UNIT 12 ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

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S1:ructure
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Objectives Introduction Role of the Environment Nature of EnvironmentalDegradation Impact of Environmental Degradation Economic Growth and Environment Population Growth, Poverty and Environment Sustainable Development Let Us Sum Up Key Words

12.1
12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12 6 12.7 12.8 12.9

12.10 AnswersMints to Check Your Progress Exercises

12..0 OBJECTIVES
&:r going through this unit you should be able to: explain the concept of 'environment' ; appreciate the importance of natural resources in our life; idenhfy the factors ksponsible for environmentaldegradation; discuss the impact of environmental degradation; c l a w the concept of sustainabledevelopment; and describe the steps required for sustainable development.

12.l INTRODUCTION
By the concept of 'environment' we mean the natural conditions such as land, water, air and light along with living organisms.Thus there are two components of environment: the living organisms and the non-living objects. The living organisms (plants and animals) depend upon the non-living objects such as food, shelter, energy and oxygen. 'Ecology' is the study of the interaction of the living organisms with one another, and with \-heir surroundings.Similar categories of animals compete among themselves for food (for example, plant eaters like cow, horse, deer, etc. compete for grass). Flesh eaters like lion and tiger compete for their food with other animals in the forest. On the wholt:, a food chain is maintained whereby one species depends upon others. The relatica between different species of plants and animals, including human being, should be such that each group gets adequate food and shelter and leads a healthy life. In the ecosy:itema balance is maintained naturally.Also only a limited number of organisms can be supported in the ecosystem, which is called its 'carrying capacity'. Removal of

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any one component of the ecosystem disturbs the balance in the system. For example, forest is a common ecosystem, which consists of air, soil, water, nutrients, and particular species of animals, birds, insects, microorganisms, trees, and other plant life. If too many of the trees are cut down (for example by mankind for wood or agricultural land), each of the other elements will be affected. Animals and birds may lose their habitats, soil may erode, nutrients may be displaced, and the flow of waterways may change. Over the years the environment has undergone a process of degradation due to several factors most of which are man-made. The experience of most of the countries shows that along with economic developmentthere has been environmentaldegradation. The air we breathe has become polluted, the water we drink and use for other purposes has become contaminated, the soil cover so valuable for agriculture has got eroded, the stock of raw materials (coal, oil, minerals, etc.) has got depleted, and the area under forests has got shrunken. Most of these changes are man-made and there is an adverse affect on the quality of life not only of human beings but also of plants and animals.

In this unit we will learn some of the environmental changes that are taking place on earth. Moreover, we will discuss the factors responsible for such changes and the impact of environmental degradation on us. Let us begin with the functions of the environment.

12.2 ROLE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

There are two types of natural resources: inexhaustible and exhaustible. Consumption and other uses do not exhaust inexhaustible resources. Examples of inexhaustible resources are solar radiation, wind power, sand, clay and water in oceans. Exhaustible resources are of two types: renewable and non- renewable. Exhaustible renewable resources are those that get replenished after consumption; examples are water, soil, forests and wild life. Exhaustible non- renewableresources like minerals and fossil fuel cannot be replenished after use. The environment helps us in the continuation of life on earth. It performs several functions, which increases the quality of our life. We can divide these environmental functions into four categories, viz., i) production function, ii)regulation function , iii) habitat function, and iv) information function . We explain each of these functions below. a) ProductionFunction: The environmenthelps us in the production of various goods and services by supplying inputs. It supplies us with raw materials such as iron ore, bauxite, etc. for manufacturing industries. It provides crude oil and coal for of energy. The soil cover on earth helps agricultural productidsand thereby gives us food and nutrition. The forest areas provide us with timber and minor forest products such as fodder, leaves and seeds. It provides oxygen and water so useful to us. Moreover, environmentprovides many medicinal and genetic resources. Regulation Function: The environmentregulates the level of carbon dioxide (CO,) in the air. While emissions fromindustries and vehicles increase the level of CO,, trees absorb CO, from the atmosphere. The environment regulates biomass production (plants and trees), maintains biological diversity, maintains soil fertility and regulates soil erosion. It also fixes the level of solar energy entering into the

b)

