1_Ecology and Changing Environment_Planetorium May 10 2016.pptx

Ecology and changing environment

1. Ecology and Changing Environment Prof. A. Alagappa Moses Associate Professor & Head Dept. of Environmental Sciences Bishop Heber College Tiruchirappalli – 620 017

2. Definition - Environment When people say “ I am concerned about Environment,” What do they mean? What does the use of the definite article mean in such a statement? Is there such a thing as “the “ Environment? Environment is derived from the French words environ or environner – “ around ,” “ round about ,” “ to surround ”, “ to encompass ,” these words in turn originated from the Old French virer and viron (together with the prefix en), which mean “a circle around, the country around, or circuit,” Environment – English The total of the things or circumstances around an organism – including humans.

3. Environment - Meaning ‘Surroundings’ The external conditions influencing development or growth of people, animals or plants, living or working conditions etc.

4. What is Environment? The sum total of conditions which surround man at a given point in space and time.

5. Environment The “ study of spatial attributes of interrelationship between living organisms and natural environment and between technologically advanced man and his natural environment in particular temporal and spatial framework ” . savindra Singh, 1989.

6. Environment A holistic view of the world as it functions at any point of time, with a multitude of spatial, elemental and socio-economic systems, distinguished by quality and attributes of space, and mode of behaviour of abiotic and biotic forms

7. Interaction of Man & Environment Mans relationship with environment has centered on his struggle to secure more food goods fuel and shelter necessary due to growing population.

8. Needs for Studying Environment To understand some basic facts about the environment. To suggest some long lasting successful solutions to the environmental problems. To live sustainable to the environment, so that peaceful coexistence with other forms of life could be effective.

9. Awareness Awareness is a continuous process in which the consciousness and knowledge of an individual is triggered to grow and awaken in order to understand the state of environmental conditions, its consequences and the measures that have to be taken towards facilitating the process of sustainable development.

10. Environmental Studies Environmental studies takes a multidisciplinary approach to the study of human interactions with the natural environment .

11. Environmental Studies A key instrument for bringing about the changes in Knowledge Values Behaviors and Lifestyles required to achieve sustainability and stability within and among countries, democracy, human security and peace.

12. Aim of Environmental Studies

13. Multidisciplinary Nature

14. Ecological System

15. Ecological System

16. India ranks 101 on Environmental Sustainability Index ESI Rank Country ESI Score 30 Japan 57.3 31 Germany 56. 9 41 Netherlands 53.7 69 Italy 50.1 79 Srilanka 48.5 85 Nepal 47.7 101 India 45.2

17. History

18. 18 Asoka’s pillar edicts (272 – 232 B.C) Proclaimed protection for plants and animals.

19. Bishnois The first environmentalist in India Environment & wildlife protection & conservation since 1485 Saint Guru Jambheshwar made it religiously compulsory to 'Not cut green trees' and 'To be compassionate to all living beings.' Bishnois follow these two and another 27 rules(total 29 rules) despite facing hardship in Thar desert. 19

20. Salman Khan Chinkara Poaching Case 1998 Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi 20

21. 21 Conservation: A Tradition of India Sacred Groves Religious tenets support the preservation of biodiversity through institutions like Sacred Groves

22. 22 Modern India’s Commitment to Sustainability The Indian constitution endorses the concept of sustainability in its concern for the preservation of wildlife and flowers. Article 48 – A The Constitution enjoins the state and the citizen to protect biodiversity . Article 51 – A (g) expects every citizen of India to “Protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures”.

23. Henry David Thoreau: 1854 WALDEN or LIFE IN THE WOODS Walden Pond Solitude, contemplation, and closeness to nature

24. Environmentalism - 1960

25. 2015 – Rs. 1 Crore 25 Moses The Value of a Tree The tree that lives for 50 years Generates Rs.18.75 lakhs worth of Oxygen, Controls Rs. 37.20 Lakhs air pollution Recycles Rs.18.75 lakhs worth of fertility, Facilitates Rs.22.50 lakhs worth of water recycling Provides Rs.18.75 lakhs worth of shelter for birds and animals. So when one tree falls or is felled something worth more than Rs. 116 Lakhs “Think before you cut a tree…” Value more than Rs. 116 Lakhs

26. WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 5 June 2016 Theme ZERO TOLERANCE FOR THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE Slogan “ Go Wild for life”

27. 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than one ton of rhino horn on Saturday 30 April 2016 The stacks of tusks represent more than 8,000 elephants and some 343 rhinos slaughtered for their ivory and horns,

