Proceedings of the 26th Academic Council held on 18.5.

2012

CHY104 VersionNo.2.00

ENVIRONMENTALSTUDIES

LTPC3003

CoursePrerequisites: None Objectives: 1. To make students understand and appreciate the unity of life in all its forms, the implications of life style on the environment. 2. To broaden the understanding of global climate changes and the importance of renewable sources of energy. 3. To give students a basic understanding of the major causes of environmental degradation on the planet, with specific reference to Indian situation 4. To inspire students to find ways in which they can contribute personally and professionally to prevent and rectify environmental problems ExpectedOutcome: Students will be able to: 1. Understand the need for eco-balance. 2. Acquire basic knowledge about global climate change with a particular reference to the Indian context. 3. Find ways to protect the environment and play pro-active roles UnitNo.1 EnvironmentandNaturalResources 9hours Definition, scope, importance; need for public awareness on natural resources Air, Water and Land. Forest resources use, exploitation, causes and consequences of deforestation. Water resources use of surface and subsurface water; dams - effect of (floods shifted to third unit under disaster management), drought, water conflicts. Land resources Land degradation, (landslides -shifted to third unit under disaster management), soil erosion and desertification. Energy resources renewable and non- renewable sources. Indian Case studies for all the resources. UnitNo.2 EcosystemandBiodiversity 9hours Concept of ecosystem - Structure and function of an ecosystem, producers, consumers and decomposers, Food chains, food webs. Energy flow - ecological pyramids and ecological succession. Bio diversity: Definition, levels of biodiversity genetic biodiversity GM Crops. Species and ecosystem diversity values of biodiversity. Bio-geographical classification of India, hotspots, threats to biodiversity - Case study. Conservation of bio-diversity. UnitNo.3 Environmentalchangesandremediation 11hours Definition and Causes. Pollution effects and control measures of air, noise, water and soil. Thermal and nuclear hazards. Solid waste management: causes, effects and control measures of urban and industrial wastes. Case studies for all pollutions - Disaster management: Floods, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunami, tornados and landslides casestudies. Global climate change and greenhouse effect Kyoto Protocol, carbon credits, carbon sequestration, clean development mechanisms. Ozone depletion problem Montreal Protocol. Acid rain. 871

Proceedings of the 26th Academic Council held on 18.5.2012

UnitNo.4 SocialIssuesandtheEnvironment Numberofhours:9 Urban problems related to energy and sustainable development - Water conservation, rain water harvesting, watershed management, problems related to rehabilitation case studies Wasteland reclamation Consumerism and waste products Environment Protection Act, Air, Water, Wildlife, Forest Conservation Acts, Environmental legislation and public awareness. UnitNo.5 HumanPopulationandtheEnvironment 7 hours Population growth, variation among nations, population explosion, Family Welfare Programme, environment and human health Human rights and laws pertaining to environment, value education, HIV / AIDS, women and child welfare Role of information technology Case studies. TextBooks 1. G. Tyler Miller Jr. and Scott Spoolman (2011), Environmental Science, 13th Edition, Brooks/Cole. 2. Anubha Kaushik and C.P. Kaushik (2008), Environmental Science and Engineering, 3rd Edition, New Age International. References 1. Keerthinarayana and Daniel Yesudian (2004), Environmental Science and Engineering, 1st Edition, Hi-Tech Publications. 2. Erach Bharucha (2005), Text Book of Environmental Studies, Universities Press (India) Pvt. Ltd. 3. G.M. Masters (2004), Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Science, Pearson Education Pvt Ltd. ModeofEvaluation:Written examinations/Assignments/Seminars/ Quiz. RecommendedbytheBoardofStudieson: DateofApprovalbytheAcademicCouncil:

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