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atmosphere. Moreover, the environment acts as storage of wastes generated by human beings and animals. It absorbs the wastes produced by households and factories, and recycles some of these wastes, particularly those that are biodegradable. c) Habitat Function: The environment provides habitat or living space for human beings as well as animals. The forest areas serve as a living place for many animals while rivers, lakes and sea provide habitat for aquatic animals. Moreover,forests, lakes and sea provide avenues for tourism and recreational activities. Information Function: Environment through its land, water and forests provide aesthetic, spiritual, religious and cultural information. It works as a heritage of our art, culture and folklore. Besides, environment provides avenues for educational and scientific information.

E~cology and Environmcmt: Issues and C:hallanges

d)

The above functions of the environment are of immense value to us. We can buy some of the natural resources (for example, timber, coal, oil, minerals, etc.) in the market for a price. However, certain resources (for example, air, water, solar energy, etc.) are re usually availablef e although these are highly valuable to us. Let us consider the case of the air present in the atmosphere as an example. As you know, oxygen contained in i the air helps in sustenanceof life. No market for a rexists in the sense that there are no sellers and buyers and we do not have to pay for the air we breathe. However, there is i little choice before us regarding the quality of a r we breathe; we as individualscannot i buy better quality air for a higher price. The reason for such a situation is that once a r is available in the atmosphere we cannot exclude anyone from breathing it. Such a situation, termed 'market failure', holds truein the case of many environmentalfunctions.

12.3 NATURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

Environmentaldegradation is a broader concept than environmental pollution. Pollution takes place due to dumping of pollutants into air, water or land. Environmental degradation includes broader issues like deforestation and soil erosion apart from the above. Let us briefly discuss the nature of environmentaldegradation that we face and their main sources. a)

Air Pollution: It occurs when the presence of unwanted chemicals in the air affects health and normal functioning of human beings. It may cause injury to property, plant, or animal life, or prevent the use and enjoyment of the outdoors. Important sources of air pollution are the following:
mining activities lead to spread of dust particles in the air that may affect lungs and cause respiratory ailments exhaust from vehicles, particularly carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emission of poisonous gases from factories smoke from burning of fuel wood during cooking fly ash, soot and sulphur dioxide from power plants

b)

Land Pollution: Pollution of land is caused by disposal of solid waste by households,industrial sector and agriculture, which are dumped into land. These wastes are

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chemical residues from factories fly-ash from power plants plastics discarded by households (plastic bags, packaging materials, etc.) rubber pieces glass pieces
od

discarded metal scraps

Many solid wastes are biodegradablein the sense that they can be decomposed and used as food by microorganismslike bacteria. As you would have observed, bacteria present in land easily decompose dry leaves, vegetables, clothes, etc. These bacteria, however, cannot recycle plastics, rubber, glass and metals. Thus these solid wastes are not biodegradable in the sense that they do not get recycled naturally. Thus we have to be cautious in disposal of such non-biodegradablematerials. c)

Water Pollution: Natural water is free from contamination and is potable. However, water gets polluted as chemicals and wastes are dumped into water sources such as river, ponds and sea. Water pollution can take place directly through the effluents from factories, refineries, households and waste treatment plants. Sewage is a major source of water pollution in developing countries.There is an indirect source of water pollution also. We cite two examples below.
Contaminants contained in the soil (such as fertilizers and pesticides) get dissolved into rainwater and flow into water bodies. Contaminantscontained in the air settledown during rain and flow into water sources.