28. Worth of Ecosystem Costanza et al 1997, “The value of the world’s ecosystem goods and services,” Nature , 387:253-260. Pollination, Raw Materials Production, Water Supply, Waste Recycling & Pollution Control, Recreation & Education, Climate and Atmosphere Regulation, Soil Formation and Erosion Control, Control of Pests & Diseases Value of services: US$16 to $US54 trillion World GNP: US$18 trillion Ecosystem-to-GNP ratio 1.8

29. Ecosystem Modification by Human Activity

30. Exhaustion of Natural Resources Rainforest loss: 1 acre per second Annual temperate forest loss: 4 million hectares (Siberia), 1 million hectares (Canada) Forests: 40% (1,000 years ago) 30% (1900) 20% (today) Loss of 20% of all species by 2030 Grain production: 465 MT (1987) 229 MT (1996) Fisheries: 22 MT (1950) 100 MT (1987) 90 MT (1995) Movement of more material than natural forces Loss of 24 billion tons of topsoil annually

31. 32 Ecosystem services are severely threatened through: growth in the scale of human enterprise (population size, per-capita consumption, and effects of technologies to produce goods for consumption) and a mismatch between short-term needs and long-term societal well-being.

32. 33 Human activities that disrupt, impair, or reengineer ecosystems: runoff of pesticides, fertilizers, and animal wastes pollution of land, water, and air resources introduction of non-native species overharvesting fisheries destruction of wetlands erosion of soils deforestation urban sprawl

33. The Question of Intervention? Whether it is appropriate to intervene deliberately in Nature? “Compensating for the destruction of an Ecosystem by the Restoration or Creation of one of the Equal value” Robert Elliot, 1982

34. Mode of Ecosystem Repair

35. Mode of Ecosystem Repair

36. Why Restore? Sustainability Prudential Consideration Compensatory Justice

37. Basic Environmental Facts Forest Cover: 21.34% Required forest cover : 33 % 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 41

38. India is one of the mega centres of biodiversity in the world: 45 000 plants, 65 000 animals, 60-250 wild crops in India are threatened. 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 42

39. About 16 rivers in the world experience severe erosion: of these Ganges stands 2 nd and Bramaputra 3 rd 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 43

40. Population growth will lead to decline in per capita availability of fresh water- 1947---------5150 cubic meter 2000 --------2200 cubic meter 2017 ------- 1600 cubic meter 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 44

41. 10 per cent of Rural & urban population does not have access to regular safe drinking water. 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 45

42. 1 crore suffer due to excess arsenic in water. 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 46

43. 7 crore people in 20 states are at risk due to excess Fluoride . 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 47

44. Air pollution load from transport sector was 0.15 million tonnes in 1947, which increased to 30.3 million tonnes in 2007. 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 48

45. The organic content of the soil at present is 0.2 per cent, while it was 3 to 3.5 per cent before green revolution. 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 49

46. Pollution load from Industrial sector was 0.2 million tonnes in 3000 million tonnes in 2007 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 50

47. At present, 1.2 billion people world wide defecate in the open and India has the uncomfortable distinction of leading the list with 665 million (2006). 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 51

48. World Bank estimates the total cost of Environmental damage in India amounts to U.S $ 80 billion annually or 5.7 per cent of the GDP 15 July, 2016 [email protected] 52

49. Trends shaping the Millennium Population Growth Shrinking Forests Rising Temperature Dwindling Fisheries Falling Water Table Loss of Biodiversity Shrinking Crop Land per Person Vanishing Lakes

50. Pollution: A Public Bad Commons is a public good. Protection of it is a public good. Who pays the Cost? How to incorporate this cost into the economic equation?

51. Cost of Environmental Degradation in India Environmental degradation costs India $80 billion annually equivalent to 5.7 percent of the GDP

52. Urban Air pollution $ 20 billion Water Degradation $35 billion

53. Soil Erosion $ 10 billion Forest Loss $ 15 billion

54. The Environment as we Perceive is our own Invention

55. Sustainable development

56. What is a Sustainable Campus? A sustainable campus is one that develops process or management systems that help create a vibrant campus economy & high quality of life while respecting the need to sustain natural resources and protect the environment. Sustainable programs are those that result from an institution’s commitment to environmental, social, & economic health.

57. Campus a Living Model of Sustainability

58. Campus Sustainability Plan The Campus Sustainability Plan frames our path forward and defines targeted goals that will improve natural systems, educational opportunities, community building, operational processes, infrastructural investments, social and behavioral norms, and personal awareness.

59. Three Spheres of Sustainability

60. Green Campus A green campus is a college or university that seeks to develop and manage itself in an Environmentally friendly fashion by continually implementing best management practices to reduce its ecological footprint and mitigate environmental impacts . 

61. Thank You