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Adigrat University, Architecture department

Introduction to Environmental Science

Ins; Yasin Temam

Definition and Terms:

The term "Environment" denotes the total set of circumstances surrounding life. It is everything
surrounding us. It can be living or non-living things. Environment includes physical, chemical
and other natural forces. The term Environment has been derived from a French word
‘environner’ which means to encircle or to surround. Everything, living or non-living, which
surrounds us, forms our environment. Thus, the sum total of all the materials, forces and
conditions that affect an individual’s life is known as environment. All these materials, forces
and conditions on the earth interact with one another and form a complex systems and sub-
systems known as environmental complex. The integrated whole of physical and biological
systems on the earth is called Life-support-system which enables life to exist and flourish. for
further Existence of life depends on the most abundant resources of the planet—land, air, and
water. All living things live in their environment. They constantly interact with it and change
in response to conditions in their environment.

The subject Environmental Science deals with these circumstances or conditions. Every life
thrives on the land, water and air. The term environment always denotes the natural world, as
a whole or in a particular geographical area. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary
academic field. It integrates various sciences to study the structure and function of our life-
supporting environment and to understand the causes, effects, and solutions of different
environmental problems. Apart from the study of biological and physical characters of the
environment, it also includes the social and cultural factors and impact of humans on the
environment. The aims of studying Environmental Science are to know more about the
sustainable way of living, to understand the behaviour of organisms under natural conditions,
to educate people about environmental problem & issues, to use natural resources more
effectively without harming the environment and to teach the human beings the importance of
our environment and how to conserve it.

You do not have to be a scientist to understand Basics of Environmental Science. Its language
is simple, non-technical, and non-mathematical.

Environmental science and ‘environmentalism’ are not at all the same thing. Environmental
science deals with the way the natural world functions; environmentalism with such
modifications of human behaviour as reformers think appropriate in the light of scientific
findings. Environmentalists, therefore, are concerned with more than just science.
Environmental science exists most obviously as a body of knowledge in its own right when a
team of specialists assembles to address a particular issue.
All the materials found at the surface of the Earth, from the deepest ocean trenches to the top
of the atmosphere, are engaged in cycles that move them from place to place. Even the solid
rock beneath your feet moves, as mountains erode, sedimentary rocks are subducted into the
Earth’s mantle, and volcanic activity releases new igneous rock. There is nothing new or
original in the idea of recycling! Environmental science has a long history and concern with
the condition of the environment has been expressed at intervals over many centuries, but the
modern environmental movement emerged during the 1960s,

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Scope of Environmental Science

Scope and Importance:

Environment and the organisms are the two dynamic and complex components of nature.
Environment regulates the life of all the organisms including human beings. Human beings
interact with the environment more vigorously than any other living beings. Environment is
comprised of the interacting systems of physical, biological and cultural elements which are
interlinked both individually and collectively. To understand all the different aspects of
environment, one need to understand the basic principles of subjects like geology, biology,
chemistry, physics, geography, resource management, economics and demography. The scope
of studying environmental aspects is extremely wide and covers several crucial aspects of
almost all disciplines. The survival of any organism requires a steady supply of food and other
materials and removal of waste products from its environment. The degradation of the
environment is becoming a serious problem for the existence of human beings and other life.
Pollution of soil, water and air causes harm to living organisms as well as loss to valuable
natural resources. Several important aspects are studied under the field called as Environmental
Studies.
Environmental Sciences is concerned with human welfare. Its main objectives are
sustainability and better future. It deals with a varied array of issues facing mankind at local,
regional and global levels. It attempts to understand the global environmental problems and
suggest corrective measures at local and global levels. It prepares people for global citizenship
as the same environment on the earth is shared by the all; and the same stands true for global
issues related to environment as the entire humanity has to face them. It can be put as:
• Environmental Science is global in its scope of studies as it deals with issues at global
level.
• It deals with every general problem that mankind confronts and thus covers entire
domain of human activities. Its scope, therefore, encompasses the whole humanity.
• Environmental issues are not of a particular single type. They are varied in their origin,
nature and extent. This necessitates the introduction of environmental science into the
curricula of other subjects of studies so that the knowledge and information can be used
in constructive manner for the betterment of the humanity.

