Environment and sustainable development
1. If the rate of resource extraction exceeds the rate of regeneration, it leads to reduction in carrying
capacityof the environment.’ Discuss the rationale of the givenstatement with valid reasons.
A. The environment is able to perform its functions uninterruptedly so long as the demand for these
functions is within the carrying capacity of the environment. This means that the resources are
extracted beyond the rate of their regeneration. If there is a disequilibrium (demand being more
than supply), the environment fails to replenish itself and it will lead to environmental crisis. Thus, to
maintain a healthy environment, the carrying capacity of the environment must be valued and
respected.
2.Mention the vital functions of environment.
A. The vital functions of environment are:
1.It supplies renewable and non-renewableresources.
2.It assimilates waste.
3.It sustains life by providing genetic and biodiversity.
4.It provides aesthetic services like scenery etc.
3. Elucidate the functions of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to address the environmental
concernsin India.
A. 1.The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) wasset up by the government in 1974, to
address two major environmental concerns in India — water and air pollution.
2.This was followed by the establishment of the state level boards to address the
environmental concerns at the state level.
3.These boards provide technical assistance to the respective governments in promoting
cleanliness of streams and wells by prevention, control and reduction of water pollution,
and also to improve the quality of air and prevent air pollution in the country.
4.They carry out and sponsor investigation and research about problems of water and
air pollution.
5.Mass awareness programmes are also organised by them with the help of media.
6.These boards collect, collate and disseminate technical and statistical data with respect to
water pollution.
5. Indiscriminate felling of trees led to environmental problems.” Do you agree? Give reason to
justify youranswer
A. Yes, certainly indiscriminate felling of trees has led to destruction of forest cover. Trees are
natural consumers of carbon dioxide — one of the greenhouse gases whose built-up in the
atmosphere contributesto global warming. Destruction of trees pumps into the atmosphere even
more carbon dioxide, along with methane, another major greenhouse gas. Once forests have been
cut down, essential nutrients are washed out of the soil all-together. This leads to “soil erosion”
which makes the land unusable and can, in turn, lead to disastrous flooding since there is no soil
to soak upthe rain.
6. We have a moral obligation to hand over the planet earth in good order to the future generation’.
Do youagree with the above statement? Suggest any five measures to achieve the above obligation.
A. Yes, indeed we strongly agree to have a moral obligation to hand over the planet earth in good
orderto the future generation.
Some suggestive measures to achieve the above obligation are:
(a) Human population be limited to a level within thecarrying capacity of the environment.
(b) Resource depletion should be minimal and its utilisation be optimal.
(c) Technological progress in the economy should be
input-efficient and not input consuming.
(d) Renewable resources should be extracted on a sustainable basis.
(e) Rate of depletion of non-renewable resourcesshould be lesser than the rate of creation, i.e., their
usage should be prudently made.
(f) Inefficiencies which crop up from pollution
should be speedily checked upon.
(g) LPG as a clean fuel and gobar gas be used in ruralareas.
(h) Usage of CNG in urban areas as a ‘green fuel’for vehicles especially in public transport
system,would go a long way to check air pollution.
7. Why is the world faced with an environmental crisis?
A. a. The rising population of the developing countriesand the affluent consumption and production
standards of the developed nations have put a huge stress on the environment in terms of its functions
of supplying resources and assimilatingwastes.
b. Many resources are becoming extinct since their use is beyond the carrying capacity of the
environment leading to an environmental crisis.
c. In earlier times, the demand for environmental resources and services was much less than
their supply. Due to urbanisation, increased demand for goods and services has led to advanced
industrialisation. This has caused pollution which is more than the absorptive capacity of the
environment.
d. The rate at which the resources are extracted by man has been more than the rate of
regeneration of the resources, causing serious environmental problems.
8. Global CO2 levels hit new record in 2017.”
— The United Nations
(a) Why is the world faced with an environmental
crisis?
(b) Why do environmental problem emerge in recent
times?
A. Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the earth’s
surface, which can lead to changes in globalclimate patterns. The causes of environmental
crisis are:
a. Rapid growth of world population placing increasing demand on scarce resources is
degrading the global ecosystem.
b. Carbon emission has greatly increased over the past 200 years.
