ENVIRONMENT is derived from the word Environner which mean “encircle or surround” .

Environmental Studies deals with every issue that affects an organism. So, ENVIRONMENT
refers to surroundings which vary from place to place and continent depending upon
Physiography, Topography, Climate and the available Natural resources. Since the beginning of
the culture, the natural resources such as Soil, Land, Water etc are being over-exploited causing
the environment gets polluted or degraded. This has resulted in multi – dimensional
environmental crisis like soil erosion, landslides and in turn have created soil pollution, air
pollution, water pollution, noise pollution etc.

Environmental Protection Act (1986) defined “Environment as the sum total of water, air and
land, their interrelationship among themselves and with the human beings, other living beings
and property.”
Environment includes
• Living things: Animals, plants, forests, fungi, etc.
• Nonliving things: Continents, oceans, clouds, soil, rocks
• Our built environment: Buildings, human-created living centers
• Social relationships and institutions: Family, College, Panchayaths, Hospitals

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological

and [Link] (including ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant
science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical
geography (geodesy), and atmospheric science) to the study of the environment, and the solution
of environmental problems. Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural
history and medicine during the Enlightenment. Today it provides an integrated, quantitative,
and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.
Related areas of study include environmental studies and environmental engineering.
Environmental studies incorporates more of the social sciences for understanding human
relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. Environmental engineering
focuses on design and technology for improving environmental quality in every aspect.
Environmental scientists work on subjects like the understanding of earth processes,
evaluating alternative energy systems, pollution control and mitigation, natural resource
management, and the effects of global climate change. Environmental issues almost always
include an interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Environmental scientists
bring a systems approach to the analysis of environmental problems. Key elements of an
effective environmental scientist include the ability to relate space, and time relationships as well
as quantitative analysis.

Environmental science came alive as a substantive, active field of scientific investigation in the
1960s and 1970s driven by (a) the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to analyze complex
environmental problems, (b) the arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific
environmental protocols of investigation and (c) the growing public awareness of a need for
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action in addressing environmental problems. Events that spurred this development included the
publication of Rachel Carson's landmark environmental book Silent Spring along with major
environmental issues becoming very public, such as the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, and
the Cuyahoga River of Cleveland, Ohio, "catching fire" (also in 1969), and helped increase the
visibility of environmental issues and create this new field of study.

In common usage, "Environmental Science" and "Ecology" are often used interchangeably, but
technically, ecology refers only to the study of organisms and their interactions with each other
and their environment. Ecology could be considered a subset of environmental science, which
also could involve purely chemical or public health issues (for example) ecologists would be
unlikely to study. In practice, there is considerable overlap between the work of ecologists and
other environmental scientists.

Ecology and Scope of Ecological Studies:

Ecology is that part of environmental studies in which we study about organisms, plants and
animals and their relationship or interdependence on other living and non living environment.
The term ‘Ecology’ is derived from Greek word ‘Oekologue’ which is composed of two words:
(a) ‘Oekos’ means surrounding
(b) ‘Logs’ means study on a whole ecology means ‘Study of surrounding’

The National Center for Education Statistics in the United States defines an academic program in
environmental science as follows:
A program that focuses on the application of biological, chemical, and physical principles to the
study of the physical environment and the solution of environmental problems, including
subjects such as abating or controlling environmental pollution and degradation; the interaction
between human society and the natural environment; and natural resources management.
Includes instruction in biology, chemistry, physics, geosciences, climatology, statistics, and
mathematical modeling.

The scope of ecological study includes:

1. It deals with the study of flow of energy and materials in the environment.
2. It deals with the study of nature and its function.
3. It deals with the exchange of various materials between the biotic and abiotic components of
environment. E.g., Biogeochemical cycles.

Meaning Of Environmental Studies:

Environmental studies are the scientific study of the environmental system and the status of its
inherent or induced changes on organisms. It includes not only the study of physical and
biological characters of the environment but also the social and cultural factors and the impact of
man on environment.

