Course Title : Environmental Science

Course Code : EVS 101

Credits :3
Conduct hours /week :3

Presented By
Dr. Jesmin Akter
Assistant. Professor
Department of CE
  Introduction to
Environmental Sciences
 Social Issues and
Course Environmental Education
Content  Waste Management
1

 Environmental pollution
 Weather and climate
 Natural Resources
 Environmental laws and
Regulations
Introduction to Environmental Science: Environmental science, its scope, importance
and sustainability of ecosystems and biodiversity.

Social Issues and Environmental Education: Environment, elements of environment;

concept of sustainable development; environmental morality and awareness.

Waste Management: Municipal solid waste, Industrial waste; Medical waste; Waste
management systems. Sewage management.

Environmental pollution: Environmental pollution and its effect on human, animal

and plant health; Water pollution; air pollution; soil pollution; sound pollution; light
pollution; Global warming; Ozone depletion.

Weather and climate: The climate variables and its components; Human-induced
climate variables; Climate change models. Global and local climate change
predictability; global warming.
Natural Resources: Forest resource; water resource; energy resource; land resource;
mineral resource; causes and effects of depletion of resources; over use of natural
resource and its impact on environment.

Environmental laws and Regulations: Regulatory acts and actions to protect

environment and their proper and effective implementation.
Reference Book

• Environmental Science Earth as a Living Planet -

Daniel B. Botkin, Edward A. Keller
• Environmental Science- G. Tyler Miller, Scott E.
Spoolman
• Environmental Engineering- M.L Davis,D.A Cornwell
Marks Distribution(Assessment Strategy)
 Attendance - 5%
 Class Test - 10%
2 CT before mid term
2 CT after mid term
 Assignment -10%
1 before mid term
1 after mid term
 Mid term Exam - 25%
 Term Final Exam - 50%
 Environment
• Literary environment means the surrounding
external conditions influencing development
or growth of people, animal or plants; living or
working conditions etc.
• This involves three questions:
I. What is Surrounded?
II. By what Surrounded?
III. Where Surrounded?
 Scope of Environment: Atmosphere
• It implies the protective blanket of gases,
surrounding the earth.
• It sustains life on the earth.
• It saves life from the hostile environment of outer
space.
• It absorbs most of the cosmic rays from outer
space and a major portion of the electromagnetic
radiation from the sun.
• The atmosphere is composed of nitrogen and
oxygen. Besides, argon, carbon dioxide and trace
gases.
 Scope of Environment: Hydrosphere
• The Hydrosphere comprises all types of water
resources like oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams,
reservoir, polar icecaps, glaciers, and ground
water.
• Nature 97% of the earth’s water supply is in the
oceans
• About 2% of the water resources is locked in the
polar icecaps and glaciers.
• Only about 1% is available as fresh surface water-
rivers, lakes streams, and ground water fit to be
used for human consumption and other uses.
 Scope of Environment: Lithosphere
• Lithosphere is the outer mantle of the solid
earth.
• It consists of minerals occurring in the earth’s
crusts and the soil
• e.g. minerals, organic matter, air and water
Scope of Environment: Biosphere

• Biosphere indicates the realm of living

organisms and their interactions with
environment e.g. atmosphere, hydrosphere
and lithosphere.
 Elements of Environment
• Physical elements: space, landforms, water
bodies, climate soils, rocks and minerals.
• Biological elements: plants, animals,
microorganisms and men constitute the
biosphere.
• Cultural elements: economic, social and
political elements.
 Environmental Science
• Environmental science is the science of the
interactions between the physical, chemical,
and biological components of the
environment, including their effects on all
types of organisms but more often refers to
human impact on the environment.
 Scope of Environmental Sciences
• Natural Resources.
• Ecology.
• Biodiversity & its conservation.
• Environmental Pollution & Control.
• Natural Disaster.
• Development.
• Social Issues in Relation to Development &
Environment.
• Human Population & Environment.
Importance of studying Environmental Sciences

• Environmental science is important for economy and

welfare of human society.
• It helps us in careful handling of the issues like
pollution, overexploitation of natural resources, food
security and sustainable development.
• Excessive use of agrochemicals has degraded the
environment and has disturbed the ecological balance.
Environmental science helps us to find ways and means
to maintain the ecological balance.
• It demonstrate how man can derive benefits from
environment without destroying it.
Importance of studying Environmental Sciences

