Unit 1 introduction to Environmental Studies

Definitions
a) Environment can be defined as the natural surroundings of that organism which directly or
indirectly influences the growth and development of the organism
b) Environment is defined as the surroundings in which an organization operates including air,
water, land and natural resources, flora, fauna, humans and their inter relations” – ISO Definition
c) Environment is the sum total of all living and non living factors that compose the surroundings of
man
d) Environment consists of everything we see around us (trees, plant, people, lake, animals etc.) are
all parts of environment.
e) We can say that environment is the combination of all living and nonliving things.
f) Environment can be defined as surroundings and conditions which directly or indirectly affects
the living organisms.

Evolution of Environment-
The word environment is derived from the French word “environ”. The meaning of the French word
is somewhat related to “encompass” “encircle” etc. Itis believed to have been introduced into the
subject by biologist Jacob Van Erkulin the early 1900
Components of atmosphere
The conflict of words and thoughts between scientists of European origin and American origin has
had its toll on the subject of environment. For the same topic, they may have different names and
different philosophies
Components of atmosphere as per British literature
Here the components are classified in terms of biotic and abiotic based upon life. The biotic
components are further listed as producers, consumers and decomposers and the abiotic components
are classified as climatic(water, air)and edaphic(land
Biotic – all living things in environment
Biotic factors include human, plant, animal, microorganisms etc while abiotic factors include air,
soil, water etc
Abiotic – All Non living things in atmosphere
Components of atmosphere as per American literature
1) Hydrosphere(Water)
2) Atmosphere(Air)
3) Lithosphere(Land)
4) Biosphere(Flora/Fauna/Microbes
5) Anthrosphere (man made things
1) Hydoshphere
Hydrosphere is a components of environment which include water bodies such as ponds, lakes, ocean,
river, etc.
Hydrosphere is the water component on the earth surface wherever we see water bodies on the earth’s
surface such as river, Glacier, ocean even in the atmosphere water vapour or water droplet present even
they are also a part of Hydrosphere so everything together combined is known as Hydrosphere.
Around 71% is covered with water (97% marine water and 3% freshwater). If we see the earth from
space it looks blue as the major part of Earth’s surface is covered with water on the surface of earth
below the ground and surroundings.
Water exist in all three States of matter solid (ice), liquid (river, ponds, ocean) and gas (gas steam).

Hydrological Cycle
the hydrological cycle is circulation of water in the different forms solid liquid and gaseous hydrological
cycle is also known as water cycle.
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Mathematically it is expressed as RF = RO + ET. There are six stages of water cycle:-
1) Evaporation
2) Transportation
3) Condensation
4) Precipitation
5) Run off
6) Groundwater
1) Evaporation: The process in which water changes from liquid to gas. The heat of Sun provides
energy to evaporate water from the Earth’s surface.
2) Transportation: The movement of water particles from the ocean to overland through the
atmosphere.
3) Condensation: It is the process of forming tiny water droplet and clouds.
4) Precipitation: The process of transporting water from the atmosphere to the Earth’s surface.
5) Run off: Most of the water that return to the earth flows down hill as runoff and charge
groundwater while the rest, a river flow return to the ocean
6) Groundwater: Groundwater can even flow upward in artesian well.

2) Lithosphere
This ‘components of environment‘refer to the layer of rocky material on the earth’s surface.
Lithosphere contains soil, rocks, mountain etc. Lithosphere is divided into three layer crust, Mantle and
core but the earth lithosphere is the rocky outer part.
It is made up of crust and top parts of mantle. Lithosphere consists of igneous and sedimentary rocks.

Types of lithosphere:-
Oceanic Lithosphere – This is present at the bottom of the water bodies and ocean, river, they get thick
with time.
Continental Lithosphere – It is exist below the solid land. It is lighter than oceanic lithosphere.

3) Atmosphere
Atmosphere

The envelope of air that completely surrounds the earth is known as atmosphere. The atmosphere extends to
about 1000 km from the surface of the earth. But 99% of the total mass of the atmosphere is found within 32
km.
This is because the atmosphere is held by the gravitational pull of the earth.

