
of poor people.
Medha Patkar is an Indian social activist.
She is known for her role in Narmada
Bachao Andolan.
Vandana
Shiva
is
a
philosopher,
environmental activist, and feminist.
Through her active Campaigns she has
contributed in the areas of biodiversity,
biotechnology, genetic engineering, etc.

23. Sunderlal Bahuguna is a noted environmentalist,
Chipko movement leader and a follower of
Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of Non-violence
and Satyagraha.
Maneka Gandhi, is an Indian politician, animal
rights activist and environmentalist.