Module: 1

Ecology:

 Ecology is the scientific analysis and study of interactions among organisms and
their environment.
 It is an interdisciplinary field that includes biology, geography, and Earth science.
Ecology includes the study of interactions that organisms have with each other,
other organisms, and with abiotic components of their environment.

Ecosystem:

 An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the non-living

components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting
as a system.
 These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient
cycles and energy flows.
 As the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their
environment defines ecosystems, they can be of any size but usually encompass
specific, limited spaces.

Biodiversity:

 Biodiversity describes the diversity of life from genes to ecosystems and spans every
level of biological organization.
 The term has several interpretations, and there are many ways to index, measure,
characterize, and represent its complex organization.
 Biodiversity includes species diversity, ecosystem diversity, and genetic diversity and
scientists are interested in the way that this diversity affects the complex ecological
processes operating at and among these respective levels.
 Biodiversity plays an important role in ecosystem services that by definition maintain
and improve human quality of life.

Component of Ecosystem:

1. Abiotic Component:
 These include basic inorganic and organic compounds of the environment or habitat
of the organism.
 The inorganic components of an ecosystem are carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen,
calcium, phosphate, all of which are involved in matter cycles (biogeochemical
cycles).
 The organic components of an ecosystem are proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and
amino acids, all of which are synthesized by the biota (flora and fauna) of an
ecosystem and are reached to ecosystem as their wastes, dead remains, etc.
 The climate, temperature, light, soil, etc., are other abiotic components of the eco-
system.

2. Biotic Component:
 Producers:
Producers are autotrophic organisms like chemosynthetic and photosynthetic
bacteria, blue green algae, algae and all other green plants. They are called
 ecosystem producers because they capture energy from non-organic sources,
especially light, and store some of the energy the form of chemical bonds, for the
later use.

 Consumers:
They are heterotrophic organisms in the ecosystem that eat other living creatures.
There are herbivores, which eat plants, and carnivores, which eat other animals.
They are also called phagotrophs or macro consumers. Sometimes herbivores are
called primary macro consumers and carnivores are called secondary Macro
consumers.

 Reducers or Decomposers:
Reducers, decomposers, saprotrophs or Macro consumers are heterotrophic
organisms that breakdown dead and waste matter. Fungi and certain bacteria are the
prime representatives of this category. Enzymes are secreted by their cells into or
onto dead plant and animal debris. These chemicals digest the dead organism into
smaller bits or molecules, which can be absorbed by the fungi or bacteria
(saprotrophs).

Natural Environment and Build Environment:

Natural Environment:-

 The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things

occurring naturally, meaning in this case not artificial.
 The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth.
 This environment encompasses the interaction of all living species, climate, weather,
and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity.
 The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished as components:
 Complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive civilized
human intervention, including all
vegetation, microorganisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere, and natural phenomena that
occur within their boundaries and their nature.
 Universal natural resources and physical phenomena that lack clear-cut boundaries,
such as air, water, and climate, as well as energy, radiation, electric charge,
and magnetism, not originating from civilized human activity.

Built Environment:-
 In social science, the term built environment refers to the fabricated surroundings
that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings to parks.
 It has been defined as "the humanitarian-made space in which people live, work, and
recreate on a day-to-day basis."
 The "built environment encompasses places and spaces created or modified by
people including buildings, parks, and transportation systems."

Food Web & Food Chain:

 A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web starting from producer
organisms (such as grass or trees which use radiation from the Sun to make their
food) and ending at apex predator species (like grizzly bears or killer
whales), detritivores (like earthworms or woodlice), or decomposer species (such
as fungi or bacteria). A food chain also shows how the organisms are related with
each other by the food they eat. Each level of a food chain represents a
 different trophic level. A food chain differs from a food web, because the complex
network of different animals' feeding relations are aggregated and the chain only
follows a direct, linear pathway of one animal at a time.