• It trains us to conserve ours fast depleting

natural resources.
• It helps to understand different food chain and
ecological balance in nature.
• It directs attention towards the problems of
population explosion, depletion of natural
resources and pollution and the methods of
solving such problems.
 Ecosystem
• The living community of plants & animals in any area
together with the non-living components of the
environment- such as soil, air, and water- constitute
the ecosystem.
• Ecosystems vary greatly in size and elements that make
them up, but each is a functioning unit of nature.
• Everything that lives in an ecosystem is dependent on
the other species and elements that are also part that
ecological community.
• If one part of an ecosystem is damaged or disappeared,
it has an impact on everything else.
Lecture 2
 Structural Aspects of Ecosystem
• Inorganic Compounds: C, N, CO2, H2O.
• Organic Compounds: Protein, Carbohydrate,
Lipid, which link the abiotic to biotic aspects.
• Climatic Regimes: Temperature, Moisture, Light &
Topography.
• Producers: Plants.
• Macro-consumers: Phagotrophs, i.e., large
animals.
• Micro-consumers: Saprotrophs, i.e., fungi.
 Functional Aspects of Ecosystem
• Energy Cycle.
• Food Chains.
• Diversity- interlinks between organisms.
• Nutrient Cycle- biogeochemical cycles
• Evolution.
Ecosystem Concept
Ecosystem types
 Ecosystem Services
• Ecosystem services are the benefits people
obtain from ecosystems.
• These include (a) provisioning, (b)regulating,
and c) cultural services that directly affect
people and (d) supporting services needed to
maintain the other services.
Ecosystem Services
 Sustainability
• Sustainability is a complex concept. The most often quoted
definition comes from the UN Bruntland commission:
“sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs”.
• Sustainability is the collection of policies and strategies
employed by companies to minimize their environmental
impact on future generations.
• Ecological concerns, such as the environmental impact of
pollutants, are balanced with socio-economic concerns
such as minimizing the consumption of limited natural
resources to maintain their availability for the future.
 Sustainability of Ecosystem
• A capacity of ecosystems to maintain their essential functions
and processes, and retain their biodiversity in full measure
over the long-term.
• Ecological sustainability should be pursued for the benefit of
both humans and the other 10-20 million species on the
planet.
• The two core requirements for ecological sustainability are
that:

I. The diversity of life and the basis of its productivity

must be maintained
II. Society must organize itself so that this is easy to
achieve
 Biodiversity
• Biodiversity deals with the degree of nature’s
variety in the biosphere.
• This variety can be observed at three levels-
i. Genetic Diversity: Each member of any animal or
plant species differs widely from other individuals in
its genetic makeup.
ii. Species Diversity: The number of species of plants &
animals that are present in a region.
iii. Ecosystem Diversity: This can be described for a
specific geographical location, political entity such as
a country, a state or, district.
 Some Biodiversity Facts

• Researchers have estimated that there are

between 3 - 30 million species on Earth, with a
few studies predicting that there may be over
100 million species on Earth!
• Currently, we have identified only 1.7 million
species, so we have a long way to go before
we can come close to figuring out how many
species are on Earth!
 Some Biodiversity Facts

• There is more biodiversity within tropical ecosystems than

temperate or boreal ecosystems. Tropical rainforests have
the most diversity.
• The most diverse group of animals are invertebrates.
Invertebrates are animals without backbones,
including insects, crustaceans, sponges, scorpions and
many other kinds of organisms.
• Over half of all the animals already identified are
invertebrates. Beetles are some of the most numerous
species.
• Science has so much more to learn about the biodiversity
of microscopic organisms like bacteria and protozoa.
 Importance of Biodiversity
• Biodiversity is extremely important to people and the health of
ecosystems. A few of the reasons are:
• Biodiversity allows us to live healthy and happy lives. It provides us
with an array of foods and materials and it contributes to the
economy. Without a diversity of pollinators, plants, and soils, our
supermarkets would have a lot less produce.
• Most medical discoveries to cure diseases and lengthen life spans
were made because of research into plant and animal biology and
genetics. Every time a species goes extinct or genetic diversity is
lost, we will never know whether research would have given us a
new vaccine or drug.
• Biodiversity is an important part of ecological services that make life
livable on Earth. They include everything from cleaning water
and absorbing chemicals, which wetlands do, to providing oxygen
for us to breathe—one of the many things that plants do for
people.
 Importance of Biodiversity
• Biodiversity allows for ecosystems to adjust
to disturbances like extreme fires and floods. If a
reptile species goes extinct, a forest with 20 other
reptiles is likely to adapt better than another
forest with only one reptile.
• Genetic diversity prevents diseases and helps
species adjust to changes in their environment.
• Simply for the wonder of it all. There are few
things as beautiful and inspiring as the diversity
of life that exists on Earth.
 Threats to Biodiversity