Environmental Science has enough scope to be taught with any stream of sciences. In other
words, environmental science includes and attempts to deal with almost all the issues relevant
to general welfare of humanity at local, national or international level.
Some of the major issues encompassed under environmental science include:
✓ Global warming
✓ Biodiversity decline
✓ Pollutions
✓ Population explosion
✓ Natural resources decline
✓ Soil degradation
✓ Natural disasters
✓ Ozone depletion

“Junaid Jazib, basics of environmental science,

chapter 1 understanding the environment”

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Components of environment

Another, more generalised, classification of various components of environment may be

done in the following way.
A. Physical Environment or Physical component of environment;
Refers to all abiotic factors or conditions like soil, minerals, temperature, light, rainfall,
etc. It comprises of atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere.

B. Biological environment or biological component of environment;

Includes all biotic factors or living forms like plants, animals and micro-organisms.

C. Social environment or social component of environment;

Includes an individual’s social, economic and political condition wherein he lives. The
moral, cultural and emotional forces influence the life and nature of individual
behaviour.

Kurt Lewin adds another dimension to the components of environment. He says that although
physical, biological and social environment are common to the individuals in a specific
situation, yet every individual has his own psychological environment, in which he lives. Kurt
Lewin has used the term ‘life space’ for explaining psychological environment. The
Psychological environment enables us to understand the personality of an individual. Both the
person and his goals form psychological environment. Environment, however, is not a simple
aggregate of the things surrounding us. It is very
complex in its composition and functioning. It is comprised of the interacting systems of
physical,
biological and cultural elements which are interlinked both individually and collectively. It
includes interactive physical materials, countless interdependent living beings, varying set of
conditions and multitude of operative processes involving matter and energy and set of
conditions. General physical laws govern the flow and fluctuations of matter and energy in the
environment. All of its constituents work interdependently as a whole to provide it the required
stability which is also pivotal for man’s survival.

1. Physical Environment
The main physical components of the environment are:
A. The Atmosphere or the air
B. The Hydrosphere or the water
C. The Lithosphere or the rocks and the soil
D. The Biosphere or the living communities taken together. This component is sometimes
studied as a separate type of environment and is known as Biotic environment.

2. Biological Environment or Biosphere (bio=life; sphere=area, domain)

It refers to the zone of life on Earth. It, in fact, relates to the living organisms which are part
of an individual’s environment or surroundings. Every living organism is surrounded by other
living organisms which are part of its environment. Just like physical factors of environment,
the other living organisms present in surroundings also affect the life and survival of an
individual. Man is surrounded by billions of other living organisms which play very important
role in his life. Plants, animals and microorganisms present on the earth affect man’s life in
innumerable ways.

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Biosphere is postulated to have evolved, at least some 3.5 billion years ago. The term
“biosphere” was coined by geologist Eduard Suess in 1875, which he defined as ‘the place
on Earth’s surface where life dwells. All the living creatures present on the earth are
collectively known as Biosphere. It is the living part of our environment or the zone of life on
earth. It is also known as the sum total of life on the earth. However, it cannot exist without a
life support system which is provided by a structural and functional togetherness of the other
three environmental components discussed above.
Owing to diverse environmental conditions on earth, life shows a great deal of variety.
There are millions of species of living organisms belonging to a large number of families and
taxonomic groups. Some estimates say there are 15,95,225 species present in the biosphere.
However, estimates of actual number of species present vary widely due to incomplete data in
this regard. Wilson in 1992 put the total number of living species in a range of 10 million to 50
million. Till now only about 1.5 million living.
Biological environment can further be classified in various ways. Depending upon the nature
of organisms, they can be classified as plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. On the
basis of their role and status in the ecosystem, they can be categorised as producers (green
plants), consumers (animals) and decomposers.