 A food web (or food cycle) is a natural interconnection of food chains and a
graphical representation (usually an image) of what-eats-what in an ecological
community. Another name for food web is consumer-resource system. Ecologists
can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1)
the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs. To maintain their bodies, grow, develop, and
to reproduce, autotrophs produce organic matter from inorganicsubstances, including
both minerals and gases such as carbon dioxide.
Renewable Energy Sources:

 These are energy sources that are constantly being replenished, such as sunlight,
wind, and water. This means that we can use them as much as we want, and we do
not have to worry about them running out.
 Additionally, renewable energy sources are usually much more environmentally
friendly than fossil fuels. Overall, they release very few chemicals, like carbon
dioxide, that can harm the environment.

Solar energy, or energy from the sun, is harnessed using solar collectors. This collected
energy can then be used to provide heat, light, or other forms of electricity.

 Pros: Sunlight is free and readily available almost everywhere. Using it does not
create any wastes or pollutants.
 Cons: The technology needed to collect and use solar energy can be expensive.
Sunlight can only be collected during the day when it is sunny.

Wind energy is just what it sounds like: energy that we get from the wind. Windmills have
been used for hundreds of years to pump water from the ground. Today, we use large, tall
wind turbines that use the wind to generate electricity. Many wind turbines are often placed
together in wind farms in flat areas with strong winds.

 Pros: Does not produce any waste or pollutants. It takes up little ground space.
 Cons: Wind turbines can disturb or kill flying creatures, like birds and bats. Wind is
not constant and reliable everywhere.

Hydro Energy: When water is used to generate electricity, it is called hydroelectric power,
or hydropower. Most hydropower plants use a dam on a river to create a reservoir to store
water. As water is released from the reservoir, it flows through a turbine and causes it to
spin. This activates a generator that produces electricity.

 Pros: Hydropower is relatively inexpensive, and it leaves no harmful chemicals.

 Cons: Dams can destroy natural habitats

Geothermal Energy

Tidal Energy

Bio Energy

Non - Renewable Energy Sources:

 A non-renewable resource is a resource of economic value that cannot be readily
replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption.
 Most fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas and coal are considered non-renewable
resources in that their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of
years.

 Petroleum
 Coal
 Natural Gas

Hydrological Cycle:
Oxygen & Carbon Cycle:
Nitrogen Cycle:

Modification in Built Environment:

 The relationship between the natural environment and human culture is a two-way
street.
 Too often, only one part is asserted: that the form of the natural environment
influences (or, in extreme cases, determines) the human culture of a place.
 Mountains may prove obstacles to communication, but transport technology
overcomes the barriers.
 Climate may limit the growth of certain crops, but irrigation or greenhouse protection
can extend a plant natural limits.
 That is not to say that the natural environment does not pose risks: hurricanes,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or droughts all pose risks to human settlement.
 But as human technology expands, people are able to adapt to the constraints once
placed by the natural environment.
 Besides technological adaptation, human culture has increasingly modified the
natural environment, shaping it to its needs.
 Clearing forests for agriculture, paving surfaces for urban areas, damming rivers,
exploiting minerals, polluting air, streams and oceans, are all examples of the
permanent changes to the natural world resulting from human culture.
 Module: 2

These are the effects of industrialization on the environment:

1. Pollution. Industrialization normally adds to pollution in air, water, soil, due to the
waste products it produces.
2. Extraction. Industrialization makes use of resources - raw materials from the land,
water, perhaps wood and plants, fossil fuels, etc. This has an effect on the
environment, since demand for all these goes up, and more quantities are
extracted from the land.
3. Urbanization. Industrialization needs people to work in factories. So, people move
from rural/agricultural areas, that are spread out, to industrialized cities, that are
concentrated. A higher population puts added pressure on the local environment.
4. Waste material. Industrialization produces a greater amount of waste, both
directly as a result of production of goods, as well as the disposal of those goods
once their purpose has been served. For example, if a factory makes plastic
furniture, it produces waste plastic … and once the plastic furniture is worn, it is
added to the rubbish pile too.