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Objectives and Guiding Principles of Environmental Studies:
According to UNESCO (1971), the objectives of environmental studies are:
(a) Creating the awareness about environmental problems among people.
(b) Imparting basic knowledge about the environment and its allied problems.
(c) Developing an attitude of concern for the environment.
(d) Motivating public to participate in environment protection and environment improvement.
(e) Acquiring skills to help the concerned individuals in identifying and solving environmental
problems.
(f) Striving to attain harmony with Nature.

According to UNESCO, the guiding principles of environmental education should be as

follows:
(a) Environmental education should be compulsory, right from the primary up to the post
graduate stage.
(b) Environmental education should have an interdisciplinary approach by including physical,
chemical, biological as well as socio-cultural aspects of the environment. It should build a bridge
between biology and technology.
(c) Environmental education should take into account the historical perspective, the current and
the potential historical issues.
(d) Environmental education should emphasise the importance of sustainable development i.e.,
economic development without degrading the environment.
(e) Environmental education should emphasise the necessity of seeking international cooperation
in environmental planning.
(f) Environmental education should lay more stress on practical activities and first hand
experiences.

Scope and Importance of Environmental Studies:

The disciplines included in environmental education are environmental sciences, environmental
engineering and environmental management. It has an applied goal: developing solutions to
environmental problems

(a) Environmental Science:

It deals with the scientific study of environmental system (air, water, soil and land), the inherent
or induced changes on organisms and the environmental damages incurred as a result of human
interaction with the environment.
(b) Environmental Engineering:
It deals with the study of technical processes involved in the protection of environment from the
potentially deleterious effects of human activity and improving the environmental quality for the
health and well beings of humans.
(c) Environmental Management:

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It promotes due regard for physical, social and economic environment of the enterprise or
projects. It encourages planned investment at the start of the production chain rather than forced
investment in cleaning up at the end.
It generally covers the areas as environment and enterprise objectives, scope, and structure of the
environment, interaction of nature, society and the enterprise, environment impact assessment,
economics of pollution, prevention, environmental management standards etc.

An interdisciplinary field
 Natural sciences: information about the world

 Social sciences: values and human behavior, politics, economy, etc.

Environmental Science application in solving the problem

related to fish depletion

The importance’s of environmental studies are as follows:

1. To clarify modern environmental concept like how to conserve biodiversity.

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2. To know the more sustainable way of living.
3. To use natural resources more efficiently.
4. To know the behaviour of organism under natural conditions.
5. To know the interrelationship between organisms in populations and communities.
6. To aware and educate people regarding environmental issues and problems at local, national
and international levels.

Need of Public Awareness about Environment:

In today’s world because of industrialization and increasing population, the natural resources has
been rapidly utilised and our environment is being increasingly degraded by human activities, so
we need to protect the environment. It is not only the duty of government but also the people to
take active role for protecting the environment, so protecting our environment is economically
more viable than cleaning it up once, it is damaged. The role of mass media such as newspapers,
radio, television, etc is also very important to make people aware regarding environment. There
are various institutions, which are playing positive role towards environment to make people
aware regarding environment like BSI (Botanical Survey of India, 1890), ZSI (Zoological
Survey of India, 1916), WII (Wild Life Institute of India, 1982) etc.

Ecological foot print: The environmental impact of a person or population i.e. Amount of
biologically productive land + water for raw materials and to dispose/recycle waste
The ecological footprints of countries vary greatly
 The U.S. footprint is almost 5 times greater than the world’s average
 Developing countries have much smaller footprints than developed countries

Humans have surpassed the Earth’s capacity by using 30% more of the planet’s resources than
are available on a sustainable basis!

Three ethical perspectives or viewpoints:

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  Anthropocentrism: only humans have rights
 Costs and benefits are measured only according to their impact on people
 Anything not providing benefit to people has no value
 Biocentrism: certain living things also have value
 All life has ethical standing
 Development is opposed if it destroys life, even if it creates jobs
 Ecocentrism: whole ecological systems have value
 Values the well-being of species, communities, or ecosystems
 Holistic perspective, stresses preserving connections

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