3. Social Environment
Man is said to be a social animal. He lives in a highly advanced form of society. This feature
of social living adds another dimension to his environment. Social environment refers to the
immediate social setting in which people live. It includes the cultural, educational, political and
other social aspects of a society where an individual lives. It also includes the aspects of social
interaction including its products such as beliefs, attitudes, traditions, cultural values, etc.
Various aspects of a man’s social living affect his individuality, health, perceptions and overall
welfare. Education level, socioeconomic status, awareness level, social interactions and moral
values prevalent in a society collectively form the social environment of an individual. Various
factors of social environment of an individual may be enlisted as below:

❖ Culture and history

❖ Standards of living
❖ Education and awareness
❖ Socioeconomic conditions
❖ Social stability
❖ Moral values in the society
❖ Political structure
❖ Economic system
❖ Technological application
❖ Availability of basic amenities

All these social factors have great bearing on general personality, individuality, health
and progress of an individual in the society.
A good social environment is always in the benefit of overall well-being of the individuals and
the society. A social environment characterised by an educated society will produce good
citizens. An individual living in a morally sound environment is bound to prove a good human
being. On the other hand, a society full of crises is less probable to have good impacts on
individuals.

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Types of Environments

Though everything that surrounds a living organism is its environment and affects its life.
However, on the basis of proximity or nearness and the nature of the influences exerted on the
organisms by the environment it can be of following types;
a. Micro-environment: It refers to the immediate local surroundings of an organism.
b. Macro-environment: It refers to all the physical and biotic conditions that surround
the organism externally. Microenvironment is merely a part of it.
c. where a major component of environment is land.
d. Aquatic environment where water forms the major portion of an individual’s
environment.
e. Aerial environment where air is the dominant environmental factor.

Elements of Environment:

Environment is constituted by the interacting systems of physical, biological and cultural

elements. These elements are inter-related in various ways, individually as well as collectively.
These elements may be explained as under:
1) Physical elements: Physical elements are as space, landforms, water bodies, climate
soils, rocks and minerals. They determine the variable character of the human habitat,
its opportunities as well as limitations.
2) Biological elements: Biological elements such as plants, animals, microorganisms and
humans constitute the biosphere.
3) Cultural elements: Cultural elements such as economic, social and political elements
are essentially manmade features, which make cultural milieu.

Various Types of Environments

According to Kurt Lewin, environment is of three types which influence the personality of an
individual as under:
a. Physical Environment,
b. Social and Cultural Environment, and
c. Psychological Environment.

a. The Physical environment refers to geographical climate and weather or physical

conditions wherein and individual lives. The human races are greatly influenced by the
climate. The human working efficiency also depends on the climatic conditions. The
physique of an individual also depends on the climate conditions as the individual tries
to adjust in the physical environment.
b. The Social Environment includes an individual’s social, economic and political
condition wherein he lives. The moral, cultural and emotional forces influence the life
and nature of individual behaviour.
c. The Psychological Environment: Every individual has his/her own psychological
environment, in which he/she lives. Kurt Lewin has used the term ‘life space’ for
explaining the psychological environment. The Psychological environment enables us
to understand the personality of an individual. If a person is unable to overcome the
barriers, he /she may either get frustrated or compelled to change the goal towards a
new psychological environment.

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Environment and human health

A safe and healthy environment is indispensable for human health. It is the environment
from where we, like every living organism, derive all our requirements. Every component of
environment plays role in our survival and development in one way or the other. World Health
Organisation (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-
being”. Human health is, in general, influenced by biological, nutritional, chemical,
psychological and social factors present in the environment where one lives. These factors may
cause harmful effects on human body or mind and the resultant condition is called a disease. A
healthy environment means an environment which is safer and suitable for human growth and
development. It must be free from any disturbances and pollution which may have detrimental
effects on human health. Generally human health depends upon:
o Genetic factors
o Availability of basic facilities
o Availability of food and nutrient requirements
o Type, extent and utilization pattern of available natural resources
o Hygiene and sanitation system
o Awareness and education about health-related issues

Healthcare system Most of the health-related factors listed above are, directly or indirectly,
linked with environment. Natural resources (such as forest, land, food, water etc) and hygiene
belong to environment which we live. Physical conditions like temperature, rainfall, wind, etc
directly affect human health besides shaping general environmental complex. Biosphere or
living component of our environment is significant in determining our health by fulfilling our
basic requirements of varied nature. Social environment is equally important in shaping our
mental and physical health. It is environment or its components Various toxic substances or
pollutants which enter environment cause serious health problems among population which
live in that environment. Summarising, it can be generalised that at present humanity is facing
with serious and innumerable environmental problems.
There is:
o Pollution of air, water and land
o Climatic changes and global warming
o Depletion of wildlife and biodiversity
o Waste disposal problem
o Dwindling natural resources
o Shortage of food for humans
o Degradation of land and desertification
o Nuclear hazards