Effect on Atmosphere:

 Acid rain is precipitation containing harmful amounts of nitric and sulphuric acids.
These acids are formed primarily by nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides released into
the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. These acids fall to the Earth as either
wet precipitation (rain, snow, or fog) or dry precipitation (gas and particulates). Some
are carried by the wind, sometimes hundreds of miles. In the environment, acid rain
damages trees, causes soils, and water bodies to acidify, making the water
unsuitable for some fish and other wildlife.
 Eutrophication is a condition in a water body where high concentrations of nutrients
(such as nitrogen) stimulate blooms of algae, which in turn can cause fish kills and
loss of plant and animal diversity. Although eutrophication is a natural process in the
aging of lakes and some estuaries, human activities can greatly accelerate
eutrophication by increasing the rate at which nutrients enter aquatic ecosystems.
 Effects on wildlife. Toxic pollutants in the air, or deposited on soils or surface
waters, can impact wildlife in a number of ways. Like humans, animals can
experience health problems if they are exposed to sufficient concentrations of air
toxics over time.
 Haze is caused when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles in the air. Haze
obscures the clarity, colour, texture, and form of what we see. Some haze-causing
pollutants (mostly fine particles) are directly emitted to the atmosphere by sources
 such as power plants, industrial facilities, trucks and automobiles, and construction
activities.
 Ozone depletion. Ozone is a gas that occurs both at ground-level and in the Earth's
upper atmosphere, known as the stratosphere. At ground level, ozone is a pollutant
that can harm human health. In the stratosphere, however, ozone forms a layer that
protects life on earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. But this "good"
ozone is gradually being destroyed by man-made chemicals referred to as ozone-
depleting substances, including chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons, and
halons.
 Global climate change. The Earth's atmosphere contains a delicate balance of
naturally occurring gases that trap some of the sun's heat near the Earth's surface.
This "greenhouse effect" keeps the Earth's temperature stable. Unfortunately,
evidence is mounting that humans have disturbed this natural balance by producing
large amounts of some of these greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and
methane.

Effects on Lithosphere:

 Soil degradation, erosion and pollution,

 Deforestation,

 Landslides and earthquakes, and

 Loss of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.

Effects on Hydrosphere:

 Acid rain
 Eutrophication
 Death of aquatic (water) animals: The main problem caused by water pollution is
that it kills organisms that depend on these water bodies. Dead fish, crabs, birds and
sea gulls, dolphins, and many other animals often wind up on beaches, killed by
pollutants in their habitat (living environment).
 Disruption of food chains:
Pollution disrupts the natural food chain as well. Tiny animals eat pollutants such as
lead and cadmium. Later, fish and shellfish consume these animals, and the food
chain continues to be disrupted at all higher levels.
  Diseases: Eventually, this process affects humans as well. People can get diseases
such as hepatitis by eating seafood that has been poisoned. In many poor nations,
there is always outbreak of cholera and diseases as a result of poor drinking water
treatment from contaminated waters
 Destruction of ecosystems: Ecosystems (the interaction of living things in a place,
depending on each other for life) can be severely changed or destroyed by water
pollution. Many areas are now being affected by careless human pollution, and this
pollution is coming back to hurt humans in many ways.

Effect on Biosphere:

Air Pollution

Smog

 Thermal inversion: trapping of a layer of dense, cool air beneath a layer of warm air
 Industrial smog: polluted, grey-coloured air that forms above industrialized cities
during cold, wet winters
 Photochemical smog: polluted, brown, smelly, air that forms above large cities with
many gas-burning vehicles during warm weather

Acid Deposition

 Dry acid deposition: fine particles of oxides may briefly stay airborne, then fall to
Earth
 Acid rain: wet acid deposition, falling of rain or snow rich in sulphur and nitrogen
oxides

Ozone Thinning

Ozone thinning is the pronounced seasonal thinning of the atmosphere's ozone layer,
especially above the Earth's polar regions.

Deforestation

Deforestation is the removal of all trees from large tracts of land for logging, agriculture,
and grazing operations.