We tend to think that biodegradable waste is better than non-biodegradableones. It is true to some extent. However, dumping of excessive biodegradable material to water sources could deplete oxygen content in water. As a result fish and other aquatic animals cannot survive in polluted water. Moreover,fish living in polluted water acquire hazardous chemicals dissolved in the water and by eating such fish we would be prone to many diseases. d)

Deforestation: Forest is a valuable natural resource that has many utilities. Deforestation takes place when
extraction of forest resources from forests is more than its carrying capacity forest land is used for other purposes such as housing and cultivation there is excessivegrazing by animals.

e)

Soil erosion: The soil cover on earth is the productivelayer suitable for cultivation and works as a living place for microorganisms. Earth below the soil cover holds minerals and water but cannot sustain life. Thus the soil cover is quite important from agricultural perspectives.There are certain factors which further soil erosion such as I
deforestation water run off
high surface wind

poor farming methods

f)

Global warming: Over the past century we observe a slow but steady rise in average temperature of the atmosphere and the ocean, which is likely to bring in climatic changes (that is, changes in the average state of weather) world over. Over the past five decades there is a wanning of about 0.4 degree Celsius on Earth's surface. Such changes are mostly ascribed to human activities such as burning of fossil fuel, land clearingfor agricultureand manufacturing.These activities have increased the levels of carbon dioxide and water vapor in the atmosphere. In the atmosphere the presence of CO, and greenhouse gases allow solar radiation to come in but do not allow the heat to escape, as a result of which global temperature increases. This effect is called 'greenhouse effect' as the atmosphere acts like a greenhouse. Greenhouse refers to a glass chamber where a warm climate (suitable for plant growth) is maintained by trapping solar radiation and heat. The heat generated inside the chamber cannot escape. Due to increase in the level of CO, in the atmosphere the amount of heat retained by the atmosphere is higher than usual. The problem of gradual increase in global temperature is described as 'global warming', which is largely due to air pollution. Ozone depletion: The presence of ozone in the atmosphere blocks entrance of ultraviolet rays from the sunshine. The ultraviolet ray of the sun is supposed to cause skin cancer, Emission of gases such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) from air conditioners furthers ozone depletion. Loss of bio-diversity: Due to depletion of forests many species of animals and plants are getting extinguished. Conversion of forest land into agricultural or residentialor industrial mas has led to reduction in forest area while extraction of timber has led to decrease in the density of forests. Excessive poaching of animals has endangered the survival of many species. You might have heard of 'cheetah', a variety of leopard in India, which does not exist anymore. Many indigenous varietiesof rice and other crops cultivated traditionally are no more in use due to changes in cropping pattern where preference is for high yielding varieties. By losing a variety of crop (ofrice,for example) we lose the possibility of hybreedizing its positive aspects with other varieties.

Ecobgy and Environment: Issues and Challanges

g)

h)

Check Your Progress 1

1) Give two examples on each of the following functions of the environment. a)
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production functions regulations functions habitat functions information functions

b) c) d)

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2)

Write two major sources of each of the following aspects of environmental degradation. a) b) c) d) e)
air pollution

water pollution land pollution soil erosion global wanning

3)

Explain the following concepts. a) b) c) d) e) exhaustible renewable resources canyingcapacity greenhouseeffect market failure policyfailure

12.4 IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

From the above discussion, it should have been clear to you that environmental degradation leads to deterioration in our quality of life. Some of the adverse effects of environmental degradation are discussed below. a)

Health hazards: Environmental degradation affects our health in various ways. Due to air pollution people suffer from respiratory problems such as bronchitis, asthma, breathlessness and irritation in the eye. You would have noticed irritation in the eyes as you enter into an industrial area or a busy traffic crossing, which is largely due to the presence of sulphur dioxide in the air. The carbon monoxide (CO) emitted from vehicles reduces the oxygencarrying capacity of blood. In order to reduce CO and CO, in the air, many metropolitan cities in India have taken preventive measures such as switching over from petrol and diesel to cleaner fuel such as CNG in vehicles. Various acids from chemical factories cause irritation to the eye, nose and throat. Pesticides

used in agriculture,ifinhaled,can cause depression or may lead to death if inhalation is in large quantity. Drinking of contaminated water leads to many water-borne diseases. Aquatic animals such as fish and prawn grown in polluted water absorb carcinogenic substances. If we eat such contaminated fish or prawn it may cause many diseases in us. In the long run environmental degradation is definitely going to increase our health expenditure and likely to decrease our life expectancy.
1)

