The Global Environmental Crisis R. Rajagopalan 2011 Environmental Studies: From Crisis to Cure. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, Chapter 1-2 (pages 2-35)

 Environment: that which surrounds any entity  Natural Environment  Socio-Cultural Environment  Ecology: the science that studies the relationship between living things an their environment  Environmental Science: Systematic and scientific study of our environment, and our role in it.  Environmental Studies: above + social aspects.

Ecological Footprint  The amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste. (wikipedia)  Land and water area a human population requires to produce the resource it consumes and to absorb its carbon dioxide emissions, using prevailing technology. (global footprint network)  Area of biologically productive space required per person in order to maintain the person's current lifestyle through the "provision" of resources and eco-services.

 Sustainable Development: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Everything is Connected  Malaria, Songbird stories  Study too is interdisciplinary.

 Kalahandi Case study  Extremes of temperature and precipitation.  Traditional systems of resource use  Lack of maintenance, clear felling of forests.  Unstable eco system, leading to livelihood disruption

Global Crisis  Water  Biodiversity (loss of species)  Forests  Land  Pollution (e.g. CO 2 emissions)  Coastal and Marine degradation  Increasing disasters

causes  Urbanization  Deforestation  Pollution  Overutilization of resources  Population pressure  Result: Global Warming

Other problems  Armed conflicts  Poverty, Inequality New?  High rate of changes (exponential curve)  Scientific and Industrial revolution?

Ecosystem  Organism: - any living thing  Species: set of organisms that resemble one another in appearance and behaviour.  Population: members of a species living and interacting within a geographical region (e.g. neem trees in a forest).  Ecosystem: community of living organisms interacting with one another and with its non- living physical and chemical environment.

 Atmosphere – upto 50 km from surface, thin envelope of air around the earth.  - troposphere: upto 17 km from sea level, contains the planet’s air  - stratosphere: above troposphere, contains ozone, filters out harmful UV.  Hydrosphere: liquid water, ice, water vapour.  Lithosphere: earth’s upper crust  Biosphere: area in which all living being interact with each other and environment (hydrosphere, lower atmosphere, upper lithosphere).

 Biomes: Divisions within terrestrial portion of the Biosphere (usually has distinct climate and life form, e.g. grasslands, deserts, tropical rain forest…)  Aquatic life zones: non-terrestrial part of biosphere (e.g. freshwater swamps, marshes….)

Ecosystems  Biotic community: living species within ecosystem (e.g. plants, animals…)  Abiotic conditions: e.g. water, air…  Boundaries of ecosystems not fully clear, are permeable  Ecotones: where two or more ecosystems meet (transitional zone).

 Food Chain: a sequence of organisms, in which each is the food of the next  Producers: Plants take simple organic substances and convert them to complex molecules using solar energy. Process called photosynthesis.

Trophic Levels  Autotrophs – self feeding organisms  Heterotrophs – organisms that consume organic matter to get energy. 3 types:\  Primary Consumers – herbivores  Secondary – carnivores  Tertiary – eat other carnivores  Omnivores – eat both plants and animals  Detrivores – feed on detritus (e.g. earthworm)  Decomposers – decompose organic matter (e.g. fungi)

 Ecosystem establishment – initial stage of growth of a few species  Ecological succession – when an initial stage is successful, it allows for another community to move in and prosper (e.g. shrubs give way to forests)  Climax ecosystem: when all the species reach a dynamic equilibrium (e.g. a tropical rainforest).

 Habitat: area where a species is biologically adapted to live  Ecological niche: All aspects of the organism’s existence – all the physical, chemical, and biological factors that it needs in order to live and reproduce.

Cycles in an ecosystem:  Cycles: energy flows  Water/Hydrologic cycle:

The Carbon cycle:

Ecosystem Services  1. provisioning services: e.g. fresh water  2. Regulating services: e.g. climate  3. Cultural services: e.g. recreation  4. Supporting services: e.g. oxygen

Can we calculate its Economic value???  Inestimable?  Instrumental value  Value in itself?  Intrinsic value