Introduction

Week-I
Why is this course
important?
 Distribution of students in the class

AM BB
TT CE
4% 1%
10% 1%
PH
2%
CH
19%
MT
16%

MS CS
6% 11%

ME
5%
ES
4% EE
21%
 Interesting Movies

The court case around trichloroethylene, an The court case ‘Anderson vs. Pacific
industrial solvent, and its contamination of a Gas Electric.’ on release of Cr6+ a
water body. A lawsuit was filed over industrial highly toxic and fatal cancer-
operations that appeared to have caused fatal causing chemical in water body
cases of leukemia and cancer, as well as a wide
variety of other health problems, among the
citizens of the city.
Any such cases in India?

Methyl Isocynate

Contamination of rivers
 Environmental Problems

• Old Environmental Problems

– Smog
– Sewage Contamination
– Oil Spills
– Acid rain
– Ozone hole
• New/emerging (?) Problems
– Global warming
– Pollutants acting like carcinogens, endocrine
disruptive compounds (EDC) etc.
 EDC effects
• Eggshell thinning in bird populations due to DDT
• Abnormal reproductive development in alligators
in Lake following pesticide spill
• Simultaneous presence of both male and female
reproductive organs in mollusks exposed to
alkyltins
• Synthesis in male fish living near sewage outfalls
of a hormonally regulated protein (vitellogenin)
normally found only in female fish
Some Specific Aspects
 Global Temperature change

From 1880-2013

Over past 1000 years

[Link]
Are chicken a source for pollution?
 What’s Environmental
Science/Engineering
• It’s a combination of science and engineering
principles for safeguarding and improving natural
environment, to provide healthy air, water, and
land for habilitation of human and other
organisms.
– Water/waste water
– Solid/Hazardous waste
– Land Remediation
– Risk Assessment
– Air Pollution
Highly Interdisciplinary!
Civil Engineering
Structures
Transportation
Geo-technical
Water Resources

Others:
Physics
Chemistry
Biology Chemical
Atmospheric Engineering
Sciences
Electrical
Engineering

Mechanical Engineering
Standards as per Indian Government
Designated-Best-Use Class of Criteria
water
• Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 50
or less
Drinking Water Source • pH between 6.5 and 8.5
without conventional • Dissolved Oxygen 6mg/l or more
A
treatment but after •Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20°C 2mg/l
disinfection or less

• Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be 500

or less pH between 6.5 and 8.5 Dissolved Oxygen
5mg/l or more
Outdoor bathing (Organised) B
•Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20°C 3mg/l
or less

• Total Coliforms Organism MPN/100ml shall be

5000 or less
Drinking water source after • pH between 6 to 9
conventional treatment and C • Dissolved Oxygen 4mg/l or more
disinfection •Biochemical Oxygen Demand 5 days 20°C 3mg/l
or less
• pH between 6.5 to 8.5 Dissolved Oxygen 4mg/l or
Propagation of Wild life and more
D
Fisheries • Free Ammonia (as N) 1.2 mg/l or less

• pH betwwn 6.0 to 8.5

•Electrical Conductivity at 25°C micro mhos/cm
Irrigation, Industrial Cooling, Max.2250
E
Controlled Waste disposal • Sodium absorption Ratio Max. 26
• Boron Max. 2mg/l

