L 2 C 2
NUES paper — comprehensive evaluation by the concerned teacher out of 100. There is no term-end semester examination.
Course outcomes
- Understand Environment as a System of interconnected components
- Understand environmental resources, renewable and non-renewable
- Understand causes of different types of pollutions of the Environment and its effect on climate change
- Understand regulations and policies related to environment
Unit I
Introduction to Environmental Studies, Scope and importance, Key environmental, Historical perspectives on human- environment interactions, Basic ecological principles and concepts, Levels of organization in ecology, Ecosystem components (biotic and abiotic), Energy flow in ecosystems, Biogeochemical cycles, Biodiversity and its conservation, Importance of biodiversity, Threats to biodiversity, Ecosystem services and their value.
Unit II
Renewable and non-renewable resources, Principles of sustainable resource use, Water resources and management, Global water distribution and availability, Water pollution , Challenges in water management, Land resources and degradation, Soil formation and types, Soil degradation processes, Land use patterns and their environmental impacts, Mineral resources and environmental consequences of extraction, Energy resources, Environmental impacts associated with different energy sources, Forests and wildlife resources, Importance of forests, Causes and effects of deforestation, Principles of wildlife conservation, Role of protected areas.
Unit III
Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Marine pollution, Thermal pollution, Hazardous waste management(sources, effects, mitigation for different pollution type). Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Management, Environmental toxicology, Public health and environment, Climate change (greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, evidence of global warming and its impacts), Ozone layer depletion, Acid rain, Smog, Environmental disasters (overview of major natural and man-made disasters).
Unit IV
Overview of environmental legislation and policies, Role of government agencies in environmental protection, Concept and purpose of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Sustainable development, Environmental ethics and philosophy (anthropocentrism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, deep ecology), Population and environment Urbanization and its environmental challenges, Role of environmental movements and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Importance of public participation in environmental decision-making, Case studies of environmental challenges and solutions, Individual actions for environmental protection and sustainability.
Textbooks
- Environmental Studies, Erach Bharucha, Orient Blackswan, 3rd edition, 2020.
References
- Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet, Daniel B. Botkin and Edward A. Keller, John Wiley & Sons, 11th edition, 2022.
- Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, Grapewine India 2022.
- Fundamentals of Ecology, Eugene P. Odum and Gary W. Barrett, Brooks Cole, 5th edition, 2005.
- Living in the Environment, G. Tyler Miller and Scott Spoolman, Cengage Learning, 21st edition, 2021.
- Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future, Richard T. Wright and Dorothy F. Boorse, Pearson, 14th edition, 2021.
- Environment, Peter H. Raven, David M. Hassenzahl, and Linda R. Berg, John Wiley & Sons, 11th edition, 2023.
- The Human Impact on the Natural Environment, Andrew Goudie, Wiley Blackwell, 8th edition, 2018.
- Energy and Civilization: A History, Vaclav Smil, MIT Press, 1st edition, 2017.
- Environmental Chemistry, Colin Baird and Michael Cann, W. H. Freeman, 5th edition, 2012.
- Environmental Chemistry, Stanley E. Manahan, CRC Press, 10th edition, 2017.
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine, William N. Rom and Steven B. Markowitz (Eds.), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 5th edition, 2017.
- The Limits to Growth, Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III, Universe Books, 1st edition, 1972.
- Environmental Ethics, Kristin S. Shrader-Frechette, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 3rd edition, 2002.
- Environmental Geography, H. M. Saxena, Rawat Publications, 2nd edition, 2006.
- Ecology, Environmental Science and Conservation, J. S. Singh, S. P. Singh, and S. R. Gupta, S. Chand & Company, 1st edition, 2014.
- Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Tom Tietenberg and Lynne Lewis, Pearson, 12th edition, 2022.
- Principles of Ecosystem Stewardship: Resilience, Self-Organization, and Adaptation in Social-Ecological Systems, F. Stuart Chapin III, Margaret A. Palmer, and Osvaldo E. Sala (Eds.), Springer, 1st edition, 2010.
- Studies and articles on the informal e-waste recycling sector in India.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) publications on various environmental issues.
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reports and official website.
- United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publications on pollution control.
- World Health Organization (WHO) reports on environmental health.
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports on forest and wildlife conservation.