Composition of the Atmosphere

(i) Nitrogen - 78%

(ii) Oxygen - 21%
(iii) Argon -0.93%
(iv) Carbondioxide - 0.03%
(v)Neon - 0.0018%
(vi) Helium - 0.0005%
(vii) Ozone - 0.0006%
(viii) Hydrogen - 0.00005%

Carbon dioxide is present in small quantity in the atmosphere

It is an important constituent of air because it has the ability to absorb heat and thus keep the atmosphere warm,
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 thereby, balancing the heat

Layers of the Atmosphere in details

(a) Troposphere
This is the first layer of the atmosphere. It extends to a height of 18 km at the equator and 8
km at the poles.
In this layer temperature decreases with height. This is due to the fact that the density of air
decreases with height and so the heat absorbed is less. It contains more than 90% of gases in the
atmosphere.
Since most of the water vapour form clouds in this layer, all weather changes occur in the
troposphere("tropo" means "change").
The height at which the temperature stops decreasing is called tropopause. Here the temperature may be as
low as -58 degree Celsius.

(b) Stratosphere
This is the second layer of the atmosphere. It extends from the tropopause to about 50 km.
Temperature increases due to the absorption of the ultraviolet radiations of the Sun byOzone present in this
layer. The temperature slowly increases to 4-degree celsius. This layer is free from clouds and associated weather
phenomena. Hence, it provides ideal flying conditions for large jet planes.

(c) Mesosphere
Above the stratosphere lies the Mesosphere.
The mesosphere extends to a height of 80 km.
Here the temperature decreases again, falling as low as - 90-degree celsius.
The end of this layer is known as the mesopause

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 (d) Thermospher

This layer extends to a height of about 640 km

Thisincrease in temperature isdue to the fact that the gas molecules in this layer absorb the X-rays and
Ultraviolet radiation of the Sun.
The electrically charged gas molecules of the thermosphere reflect radio waves from the Earth back into the
space. Thus, this layer also helps in long distance communication.
The thermosphere also protects us from meteors and obsolete satellite because its highTemperature
burnsupnearlyallthedebriscomingtowardstheEarth.
(e) Exosphere

The exosphere extends beyond the thermosphere up to 960km. It gradually

merges with interplanetary space.
The temperatures in this layer range from about 300 degree Celsius to 1650 degree Celsius.
This layer contains only traces of gases like oxygen, nitrogen, argon and helium
because the lack of gravity allows the gas molecules to escape easily into space.
There are five layer in the atmosphere which is divided on the basis of its temperature. These includes
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.
a) The Troposphere-
The layer closest to Earth’s surface ➔ 5 - 11 miles thick ➔ Contains most of the air in the atmosphere
➔ All life exists here! ➔ Where all weather (clouds, rain, snow, thunderstorms, etc…) happens
b) The Stratosphere
The second layer of the atmosphere ➔ Temperature increases with altitude ➔ Contains the ozone layer
➔ Where most airplanes trave
c) The Mesosphere
The third layer of the atmosphere ➔ Temperature decreases with altitude ➔ Where most meteors burn
up ➔ The coldest layer of the atmosphere
a) The Thermosphere
The fourth layer of the atmosphere ➔ The hottest layer ➔ Temperature increases with altitude ➔ Where
radio waves are reflected

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How important is the atmosphere?
Provides the gases necessary for living things to survive ★ Regulates the heat from the Sun to
just the right temperature for life on Earth ★ Necessary for the water cycle ★ The ozone layer
protects the Earth from the Sun’s harmful rays ★ Protects the Earth from small meteors

Notes on atmosphere
The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere. ● As you go higher in altitude, air
pressure falls (decreases). ● Normal air pressure is greatest at sea level. ● 99% of the air we
breathe is a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Air also contains water vapor and dust particles. ●
“Weather” really describes what conditions are like in the troposphere at any given time and
place. ● Draw the Layers of the Atmosphere diagram

4) Biosphere
This components of environment are also known as the life layer. Biosphere refers to all
organisms on the earth and their interaction with the water and air.
It mainly consists of animal, plant, trees, microorganisms, fishes. Millions of a species of plants,
animals, microorganism etc grow, feed, and reproduce over long period of time the environment.
The richness of Biosphere depends upon a number of factors such as rainfall, temperature,
sunlight, water etc.
Simply biosphere is life layer on the earth’s surface extending from of few kilometre into the
atmosphere where birds fly to the deep ocean.