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Sustainable Development

Generally, development means economic progress. But this economic progress is often achived at
the cost of long-term losses. These losses include environmental implications and depletion of resources
which will not be available for future generations. Sustainable development is defined as,
‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs’. Although the fears about such unsustainable growth and development started
in 1970s, yet a clear discussion on sustainable development emerged on an international level in 1992,
in the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), popularly known as The Earth
Summit, held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Rio Declaration aims
at “a new and equitable global partnership through the creation of new levels of cooperation among
states.” Out of its five significant agreements Agenda-21 proposes a global programme of action on
sustainable development in social, economic and political context for the 21st Century (Kaushak and
Kaushak, 2006). Sustainable development aims at including the environmental or ecological aspects in
the general developmental approach. Sustainable development is described in terms of three
dimensions, which include “economic, environmental and social” aspects. Some expets adds another
fourth dimension to it that is ‘culture or governance. From environmental point of view development is
said to be sustainable if it does not harm environment and natural ecosystems.
There are some general means and indicators of sustainable development such as:
-Consideration of possible environmental impacts due to developmental projects.
-No or minimum damage to environment and natural ecosystems.
-Use of appropriate and eco-friendly technology Adoption of Reuse, Recycle and Reduce (3Rs)
approach.
-Minimum or no waste generation.
-Raising environmental awareness and education.

Natural disasters and their management:

Common Examples
1. Earthquakes
Earthquakes occur due to sudden movements of earth’s surface caused due to endogenic disturbances
deep inside earth’s crust.
Causes of earthquake
Natural causes of earthquakes can be summarised as below:
a. Volcanic activity: volcanic eruptions are considered to be one of the major causes of
earthquakes. In fact, volcanic eruption and seismic events are closely related and they may
become cause and effect for each other. Earthquakes follow each volcanic eruption and likewise
many of the severe earthquakes too cause volcanic eruptions.
b. Faulting and Elastic Rebound Theory: The horizontal and vertical movements caused by
endogenic forces (forces working deep inside the earth crust) result in the formation of faults
and folds which in turn cause isostatic disequilibria in the crystal rocks and ultimately causes
earthquakes of varying magnitudes depending on the nature and magnitude of dislocation of
rock blocks caused by faulting and folding.
c. Plate Tectonic Theory: The earth is composed of solid and moving plates having either
continental crust or oceanic crust or even both continental oceanic crusts. The earth’s crust
consists of 6 major plates, namely Eurasian plate, American plate, African plate, Indian plate,
Pacific plate and Antarctic plate and 20 minor plates. These plates constantly remain moving
in relation to each other. All sorts of disequilibria are caused due to tectonic plate motions and
consequently earthquakes of varying magnitudes are caused.
d. Manmade causes: Anthropogenic activities can also cause or enhance the frequency of
earthquakes. Three such activities identified are:
a) Impoundment of huge quantities of water in the lake behind a big dam.
b) Underground nuclear testing.
c) Deep well disposal of liquid waste.

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The place where the earthquake originates inside the earth is called Focus and the
point just above it on the earth’s surface at which the first movement occurs during an
earthquake is called the epicentre. During an earthquake huge energy is released in the
form of seismic waves which are of following three types;
a) Primary waves(P-waves)
b) Secondary waves and (S-waves)
c) Tertiary waves(L-waves)
Seismograph is the instrument which helps in recording and studying of these waves.

2. Floods
Generally, the stream channels accommodate some maximum stream flow. However, due to heavy
rains or sudden snow melt the quantity of water in streams exceeds their capacity and water overflow
the banks and causes inundation of the surrounding land. This situation is called flood.