Desertification

Desertification is the name for the conversion of large tracts of natural grasslands to a
more desert like condition.

Water Pollution

 Desalinization: removal of salt from seawater

 Salinization: salt buildup in soil by evaporation, poor drainage, and heavy irrigation
 Wastewater treatment: primary-screens and settling tanks remove sludge, which is
dried, burned, dumped in landfills, or treated further; secondary- microbial
 populations break down organic matter after primary treatment but before
chlorination; tertiary- adequately reduces pollution but is largely experimental and
expensive

Energy

 Fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, or natural gas; a non-renewable energy source that
formed long ago from the remains of swam forests
 Meltdown: when nuclear fuel undergoes radioactive decay, it releases considerable
heat
 Solar-hydrogen energy
 Wind farms: where prevailing travel faster than 7.5 meters per second
 Fusion power: sun's gravitational force is enough to compress atomic nuclei to high
densities, and its temperatures are high enough to force atomic nuclei to fuse

Urban Ecosystem:

 Urban ecosystems apply the ecosystem approach to urban areas.

 Urban ecosystems are dynamic ecosystems that have similar interactions and
behaviours as natural ecosystems.
 Unlike natural ecosystems however, urban ecosystems are a hybrid of natural and
fabricated elements whose interactions are affected by not only the natural
environment, but also culture, personal behaviour, politics, economics and social
organisation.

Main Features

 Urban areas act as population centres providing goods and services not only for its
population, but also for populations worldwide.
 Urban ecosystems can no longer be considered as a separate entity to the
environment as they have direct and indirect impacts on the immediate and wider
environments.
 Urban areas cannot exist in isolation. They require inputs from, and waste
assimilation functions of, other ecosystems. Ecological footprint analysis has shown
that many cities require a productive land and sea area several times the city's size
in order to support the population.
 The urban ecosystem contains both individual and layered (nested) systems from
three spheres:
o The natural environment,
o The built environment and
o The socio-economic environment.
 In order to develop policies and programs that advance sustainable development and
the equitable allocation of resources, each system within the urban ecosystem needs
to be recognised as a living entity that constantly changes.
 This differs from the typical segregated and static management approach. Each
system requires dynamic balancing and integration.
 In addition, the interdependencies and interactions between each system and
between the urban ecosystem as a whole and other ecosystems need to be
understood.
 Unhealthy urban ecosystems can lead to local and wider environmental degradation,
social problems, economic decline, human health problems and further disconnection
from nature.
Cardinal Principles:

 The objectives of management of land, water and living resources are a

matter of societal choices.
 Management should be decentralized to the lowest appropriate level.
 Ecosystem managers should consider the effects (actual or potential) of their
activities on adjacent and other ecosystems.
 Recognizing potential gains from management, there is usually a need to
understand and manage the ecosystem in an economic context. Any such
ecosystem-management programme should:
 Conservation of ecosystem structure and functioning, in order to maintain
ecosystem services, should be a priority target of the ecosystem approach.
 Ecosystem must be managed within the limits of their functioning.
 The ecosystem approach should be undertaken at the appropriate spatial and
temporal scales.
 Recognizing the varying temporal scales and lag-effects that characterize
ecosystem processes, objectives for ecosystem management should be set
for the long term.
 Management must recognize the change is inevitable.
 The ecosystem approach should seek the appropriate balance between, and
integration of, conservation and use of biological diversity.
 The ecosystem approach should consider all forms of relevant information,
including scientific, indigenous, and local knowledge, innovations and
practices.
 The ecosystem approach should involve all relevant sectors of society and
scientific disciplines.

NON-FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS

1. Mutual relationships:
Relations between organisms can be
(a) mutually beneficial to both species, For example, relationship between flowers and
insects is a mutually supportive relationship, or …
(b) Parasitic, in that such a relationship benefits only one party. Examples include ticks,
fleas, mosquitoes, mistletoe plants and fungi.