Below-E Not Meeting A, B, C, D & E Criteria

[Link]
 International Protocols
• Montreal Protocol Kyoto Protocol
• Protect Ozone layer • Reduce anthropogenic
Green house gases.
– Discussion started in 1989 at
Helsinki (Sweden) and ended – Mainly target developed
in 2007 at Montreal (Canada) nations.
– India signed in 2002.
– Regulate Chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) – India and China are not
obligated to reduce emissions
• CFCs are stable compounds
which reach stratosphere
and release Chlorine.
 Relation between few US presidents and Environmental Laws
President Years Environmental Laws / Actions Notes
Abraham Lincoln 1861–1865 Yosemite Grant (1864) First federal protection of scenic lands
Ulysses S. Grant 1869–1877 Yellowstone National Park (1872) First national park in the world
1885–1889, 1893–
Grover Cleveland 1897 Forest Reserve Act (1891) (second term) Authorized protection of forest lands
Benjamin Harrison 1889–1893 Land Revision Act (1891) Enabled creation of forest preserves
Theodore
Roosevelt 1901–1909 Antiquities Act (1906), 5 National Parks Leading conservationist president
Woodrow Wilson 1913–1921 National Park Service Act (1916) Established National Park Service
Franklin D.
Roosevelt 1933–1945 Civilian Conservation Corps (1933) Massive public works for conservation
Dwight D.
Eisenhower 1953–1961 Air Pollution Control Act (1955) First federal acknowledgment of air pollution
John F. Kennedy 1961–1963 — Supported natural resource conservation
Lyndon B. Johnson 1963–1969 Wilderness Act (1964), Clean Air Act (1967) “Great Society” included environmental vision
NEPA (1970), Clean Air Act (1970), EPA (1970),
Richard Nixon 1969–1974 ESA (1973) Established modern environmental framework
Gerald Ford 1974–1977 Safe Drinking Water Act (1974), RCRA (1976) Strengthened waste and water laws
Jimmy Carter 1977–1981 Superfund Act (1980), Alaska Lands Act Protected over 100 million acres of wilderness
Signed community right-to-know act despite
Ronald Reagan 1981–1989 EPCRA (1986) deregulatory focus
George H. W. Bush 1989–1993 Clean Air Act Amendments (1990) Addressed acid rain and ozone depletion
Bill Clinton 1993–2001 National Environmental Technology Act (1994) Promoted sustainability and climate awareness
Emphasized fossil fuel and energy
George W. Bush 2001–2009 Energy Policy Act (2005) independence
Barack Obama 2009–2017 Clean Power Plan (2015), ARRA green stimulus Focused on climate change and clean energy
Focused on deregulation, withdrew from Paris
Donald Trump 2017–2021 — Climate Agreement
Joe Biden 2021–2025 Inflation Reduction Act (2022) Largest climate investment in U.S. history
Some Key Environmental Initiatives in India
 What are UNFCC & COP?

UNFCCC stands for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It
is a global treaty adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, aimed at
addressing the threat of human-induced climate change.

COP stands for Conference of the Parties. It is the supreme decision-making body of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The COP
brings together all countries ("Parties") that are signatories to the UNFCCC

There are 198 countries/parties

COP Year Location Major Outcome
COP1 1995Berlin, Germany Berlin Mandate – Initiated talks for binding emissions reductions

COP2 1996Geneva, Switzerland Geneva Declaration – Endorsed IPCC findings; stronger scientific consensus
COP3 1997Kyoto, Japan Kyoto Protocol – Legally binding targets for developed nations
COP4 1998Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires Plan of Action – Implementation work for Kyoto
COP5 1999Bonn, Germany Technical discussions; no major breakthroughs
COP6 2000The Hague, Netherlands Talks failed; resumed in COP6 Part II
COP6.5 2001Bonn, Germany Bonn Agreements – Compromise on Kyoto Protocol mechanisms

COP7 2001Marrakesh, Morocco Marrakesh Accords – Finalized operational rules for Kyoto Protocol

COP8 2002New Delhi, India Delhi Declaration – Linked climate action to sustainable development
COP9 2003Milan, Italy Progress on CDM (Clean Development Mechanism)
COP10 2004Buenos Aires, Argentina Began adaptation talks

COP11 2005Montreal, Canada Kyoto Protocol entered into force; launched post-2012 negotiations
COP12 2006Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi Work Programme on impacts and adaptation
COP13 2007Bali, Indonesia Bali Roadmap – Framework for long-term negotiations
COP14 2008Poznań, Poland Focus on financing mechanisms

COP15 2009Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen Accord – 2°C goal, climate finance pledge ($100B), but non-binding
COP16 2010Cancún, Mexico Cancún Agreements – Green Climate Fund established
COP17 2011Durban, South Africa Durban Platform – Agreed to future universal climate agreement
COP18 2012Doha, Qatar Doha Amendment – Extended Kyoto Protocol to 2020
COP19 2013Warsaw, Poland Warsaw Mechanism on Loss and Damage
COP20 2014Lima, Peru Lima Call for Climate Action – Drafted elements of Paris Agreement

COP21 2015Paris, France Paris Agreement – Universal accord to keep warming below 2°C, pursue 1.5°C
COP22 2016Marrakesh, Morocco Marrakesh Action Proclamation – Urged implementation of Paris
COP23 2017Bonn, Germany (Fiji presided) Technical progress on Paris Agreement rules
COP24 2018Katowice, Poland Katowice Rulebook – Implementation guidelines for Paris
COP25 2019Madrid, Spain (Chile presided) No consensus on carbon markets

COP26 2021Glasgow, UK Glasgow Pact – Methane pledge, fossil phase-down, strong 1.5°C reaffirmation
COP27 2022Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt Loss and Damage Fund established

COP28 2023Dubai, UAE Global Stocktake; commitment to “transition away” from fossil fuels