Ecology and Environment: Issues and Challanges

Loss of productivity:As mentioned above, environmental degradationincreases our probability of falling ill. Iwe fall sick too often it will affectour work efficiency.. As all members of a society get exposed to pollution, there is a general loss of output due to decreased efficiency.
Reduced Supply of Natural Resources:Many natural resources get replenished over time. Examples are forest, ground water, watershed, etc. Trees and shrubs in the forest grow over time. If the extraction of timber and other forest products is less than the 'carrying capacity', then the stock of trees and shrubs grow over time. On the other hand, if we extract more than the carrying capacity there is depletion in the stock of forest resources. Similarly rainwater percolates down the earth and gets accumulated underground. When we extract water through tube wells there is a decline in underground water. However, during the rainy season next year the ground water gets recharged. Depending upon the amount of rainfall and quality of land the recharge capacity is limited. If we extract less than the recharged amount, the stock of groundwater remain intact. On the other hand, if we extract more than the amount recharged, then there is depletion in groundwater stock and the water table declines.

[n addition to the above, there are other problems arising out of environmental degradation. We have pointed out the problems of global warming and ozone depletion earlier. Global warming is just one aspect of climatic change. Climate change includes the average temperature, amount of precipitation, and days of sunlight. Glaciers are a very sensitive indicator of climate change. From longterm observations it has come to our notice that glaciers have been gradually unable to regenerate enough ice during the winters in order to account for the ice lost during the summer months. It poses a threat that snow on earth surface will melt which may increase sea water level thereby submerging low lying areas.

12.5 ECONOMIC GROWTH AND ENVIRONMENT

There is a close link between economic development and environmental degradation. Economic development means growth in per capita income along with improvements in basic amenities such as education, health, water, roads, energy and communication. As household income increases there is a higher demand for basic amenities. Moreover, as income of a household increases the consumption of consumer durables (electronic equipments, furniture, vehicles) increase. These electronic equipments increase our demand for electricity while vehicles increase the consumption of fossil fuel. Vehicles and many of the electronic equipments (for example, air conditioner and refrigerator) contribute to air pollution. Higher demand for furniture and paper products (packaging material, books, ordinary writing paper) depletes forests. Secondly, technological progress has also contributed to environmental degradation. Agriculture has used more of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. HYV seeds have made it possible to cultivate water-intensive crops (for example, rice) in areas with scanty rainfall. There is a change in cropping pattern such that

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indigenous varieties of crops are getting wiped out. The possibility of using the positive aspects (resistance to drought, pests, etc. contained in the genes) of these crops is getting wiped out. Thirdly, along with economic developmentthere is an increase the share of industries, mining, and construction in GDP. Emission from industries has increased air pollution; effluents from industries have increased water pollution; mining activitieshave resulted in loss of forests; construction activities have increased land pollution; and so on. Technology exists to reduce pollution in many industries. In order to reduce cost of production manufacturers in developing countries do not install such technology. Fourthly,in many cases developing countries have not been able to formulate appropriate policies to conserve environmental resources and control pollution.There are instances where economic policies have generated unintended environmentalproblems, resulting in 'policy failure'. Let us consider an example. Many state governments in India have encouraged agricultural production by offering several concessions to farmers such as subsidies on HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, tube well irrigation, free electricity, etc. The incentives provided to farmers have resulted in an increase in food grains production and today India is self-sufficientin food grains (means does not have to import food grains). However, the policy of low interest loans and subsidies for tube wells, and free electricity has been prompted farmers to go for more number of deep tube wells. The positive aspect of such a policy, which the government also visualized, is the increasein irrigation potential. The negative aspect, the unintended side effect, is the depletion in water table and water shortage faced in many parts of the country. On the whole, as the experience of many countries has shown, the pressure on the environment has increased with economic development.