Mutually beneficial relationships are also termed Symbiotic (sym = together, bio = living)
and can be described as
a) Commensalism is a mutual interaction between two different species in which one
organism benefits but the other is neither harmed nor helped in any way, or…
b) Mutualism is a type of species interaction in which both participating species benefit.

2. Competitive Relationships:
Plant and animal species compete over food, water, territorial space and mating with the
opposite sex.
The Principle of Competitive Exclusion: explains that no two species can occupy the
same niche (food or space) successfully in a stable community.
Closely related species therefore live far from one another. This is because plants and
animals must compete for water, nutrients, light and space. The outcome of this competition
determines the character of an ecosystem.

Module: 4

Sustainability and Environment Criteria for location of human settlement:

Human settlements means the totality of the human community - whether city, town or
village - with all the social, material, organizational, spiritual and cultural elements that
sustain it.

The physical components comprise:

 Shelter: Superstructures of different shapes, size, type and materials erected by

mankind for security, privacy and protection from the elements and for his singularity
within a community;
 Infrastructure: Complex networks designed to deliver to or remove from the shelter
people, goods, energy or information;
 Services: Cover those required by a community for the fulfilment of its functions as a
social body, such as education, health, culture, welfare, recreation and nutrition

Criteria:

(a) Concept of Sustainability: The call for sustainable development is not simply for
environmental protection, but also for a new concept of economic growth that provides for
fairness and opportunity for all people in the world without destroying the world's natural
resources and without further compromising the carrying capacity of the globe

(b) Sustainable development rests on three pillars, namely, environmental sustainability,

economic sustainability, and social sustainability

(c) Development and Management: Because of their concentrated nature, human

settlements are significant consumers of natural resources and the development and
management of human settlements may represent a substantial component in unsustainable
production and consumption patterns

(d) As Urban Development occurs, it may have severe impacts on land and water resources
and on the atmosphere, unless vigorous action is taken to prevent such adverse effects

(e) Population Growth: In many countries, especially developing ones, the pressure of
population growth and urbanization is having adverse implications for the supply of adequate
shelter, environmental infrastructure and services

(f) Land Conversion: As part of the rapid increase in urban populations, rural settlements on
urban fringes are being absorbed into the urban domain and agricultural areas and forest
resources are converting to urban use, often in wasteful and environmentally damaging ways

Ecological Planning:
Planning the management and urbanization of the landscape in harmony with the underlying
ecology

Approach

 Builds up from nature, respecting the environmental relationships in the landscape

 Makes provisions for human activity in consonance with ecology of the region
 Addresses air, water, and land management as individual resources as well as an
integrated whole
 Identifies and values natural systems to support and shape urban development pattern

Benefit:

 Stronger, More Sustainable Cities

 More sustainable urban development
 Less likely to affect water, land, and ecosystems
 More resilient to climate change
 Protection of natural drainage networks protects from peak storm flooding events
 Lower cost of urban infrastructure
 Green infrastructure leverages natural systems, costs less to construct
 Strengthened socio-economic setting
 Better drainage, greener spaces, along with urban management, results in better living
conditions and a healthier society with less loss of economic productivity
 Improved liveability
 More open and green spaces for fresh air, carbon sequestration, recreation

Ecological Parameters for Site Planning:

Site planning in landscape architecture and architecture refers to the organizational stage
of the landscape design process. It involves the organization of land use zoning, access,
circulation, privacy, security, shelter, land drainage, and other factors.

 Site Climate
 Site Contour
 Soil Texture
 Hydrology
 Vegetation and Wildlife
 Habitat & Ecosystem

Ecological Parameters for Settlement Planning:

 Natural Reserve
 Reservoir
 Ecosystem & Habitat
 Space
 Land Use
 Land Conversion
 Environmental Sustainability
 Pollution

Ecological Parameters for Regional Planning:

Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land-use activities, infrastructure,
and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. Regional
planning is a sub-field of urban planning as it relates land use practices on a broader scale.