Types of floods
Floods can be classified into three categories as under:
a. River floods: Due to heavy rains over large catchments areas rivers and streams get
overcharged especially in the mountainous regions. The floods take place in river systems with
tributaries that may drain into large geographic areas and encompass many independent river
basins.
b. Coastal floods: Floods in coastal areas are associated with tropical cyclones/ harsh winds
arising at the ocean surface. Sea and ocean’s water floods the inland coasts affecting large tracts
in the adjoining. Ocean tides, storm surges or tsunamis play a definite role. Prolonged and
indefinite rains in the rainy season marked from June-September results in extreme flood in
coastal river basins.
c. Flash floods: These floods occur as a result of torrential downpour, particularly if the
catchments slope is unable to absorb and hold a significant part of water. Other causes of flash
floods include dam failure, sudden break up of glaciers etc. These offer potential threats in the
areas where the terrain is steep, surface runoff is high, water flows through canyons and where
severe rainstorms are likely.

Effects of Floods
Floods generally don’t damage property or cause casualties to an extent as done by other natural
disasters. However, it causes a great economic loss and health related problems due to widespread
contamination. Virtually anything the flood water touches gets contaminated, posing serious threat to
health due to outbreak of epidemics.
o Floods cause damages to the residential and commercial buildings. They are dangerous for
villages lying in the coastal areas as they sweep away everything, which comes into their path.
In mountainous areas floods cause landslides and life and property losses.
o Local people, cattle, animals and vegetation suffer a great loss of life and property. Deaths are
reported to be from drowning.
o Fresh water supplies are destroyed and contaminated hence the areas falling under its impact
bear a great risk of suffering from water borne diseases.
o The destruction of food and fodder crops result in acute food shortage.
o Floods also make soil infertile, as the topsoil is lost due to their erosional activity.

Human activities have been the main causes for increasing the severity and frequency of floods.
Construction of roads, parking space and buildings that cover the earth. Surface hardly allows
infiltration of water into the soil and speeds up the runoff. Clearing of forests for agriculture has also
increased the severity of floods. In India, Uttar Pradesh is considered to be amongst the worst flood
hit states of the country. It has nearly 20% of the total 40 million hectares of flood prone zone of the
country.

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3. Landslides
Landslide occurs when coherent rock of soil masses moves down slope due to gravitational
pull. Slow landslips don.t cause much worry but sudden rockslides and mudslides are
dangerous. Water and vegetation influence landslides. Chemical action of water gradually
causes chemical weathering of rocks making them prone to landslides. Vegetation consolidates
the slope material, provides cohesion by its root system and also retards the flow of water and
its erosion capacity.
However, this can be masked by many other exerting factors like:
o Earthquakes, vibrations etc.
o Disturbances in resistant rock overlying rock of low resistance.
o Saturation of the unconsolidated sediments with water. Unconsolidated sediments
exposed due to logging, road or house building.

Landslides are governed by the forces which tend to pull the earth material down slope
(move in case of slopes with steeper slip plane) and resisting forces which tend to resist such
movements. It is difficult to control landslides. These can be minimized by stabilizing the slope
by:
o Draining the surface and subsurface water.
o Providing slope support like gabions (wired stone blocks)
o Concrete support at the base of a slope.

4. Cyclones
Cyclones are the result of atmospheric disturbances on land. They are linked with the
temperature and pressure changes in an area. A mass of air with specific physical characteristics
moves and meets another air mass and results in the development of condition called cyclone
which moves from an area to the other. Under certain atmospheric conditions centres of low
pressure are formed in an area which is surrounded by increasing pressure outward. closed air
circulation from outside towards the central low pressure takes place with tremendous speed
and cause damage to life and property. This air blows inward in anticlockwise in northern
hemisphere and clockwise in southern hemisphere. These cyclones vary in shape from circular
to elletical or sometimes V shaped. They are spread over wide areas and also moves from one
region to another. From their locational viewpoint cyclones are classified into two main types
1) Tropical cyclones.
2) Temperate cyclone

Tropical cyclones are common phenomena in the tropical coastal regions. One of the factors
responsible for tropical cyclones is the sea surface temperature above 26°C. These cyclones
move like a spinning top at the speed of 10-30 Km per hour. They can last for a week or so and
have a diameter varying between100 to 1500 Km. Since in the western parts of the main ocean
no cold currents exist, tropical cyclones originate there. Tropical cyclones are called hurricanes
in the Atlantic, Caribbean and north eastern Pacific, typhoons in the western Pacific, willy
williesin in Australia and cyclones in the Indian Tropical cyclones are very severe disastrous
natural hazards which inflict heavy loss to
human lives and property in terms of destruction of buildings, transport systems, water and
power supply systems, disruption of communication system, destruction of standing
agricultural crops, domestic and wild animals, natural vegetation, private and public
institutions etc.