Sustainability and sustainable development

- What is sustainability and what is sustainable development?
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
This implies that we need to look after our planet, our resources and our people to ensure that we
can live in a sustainable manner and that we can hand down our planet to our children and our
grandchildren to live in true sustainability.
What is sustainability? The three pillars of sustainability
But what is sustainability? The definition of sustainability may be taken further and it is widely
accepted that to achieve sustainability we must balance economic, environmental and social
factors in equal harmony. This may be illustrated with a sustainability Venn diagram, as shown
below:

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 Sustainability Venn Diagram
So to achieve true sustainability we need to balance economic, social and environmental
sustainability factors in equal harmony. These may be defined as:

 Environmental Sustainability: Environmental sustainability means that we are living

within the means of our natural resources. To live in true environmental sustainability we
need to ensure that we are consuming our natural resources, such as materials, energy
fuels, land, water...etc, at a sustainable rate. Some resources are more abundant than
others and therefore we need to consider material scarcity, the damage to environment
from extraction of these materials and if the resource can be kept within Circular
Economyprinciples. Environmental sustainability should not be confused with full
sustainability, which also need to balance economic and social factors.
 Economic Sustainability: Economic sustainability requires that a business or country
uses its resources efficiently and responsibly so that it can operate in a sustainable
manner to consistently produce an operational profit. Without an operational profit a
business cannot sustain it's activities. Without acting responsibly and using its resources
efficiently a company will not be able to sustain it's activities in the long term.
 Social Sustainability: Social sustainability is the ability of society, or any social system,
to persistently achieve a good social well being. Achieving social sustainability ensures
that the social well being of a country, an organization, or a community can be
maintained in the long term.
Taking these three pillars of sustainability further if we only achieve two out of three pillars then
we end up with:

 Social + Economic Sustainability = Equitable

 Social + Environmental Sustainability = Bearable
 Economic + Environmental Sustainability = Viable
Only through balancing economic + social + environmental can we achieve true sustainability
and a truly circular economy.
Sustainability versus sustainable development
So what is the difference between sustainability and sustainable development? Continue reading
to find out...

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So is it all just about the environment?
Living within our environmental limits is one of the central principles of sustainable
development. One implication of not doing so is climate change.
But the focus of sustainable development is far broader than just the environment. It's also about
ensuring a strong, healthy and just society. This means meeting the diverse needs of all people in
existing and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion,
and creating equal opportunity.
If sustainable development focuses on the future, does that mean we lose out now?
Not necessarily. Sustainable development is about finding better ways of doing things, both for
the future and the present. We might need to change the way we work and live now, but this
doesn't mean our quality of life will be reduced.
A sustainable development approach can bring many benefits in the short to medium term, for
example:
Savings - As a result of SDC scrutiny, government has saved over £60m by improving efficiency
across its estate.
Health & Transport - Instead of driving, switching to walking or cycling for short journeys will
save you money, improve your health and is often just as quick and convenient.
How does it affect me?
The way we approach development affects everyone. The impacts of our decisions as a society
have very real consequences for people's lives. Poor planning of communities, for example,
reduces the quality of life for the people who live in them. (Relying on imports rather than
growing food locally puts the UK at risk of food shortages.)
Sustainable development provides an approach to making better decisions on the issues that
affect all of our lives. By incorporating health plans into the planning of new communities, for
instance, we can ensure that residents have easy access to healthcare and leisure facilities. (By
encouraging more sustainable food supply chains, we can ensure the UK has enough food for the
long-term future.)
How do we make it happen?
We all have a part to play. Small actions, taken collectively, can add up to real change. However,
to achieve sustainability in the UK, we believe the Government needs to take the lead. The
SDC's job is to help make this happen, and we do it through a mixture of scrutiny, advice and
building organisational capacity for sustainable development.

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