 Geomorphology
 Macro Climate
 Topography
 Geography
 Hydrology
 Vegetation and Wildlife
 Habitat & Ecosystem
 Natural Reserve
 National Park
 Environmental Sustainability
 Resources

Module: 5

Pollution:

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse
change.

Types of Pollution:

 Water Pollution
 Air Pollution
 Land & Soil Pollution
 Noise Pollution
 Thermal Pollution
 Radioactive Pollution

Sources of Pollution:

Point Source:
A point source of pollution is a single identifiable source
of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution
 Air pollution from an industrial source
 Water pollution from an oil refinery wastewater discharge outlet
 Noise pollution from a jet engine
 Light pollution from an intrusive street light
 Thermal pollution from an industrial process outfall
 Radio emissions from an interference-producing electrical device

Non-Point Source:

 Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is a term used to describe pollution resulting from
many diffuse sources, in direct contrast to point source pollution which results from a
single source.
  Nonpoint source pollution generally results from land runoff, precipitation,
atmospheric deposition, drainage, seepage, or hydrological modification (rainfall or
snowmelt) where tracing the pollution back to a single source is difficult.

Water Pollution:

 Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies. This form of environmental

degradation occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water
bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.
 Water pollution affects the entire biosphere of plants and organisms living in
these water bodies, as well as organisms and plants that might be exposed to the
water.
 In almost all cases, the effect is damaging not only to individual species and
populations, but also to the natural biological communities.

Causes:

 The discharge of industrial waste in water bodies

 Agricultural pollution: practices such as the use of pesticides and other
agrochemicals that get washed into water systems or infiltrate into groundwater
 Discharge and dumping of waste materials and home made products such as
plastics and detergents into water bodies
 Oil spills
 Natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes that lead to intermixing of water
with dangerous substances on the land
 Sediments from soil erosion

Prevention:

 Sewage treatment
 Industrial wastewater treatment
 Agricultural wastewater treatment
 Erosion and sediment control from construction sites
 Control of urban runoff

Air Pollution:

 Air pollution occurs when harmful substances including particulates and biological
molecules are introduced into Earth's atmosphere.
 It may cause diseases, allergies or death of humans; it may also cause harm to other
living organisms such as animals and food crops, and may damage
the natural or built environment.
 Human activity and natural processes can both generate air pollution.

Air Pollutants:

 Hydrocarbons
 Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  Dust particles
 Carbon monoxide
 Sulphur oxides
 Particulate matter
 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
 Nitrogen oxides

Causes:

 Power Plants
 Vehicle Emissions
 Industry
 Deforestation
 Wood Fires
 Smoking
 Natural Processes

Prevention:

 Control of Carbon Emission

 Reduce the air pollution from automobile
 Afforestation
 Save energy
 Use eco-friendly products
 Do not smoke
 Take a good care of fireplace
 Recycle and buy recycled products

Soil Pollution:

 Soil contamination or soil pollution as part of land degradation is caused by the

presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil
environment.
 It is typically caused by industrial activity, agricultural chemicals, or improper disposal
of waste.
 The most common chemicals involved are petroleum hydrocarbons, polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (such as naphthalene and benzo(a)pyrene), solvents,
pesticides, lead, and other heavy metals.
 Contamination is correlated with the degree of industrialization and intensity of
chemical usage.

Causes:

 Oil spill.
 Mining and activities by other heavy industries
 Accidental spills as may happen during activities, etc.
 Corrosion of underground storage tanks (including piping used to transmit the contents)
 Acid rain (in turn caused by air pollution)
 Intensive farming
 Agrochemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers
 Industrial accidents
 Road debris
 Drainage of contaminated surface water into the soil
 Waste disposal

Prevention:

 Reducing Usage of Chemicals

 Afforestation
 Recycling Wastes
 Proper Solid Waste Treatment
 Reduce the amount of plastic
 Reduce paper use
 Use "grey water" on ornamental gardens and plants
 Use sink water to flush toilet waste.
 Harvest Rainwater

Noise Pollution:

 Noise pollution is the disturbing noise with harmful impact on the activity of human
or animal life.
 The source of outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines, transportation
systems, motor vehicles engines and trains.
 Noise pollution affects both health and behaviour.
 Unwanted sound (noise) can damage psychological health. Noise pollution can
cause hypertension, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and
other harmful effects.

