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Module 1 - Class 2

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Module 1 - Class 2

Uploaded by

josephsebastian6812
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Environment
Environment
The word environment is derived from the French word environ, meaning
external conditions or surroundings that protect and favour the growth of
flora and fauna. The environment consists of four components as follows:

Atmosphere - The atmosphere refers to the protective blanket of gases


surrounding the earth. It sustains life on the earth. It saves the Earth from
the hostile environment of outer space.

Hydrosphere - Hydrosphere comprises all water resources such as


ocean, seas, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, icecaps, glaciers, and groundwater.

Lithosphere - It is the outer mantle of the earth’s crust. It contains


minerals occurring in the earth’s crust and the soil.

Biosphere - It constitutes the realm of living organisms and their


interactions with the environment (atmosphere, hydrosphere, and
lithosphere).
Components of an Environment
Atmosphere

The atmosphere is composed of nitrogen and oxygen in large


quantities along with a small percentage of other gases such as
argon, carbon dioxide, and trace gases. It is the thin layer of gases
that exists above our planet's surface and makes the earth livable.
It acts like a shield that doesn’t allow some life-essential gases, like
oxygen, to go out into space. Likewise, it also prevents the
incoming harmful rays of the sun, like ultraviolet light, known to
cause cancer, from reaching the earth’s surface. It keeps the
planet's surface warm and the climate on Earth habitable for life.

Group Discussion

● What would our Earth look like without an atmosphere?


● What is the role of oxygen found in the atmosphere?
Components of an Environment
Hydrosphere

The hydrosphere covers three quarters of the earth’s surface. A


major part of the hydrosphere is the marine ecosystem in the ocean,
while only a small part occurs in freshwater. Fresh water in rivers,
lakes and glaciers, is perpetually being renewed by a process of
evaporation and rainfall. Some of this fresh water lies in
underground aquifers. Human activities such as deforestation
create serious changes in the hydrosphere. Once land is denuded
of vegetation, the rain erodes the soil which is washed into the sea.

Chemicals from industry and sewage find their way into rivers and
into the sea. Water pollution, thus threatens the health of
communities as all our lives depend on the availability of clean
water. This once plentiful resource is now becoming rare and Discussion Point
expensive due to pollution.
● List a few activities we need water for
Components of an Environment
Lithosphere

The lithosphere refers to the environment containing the land where


land organisms like us live. The lithosphere is the hard upper layer
of the earth. It consists of rocks and minerals and is covered by a
thin layer of soil. It is irregular and consists of various landforms
such as mountains, plateaus, plains, valleys etc. The lithosphere
provides us with forests, grasslands for grazing, land for agriculture
and human settlements, and also a rich source of minerals. Rocks,
when broken down, form soil on which man is dependent for his
agriculture. The lithosphere contains different types of rocks, such
as igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. It helps to
provide the necessary nutrients required by plants. These minerals
are also the raw materials used in various industries.
Components of an Environment
Biosphere

Biosphere consists of living organisms from human beings,


animals, plants, bacteria to multicellular organisms. It includes all
the living components of the earth. The unique thing about
biosphere is that it interacts with other components of the
environment such as soil, water and air. They are also influenced
by the atmospheric elements such as the temperature, moisture
and sunlight. The survival of any of these living organisms depends
on the interaction of these four components.
Types of Environment
Since environment is a combination of physical and biological factors, it
contains both biotic and abiotic components. On the basis of this basic
structure, environment can be divided into abiotic and biotic environment.

Abiotic Environment

Abiotic environment or the physical environment is made up of the


following states - solid, liquid, and gas. These three elements signify
lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere respectively. The abiotic
environment can be further split into smaller units such as coastal
environment, desert environment, mountain environment, lake
environment, river environment, maritime environment, etc.

Biotic Environment

Biotic environment consists of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) including


human beings as a significant factor. Thus, the biotic environment can be
of two types such as floral environment and faunal environment.
Class Exercise
List the items that fall under the category of Abiotic and Biotic

Fungus Tree
Car Rat

River Bacteria

Fish House fly

Air
Diamond Fire
Assignment

1. Take five simple object in daily use and track its components back to each of its spheres. For example,
● A textbook: paper from wood – biosphere
● Water for drinking – hydrosphere
Question
Part A

1. Define environment.
2. List any three uses of oxygen found in the atmosphere.
3. What is biotic environment?
4. What is abiotic environment?
5. Write short note on lithosphere.
6. Write short note on hydrosphere.
7. Write short note on atmosphere.
8. Write short note on biosphere.

Part B

1. List any six uses of water found around us.


2. Write a short essay on the atmosphere. How does the atmosphere help preserve life on our planet?

Part C

1. Write an essay on the components of an environment.


2. Write an essay on the types of environment.

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