• Some of the human activities have direct effects on

species and ecosystems:
a. Habitat loss/ degradation
b. Over exploitation (such as overfishing)
c. Spread of Non-native Species/ Diseases
• Some human activities have indirect but wide-
reaching effects on biodiversity, including:
a) Climate change
b) Pollution
Conservation of Biodiversity
 Conservation Strategies
:
•In-situ Conservation:
Protecting species and ecosystems within their natural habitats, often through
protected areas like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
•Ex-situ Conservation:
Protecting species outside their natural habitats, such as in zoos, botanical
gardens, and seed banks.
•Ecosystem Restoration:
Restoring degraded ecosystems to improve their health and biodiversity.
•Sustainable Use of Resources:
Promoting practices that allow for the sustainable use of natural resources
without depleting them.
•Combating Climate Change:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing adaptation strategies to
mitigate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.
Week2; Lecture 4
 Conservation Strategies
:
•In-situ Conservation:
Protecting species and ecosystems within their natural habitats, often through
protected areas like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
•Ex-situ Conservation:
Protecting species outside their natural habitats, such as in zoos, botanical
gardens, and seed banks.
•Ecosystem Restoration:
Restoring degraded ecosystems to improve their health and biodiversity.
•Sustainable Use of Resources:
Promoting practices that allow for the sustainable use of natural resources
without depleting them.
•Combating Climate Change:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing adaptation strategies to
mitigate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.
 Pollution
• Harmful materials entering the
environment
• Point source pollution – from a clearly
identifiable source
• Nonpoint pollution comes from many
different sources.
• Four main categories – industrial,
residential, commercial, and
environmental
 Sources of pollution
• organic pollution – decomposition of living
organisms and their bi-products
• inorganic pollution – dissolved and suspended
solids as silt, salts, and minerals
• toxic pollution – heavy medals and other chemical
compounds that are lethal to organisms
• thermal pollution – waste heat from industrial and
power generation processes
• radiation pollution - radioactive materials
 Environmental Pollution
• Air Pollution
• Water Pollution
• Soil Pollution
• Noise Pollution
• Radioactive Pollution
• Thermal Pollution
• Light Pollution
Aquatic Environmental Issues
• Water pollution
• Eutrophication
• Ocean Dead Zones
• Thermal Pollution
• Water Diversion
• Overfishing
 Air Quality Issues

• Acid rain
• Air Pollution
• Nuclear Pollution
Terrestrial Issues
• Desertification
• Deforestation
• Soil pollution
• Waste Disposal
• Mining
Population Growth Issues

• Urbanization
• Habitat Destruction
• Farming Practices
• Fertilizers & Pesticides
 Lecture 5

Sustainable Development
 Sustainable development
• Sustainable development is an approach to
progress that balances current needs with the
ability of future generations to meet their own
needs, ensuring a healthy planet and prosperous
society.
• It encompasses economic growth, social well-
being, and environmental protection, recognizing
their interdependence. The concept is often
associated with "green" policies that minimize
the negative impact of development on the
environment.
Key aspects of sustainable development include:
•Meeting present needs without compromising future
generations:
This means utilizing resources responsibly and ensuring that future
populations have access to the same resources and opportunities.
•Integrating economic, social, and environmental
considerations:
Sustainable development recognizes that these three pillars are
interconnected and must be addressed together for genuine
progress.
•Promoting long-term well-being:
It aims for a balance that benefits both people and the planet,
ensuring a healthy and prosperous future.
•Addressing global challenges:
Sustainable development goals (SDGs), such as those adopted by
the UN, tackle issues like poverty, inequality, climate change, and
environmental degradation.
 sustainable development
The four pillars of sustainable development are:

•Economic Sustainability:
Ensuring long-term economic growth that is inclusive and efficient,
creating jobs and opportunities.
•Social Sustainability:
Promoting social well-being, equity, and justice, ensuring access to
basic necessities like education, healthcare, and a safe
environment.
•Environmental Sustainability:
Protecting and restoring natural resources, minimizing pollution,
and mitigating climate change.
•Cultural Sustainability:
Preserving cultural heritage and promoting cultural diversity.
 Environmental Morality
• Definition:
• Environmental morality delves into the ethical principles that
guide our behavior towards the environment, considering its
intrinsic value and the impact of our actions on it.
• Key Principles:
It often involves principles like :
• Intrinsic Value: Recognizing that nature has value
independent of its usefulness to humans.
• Intergenerational Equity: Acknowledging the responsibility
to protect the environment for future generations.
• Stewardship: Emphasizing the duty to care for and protect
the natural world.
• Perspectives:
• Different viewpoints exist within environmental
morality, including:
• Anthropocentrism: Focuses on human interests
and well-being, often justifying resource use based
on its benefits to humans.
• Biocentrism: Extends moral consideration to all
living beings, recognizing their inherent worth.
• Ecocentrism: Prioritizes the well-being of
ecosystems and the biosphere as a whole.
 Environmental Awareness
• Definition:
Environmental awareness involves
understanding the interconnectedness of
ecological systems, the consequences of human
actions on the environment, and the importance
of sustainable practices.
• Importance:
Increased environmental awareness can lead to:
Behavioral Changes: Encouraging individuals to
adopt more sustainable lifestyles and make
conscious choices that minimize environmental
impact.
Policy Support: Driving public support for
environmental regulations and policies aimed at
protecting the environment.
Collective Action: Fostering collaboration and
collective efforts to address environmental
challenges.
• Developing Awareness:
Environmental awareness can be developed
through
• Education: Providing information about
environmental issues, their causes, and
potential solutions.
• Experiential Learning: Encouraging direct
interaction with nature and hands-on
engagement with environmental issues.
• Media and Communication: Raising awareness
through various media channels and promoting
responsible environmental messaging.
 Interrelation
• Environmental morality and awareness are
intrinsically linked. Environmental awareness
provides the knowledge and understanding
necessary to make informed decisions, while
environmental morality provides the ethical
framework for making responsible choices that
protect the environment. A strong sense of
environmental morality can drive individuals to
seek out and act on environmental awareness,
leading to more sustainable and ethical behavior.