Causes:

 Natural sources
 Human sources
 Vehicular Noise
 Commercialisation of residential areas
 Domestic Noise
 Construction activities
 Political Activities
 Fireworks

Prevention:

 Construction of soundproof rooms for noisy machines in industrial and

manufacturing installations must be encouraged. This is also important for
residential building—noisy machines should be installed far from sleeping and
living rooms, like in a basement or garage.
 Use of horns with jarring sounds motorbikes with damaged exhaust pipes,
noisy trucks to be banned.
 Noise producing industries, airports, bus and transport terminals and railway
stations to sighted far from where living places.
  Community law enforcers should check the misuse of loudspeakers,
worshipers, outdoor parties and discos, as well as public announcements
systems.
 Community laws must silence zones near schools / colleges, hospitals etc.
 Vegetation (trees) along roads and in residential areas is a good way to
reduce noise pollution as they absorb sound.

Environmental Impact Assessment Method:

Definition:

 Environmental assessment (EA) is the assessment of the environmental

consequences (positive and negative) of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects
prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action.
 In this context, the term "environmental impact assessment" (EIA) is usually used
when applied to actual projects by individuals or companies and the term "strategic
environmental assessment" (SEA) applies to policies, plans and programmes most
often proposed by organs of state.
 Environmental assessments may be governed by rules of administrative
procedure regarding public participation and documentation of decision-making, and
may be subject to judicial review.

Genesis:

 Environmental impact assessments commenced in the 1960s, as part of

increasing environmental awareness. EIAs involved a technical evaluation intended
to contribute to more objective decision making.

Purpose:

 Identification the main environmental issues and aspects

 Agreement the relative significance of the environmental aspects
 Assessment the environmental performance of the proposed scheme against the
significant aspects
 Identification significant positive and negative impacts
 Evaluation the overall environmental impact of the scheme to enable comparison
between alternative proposals
 Facilitation an inclusive approach with the project stakeholders

Method:

 Impact Identification
 Impact Prediction
 Impact Evaluation
 Module: 6

Energy and Human Settlement:

Consideration:
 Module: 7

Environmental Planning:

Environmental planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out land
development with the consideration given to the natural environment, social, political,
economic and governance factors and provides a holistic framework to
achieve sustainable outcomes.

Goals & Objectives:

 A safe, healthy, pleasant, socially functional living and working environment which
provides for the needs of various population groups, such as children, the elderly and
the handicapped
 Economical urban structure and land use
 Protection of the beauty of the built environment and of cultural values
 Biological diversity and other natural values
 Environmental protection and prevention of environmental hazards
 Provident use of natural resources
 Functionality of communities and good building
 Economical urban development
 Favourable business conditions
 Availability of services
 An appropriate traffic system and, especially, public transport and non-motorized
traffic."

Environmental Management Approach:

Environmental management is the process of allocating natural and synthetic resources to

make optimum use of the environment in satisfying not only the present basic human needs
but of the coming generations also.
Characteristic features:
 It deals with a world affected by humans;
 It supports sustainable development;
 It demands a multidisciplinary approach;
 It has to integrate different development viewpoints;
 It concerns with short-term and long-term planning as well as from
local to global scale; and
 It seeks to integrate natural and social science, policy making and
planning.

Objectives:
 To prevent and solve environmental problems;
 To establish limits;
 To develop research institutions and monitoring systems;
 To warn threats and identify opportunities;
 To suggest measures for resource conservation;
  To develop a strategy for the improvement of quality of life;
 To suggest long-term and short-term policies for sustainable
development; and
 To identify new technology for sustainable development.