B. The problem of environmental crisis has emerged in recent times because discovered coal,
factoriesand motor vehicles, leading to more of carbon dioxide in the environment. Increased
populationwants to live with refrigerators, televisions and motor vehicles with air conditioning.
This puts tremendous pressure on government all over the world to provide more and more
electricity. Most electricity is produced by burning coal and other fossil fuels. Thus, the greatest
advances in humanity’s capacity to harness energy and meet its own ends has led to
environment crisis in recent times.
9. Define environment. What are its main functions?
Environment is the ‘total planetary inheritance and totality of all resources’. Environment
performs four vital functions:
(a) It supplies resources, both renewable and nonrenewable.
(b) It assimilates waste.
(c) It sustains life by providing genetic and biodiversity.
(d) It provides aesthetic services like scenery etc.
10. Elaborate how the following factors contribute to theenvironmental crisis in India:
(a) Air pollution
(b) Water contamination
(c) Illeteracy
(a) A. Air pollution has disastrous impact on human health and well being. So people start suffering
from breathing or respiratory problems and their productive efficiency gets lowered.
(b) Water contamination leads to the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid etc. These
diseases damage the health of the people. As a result their productive efficiency suffers.
(c) Illiteracy may lead to misuse of the resources available. This may be because of wastage
involved. As illiterate people may be ignorant about the conservation of the available scarce
resources.
11. Global warming is caused by man-made factors
(a) A. The given statement is true, as global warmingis caused by man-made factors such as
increasein carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhousegases through the burning of fossil fuels
and deforestation, which increase the amount ofcarbon dioxide in the atmosphere; methane gas
released in animal waste and increased cattle production contribute to deforestation.
12. (i) What is meant by the term ‘affluence trap’?
(ii) Explain the concept of sustainable development.
A. (i)Affluence means economic well-being. Trap is something in which we get caught and
we cannotescape out of it.
Affluence trap means environmental degradation trap. With affluence or economic well-being,
more natural resources are used up causing environmental problems.
In rich countries, high level of consumption associated with high level of income is using up
natural resources at a fast pace.
As a consequence, these countries are gettingtrapped in a situation of severe environmental
degradation
(ii)Sustainable development refers to the development strategy to meet the needs of the present
generation without compromising on theneeds to the future generation.
(i) Sustainable development aims at decreasing the absolute poverty of the poor by providing
lasting and secure livelihoods that minimise resource depletion, environmental degradation,
cultural disruption and social instability.
13. “The opportunity costs of negative environmentalimpacts are high”. Defend or refute the
given statement with valid reasons.
A. I defend the given statement. The negative environmental impact has high opportunity costs as
explained below
(a) The industrial development in past has polluted and dried up rivers and other aquifers making
water an economic good. Also, cleaning up of polluted rivers andreplenishing water resources require
huge investments.
(b)The intensive and extensive extractionof both renewable and non-renewable resources has
exhausted some of these resources.Huge amount of funds need to be spent on technology and
research to explore new resources.
© The health costs of degraded environmentalquality are also rising as decline in air and water quality
has resulted in increased incidence of respiratory and water-borne diseases. Thus, it is clear that the
opportunitycosts of negative environmental impacts are high.
14. Give two examples of overuse of environmental resources
A. Examples of overuse of environmental resourcesare
a.Soil degradation due to improper crop rotation and crop shifting.
Drying up of rivers due to overuse of waterfrom them through dams and reservoirs
15. Read the given lines taken from the article on ‘Sustainable human development means living in
harmony with nature’ published by InternationalScience Council on 17th July, 2020.
“We cannot be developed unless our lives become reconnected and in balance, cooperation and
harmony with nature.” In light of the given statement, explain how development has becomea burden
on the environment?
Following are the some important reasonsresponsible for the heavy burden on nature
(a) Rise in human. population in underdevelopedcountries.
(b) Affluent consumption style in developed
countries.
(c) Misuse of production technology in almost all the countries and poor planning of
development.