12.6 POPULATION GROWTH, POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT

Population growth leads to growth in the size of the population. Human beings, as you know, perform two important roles, namely, producer role and consumer role. As a producer a person is engaged in economic activities and thus produces goods and services. On the other hand, as a consumer a person requires food, houses, water, air, energy, etc. Higher population growth increases the supply of labour that needs to be employed in economic activities. It often results in environmental degradation as more of forestland is cleared; more pollutants are dumped into air, water and land; more, minerals are extracted from mines; and more factories are established. Higher population growth implies higher demand for food, houses, air and water. It also increases the pressure on existing infrastructure such as electricity, roads and transport. In order to maintain the same standard of living a country needs to construct more roads, build more houses, extract more water and produce more electricity. The demand and supply forces act in such a manner that higher production of goods takes place at the cost of environment. The nature of production varies with the level of economic development. In developed countries production is more mechanized. Therefore, the nature of environmental problems is different there - it concerns more with treatment of emissions and effluents from factories. In developing countries production is oriented more towards agriculture. Majority of the population is engaged in agriculture

and allied activities such as diary farming, goat rearing, bamboo basket making, etc. These activities draw heavily on forest resources in terms of fodder and raw materials. Overgrazing is a major reason for deforestation apart from cutting of woods. Povc:rty is a cause of concern in many developing countries like ours. As you would have observed, people remain poor when they do not have aproductive employment capable of providing them with sufficient income. There are many rural households, mosl ly agricultural labourers and marginal farmers, who are on the verge of poverty. These families regularly visit the forest to collect fuel wood, fodder, leaves, seeds, etc., which supplementstheir income or they sell it in the local market. Burning of fuel wood for cooking is, as mentioned earlier, is a major source of deforestation as well as air pollution. With higher population growth there is a possibility that higher number of people visit the forest. In the process, deforestation accelerates. Moreover, most of the poor households do not have sanitary facilities within premises, which also pollute the environment.It is important that these families get some gainful employment.It will discourage them from encroaching into the forest as well as helping them in maintaining proper sanitation.

Ecology and Environment: Issr~es and Challanges

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The World Commissionon Environment and Development (the BrundtlandCommission, 198'7)defines susrainabledevelopment as 'the capacity to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. This definition considers that while development may be essential to satisfy human needs and improve quality of life, it should occur in such a way that the capacity of the natural environment to meet present and future needs is not compromised. Production and consumption patterns should be designed in such a manner that it is possible to continue the trend in future. It is possible only if natural resources are utilized judiciously and conserved for the future. As mentioned in Section 12.2, exhaustible non-renewable resources such as coal, m i n d s and fossil fuel, once used up, cannot be replenished. These resources need to be used keeping in view that the stock does not get exhausted. Exhaustible renewable resources such as forests have a limited capacity to regenerate. As mentioned earlier, extraction of forest resources should be less than the carrying capacity of forests so that the stock of Sorest resources remains intact. Forest is like a saving account in the banlc As you know money kept in a saving account earns interest. If your withdrawal is less than the interest earned, the balance in your account grows. On the other hand, if withdrawal is Inore than the interest earned, the balance in your account decreases and you earn lesser and lesser amount of interest in future. Similarly, the quantity of forest resources that is regenerated by the forest is fixed. Ifwe cut more trees than the regmeration capacity of forests, there will be a decrease in the area under forest and the quantity of forest resources. Now let us point out some steps that we can take to conserve the environment. We should use cleaner fuels and improved stoves instead of fuel wood for cooking in order to reduce smoke and thereby reduce air pollution. We should get our vehicles checked regularly for air pollution, use unleaded fuel, and share vehicles with others or use public transport. Industries should install proper machineries to reduce emissions, situatingindustries away from residential areas.

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We should take steps to save energy (switch off lights, fans and electronic gadgets when not in use) as power plants are highly polluting. We should reuse paper - print and photocopy on both sides of paper. We should recycle paper, plastic and metals. Non-biodegradable materials should be separated from biodegradable materials and dlsposed off separately. In urban areas wastewater from homes are transported through sewers into nearby river or lake. It should be properly treated and may be reused for other purposes such as agriculture and the sludge can be used as manure. Industries should have their own treatment plants for effluents. Educationis the most important solution to reduction of pollution, as it makes us aware of the environmental problems.We can help conservation of environment by explaining the problems and solutions to others. Thus one of the most important tasks before us is to conserve environment and speak up for it.