Strategies for Integration:

 The most effective strategies for integrating the environment in urban planning and
development involve incorporating the environment in existing tools, rather than
developing stand-alone approaches.
 Integrating environmental concerns in investment decisions can contribute
substantially to the greening of the building sector and other infrastructure.
 Considering the underlying nature of urban planning and governance is central to
effective integration of the environment in urban planning and management.
 Good urban design can help to generate environmental, social and economic
benefits for cities and their residents.
 Acquiring finance for infrastructure remains a significant challenge for many cities,
but if environmentally sound investments can be encouraged these can produce
significant benefits.

Module: 8

Global Concern on Environment:

 Ozone layer depletion

 Global warming
 Loss of biodiversity
 Nature and Animal Conservation
 Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions
 Climate Change Affects Biodiversity
 Land Degradation
 International Waters
 Chemicals and Waste
 Sustainability

One of the most important characteristics of this environmental degradation is that it affects
all humanity on a global scale without regard to any particular country, region, or race. The
whole world is a stakeholder and this raises issues on who should do what to combat
environmental degradation.

International Treaties:

Several hundred international environmental agreements exist but most link only a limited
number of countries. These bilateral or sometimes trilateral agreements are only binding for
the countries that have ratified them but are essential in the international environmental
regime.

Climate protection
  1979 Geneva Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
o 1984 Geneva Protocol on Long-term Financing of the Cooperative
Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of
Air Pollutants in Europe (EMEP)
o 1985 Helsinki Protocol on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions on their
Transboundary Fluxes by at least 30 per cent

Ozone layer

 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985)

 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987)

Climate change

 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992)

 Kyoto Protocol (1997)
 Paris Agreement (2016)

Marine, water and environmental protection

 Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area
(Helsinki Convention, 1992)
 Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic
(OSPAR Convention, 1992)
 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes (UNECE Water Convention, 1992)
o Protocol on Water and Health (1999)
o Protocol on Civil Liability (2003; not yet ratified by Finland, not yet in force
internationally)
 International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil
Pollution Casualties (IMO, 1969 Intervention Convention)
o 1973 Protocol relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Pollution
by Substances other than Oil (IMO, 1973 Intervention Protocol)

Availability of information and participation

 UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-

making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention, 1998)
o Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (2003)

Waste management

 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous

Wastes and their Disposal (1989)
 o Basel Protocol on Liability and Compensation (1999) (not yet ratified by
Finland, not yet in force internationally)
 Decision of the OECD Council concerning the Control of Transfrontier Movements of
Wastes Destined for Recovery Operations (1992)
 Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound
Recycling of Ships (2009) (not yet ratified by Finland, not yet in force internationally)

Prevention of environmental damage caused by chemicals

 Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain

Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC Convention, 1998)
 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs Convention, 2001)

Environmental impact assessment

 Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context

(Espoo Convention, 1991)
 UNECE Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Protocol on SEA, 2003)

Protection of flora and fauna and biological diversity

 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (Biodiversity Convention, 1992)

 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (1946)
 Statutes of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN, 1948)

Government of India Policies:

The Ministry of Environment & Forests:
 It is the nodal agency in the administrative structure of the Central Government, for
the planning, promotion, co-ordination and overseeing the implementation of
environmental and forestry programmes.
 The Ministry is also the Nodal agency in the country for the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).
 The principal activities undertaken by Ministry of Environment & Forests consist of
conservation & survey of flora, fauna, forests and Wildlife, prevention & control of
pollution, afforestation & regeneration of degraded areas and protection of
environment, in the framework of legislations.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):

 Statutory organisation was constituted in September 1974 under the Water
(Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
 Further, CPCB was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention
and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
 It serves as a field formation and provides technical services to the Ministry of
Environment and Forests of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
 Principal Functions of the CPCB, as spelt out in the Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
 Policies to protect environment in India
 Environment Protection Act, 1986
 National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and
Development, 1992
 Policy Statement for the Abatement of Pollution, 1992
 National Environment Policy, 2006
 Vision Statement on Environment and Health