Check Your Progress 2

1
Give an example of the health hazard associated with each of the following. a) b) c) d) dust from a cement factory effluent from a paper mill burning of fuel wood while cooking exhaust from a motorbike

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2)

How does economic development lead to environmentaldegradation?

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3)

How does poverty accelerateenvironmentaldegradation?

4)

Mention five important steps you as an individual can take for conservation of environment.

12.8 LET tJS SUM UP

Environment performs several functions that are of immense value to us. Some of the natural resources are tangible while others are intangible.As many of the intangible resources are available free to us we assign very little value to these resources. Along with population growth and economic development environmentaldegradation has accelerated. Pollution of the air, water and land as well as deforestation and soil erosion have brought in several problems, viz., health hazards, loss of productivity, decline in supply of natural resources, global warming, etc. The niiture of environmentalproblem varies with the level of economic development. countries prevalence of poverty poses many environmental problems. In dek-eloping Poor households, mostly agricultural labourers and marginal farmers supplement their family income by collecting forest products. Also many houses do not have proper sanitation facilities. Burning of fuel wood is rampant in low-incomefamilies, mostly in rural areas, which give rise to air pollution as well as deforestation. In urban areas the dispo:;al of household wastes gives rise to pollution of land, air and water. Sustainable development implies continuation of the same level of social welfare in the future. Conservation of natural resources, maintenance of ecological balance and preservation of endangered species are some of the utmost task before us.

Ecology and Environment: Issues and Challanges

12.9 KEY WORDS

Biodegradable
: Solid wastes such as leaves, wood, cloth, etc. get decomposed by bacteria present in land. These materials are termed biodegradable. On the other hand, bacteria present in the land cannot decompose plastics, glass, rubber and metals. These . materials are termed non-biodegradable.

Carrying capacity : The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is defined as the size of the population or community that can be supported by the resources available in the ecosystem. Ecosystem
: In ecology an ecosystem is a combination of al living and nonl living elements of an area. It is also referred to as a biotic community. In an ecosystem there is equilibrium in terms of energy anb matter flows. Introductionof some change into the ecosystem results in disruptiveeffects.The size and scale of an ecosystem can vary. Examples are: a forest, a lake, a river, etc.

Greenhouse effect: The CO, and greenhouse gases present in the atmosphereallow solar radiation to the Earth's surface but do not allow heat to escape. As a result, atmosphere works as a greenhouse and global temperature rises. Such a phenomenon is called greenhouse effect and results in global warming. Spe.cies Life expectancy
: Those who share c6mmon characteristics or qualities may be

said to belong to the same species.

: It refers to the expected nurnber of years a person is likely to survive. It is calculated by studying the death rates in a large nurnber of persons.

12.10 ANSWERS/HINTS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS EXERCISES

Check Your Progress 1 I) Go through Section 12.2 and pick up any two examples under each category.
2) 3) We have pointed several sources of pollution in Section 12.3. Point out any two from each category. a) b) c) It refers to resources that get exhausted when used. However, these resources get replenished after certain time period. Example: forests. The population that can be supported by an ecosystem. Refers to heating up of the environment due to air pollution.

d) Certain resources cannot be sold through market mechanism, as exclusion principle does not hold. e) It refers to the unintended adverse of a government policy.

Check Your Progress 2

1) a) respiratory problems due to air pollution b) water-borne diseases due to water pollution c) respiratory problems d) reduction in oxygen-carrying capacity of blood 2) Refer to Section 12.5. Economic development furthers environmental degradation through increased demand for energy, change in cropping pattern, increase in manufacturing and construction activities. Explain the impact of these activities on environment. Refer to Section 12.6. Poverty gives rise to poor sanitation, lack of education and awareness among people toward environment, deforestation due to lack of productivk employment, etc. We have mentioned certain points in Section 12.7. Mention some of these or similar points.

3)

4)