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Conservation Strategies

We need to adopt proper strategy to effectively conserve biodiversity. Some of the important points to
be taken into consideration for this purpose include:
o Unique and fragile ecosystems should be preserved.
o All the economically important organisms should be identified and conserved.
o All the varieties of food, forage and timber plants, livestock, animals and microbes should be
conserved.
o Critical habitats for each species should be identified and protected.
o Sustainable utilisation of resources should be encouraged and ensured.
o International trade in wild life should be discouraged.
o The poaching and hunting of wildlife should be prevented.
o Environmental pollution should be reduced to minimum possible levels.
o Reserves and protected areas should be developed as far as possible.
o Public awareness should regarding biodiversity and its importance should be increased.
o Environment protection laws should be strictly implemented.

A “disaster” is an event or series of events, which gives rise to casualties and damage or loss of
properties, infrastructure, environment, essential services or means of livelihood on such a scale which
is beyond the normal capacity of the affected community to cope with. Disaster is also sometimes
described as a “catastrophic situation in which the normal pattern of life or eco-system has been
disrupted and extraordinary emergency interventions are required to save and preserve lives and or the
environment”.

Geological processes like earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and landslides are normal natural events
which have resulted in the formation of the earth that we have today. They are, however, disastrous in
their impacts when they affect human settlements. Human societies have witnessed a large number of
such natural hazards in different parts of the world and have tried to learn to control them or minimize
the losses due to them to some extent. Though most of the disasters are caused by natural factors human
interventions in his environment and changes in the patterns of land use often increase the intensity and
frequency of natural disasters.
As per Disaster Management Act, 2005, “disaster management” means a continuous and integrated
process of planning, organising, coordinating and implementing measures which are necessary or
expedient for:
o Prevention of danger or threat of any disaster;
o Mitigation or reduction of risk of any disaster or its severity or consequences;
o Capacity-building;
o Preparedness to deal with any disaster;
o Prompt response to any threatening disaster situation or disaster; (vi) Assessing the severity or
magnitude of effects of any disaster; evacuation, rescue and relief;
o Rehabilitation and reconstruction;

Disaster Management can be defined as the organization and management of resources and
responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular, preparedness,
response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters. Disaster management includes
administrative and operational activities that involve;
o Prevention
o Mitigation
o Preparedness
o Response
o Recovery
o Rehabilitation

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Modern disaster management is not merely post disaster activities but includes predisaster planning
and preparedness activities, organizational planning, training, information management, public
relations and many other fields. rehabilitation is included. It is also multi-sectoral as it involves
administrators, scientists, planners, volunteers and communities. Since their role and activities are
complementary as well as supplementary to each other there is a critical need for coordinating these
activities. In order to transfer the benefits of scientific research and development to the communities,
links must be developed between scientific communities and the field agencies.
Disaster management consists of phased sequences of action or a continuum which can be
represented as a disaster management cycle. There are three key phases of activity within disaster
management:
1) Pre – Disaster: Before a disaster to reduce the potential for human, material or environmental
losses caused by hazards and to ensure that these losses are minimized when the disaster
actually strikes.
2) During Disaster: It is to ensure that the needs and provisions of victims are met to alleviate
and minimize suffering.
3) Post Disaster: After a disaster to achieve rapid and durable recovery which does not reproduce
the original vulnerable conditions.

Guiding principles of environmental ethics

Environmental ethics is the study of the moral relationship of human beings with the environment
and its non-human contents. It deals with the issues related to the rights and duties of individuals that
are fundamental to life and well-being of present human society, future generations (of human), as well
as of other living beings present on the earth. Environmental ethics evolved in the 1970s as a discipline.
However, Aldo Leopold (1887–1948), an American ecologist, is considered to play a key role in the
development of modern environmental ethics. Environmental ethics differs from traditional ethics,
since the latter is concerned to relationship among people only. The need of environmental ethics has
arisen as a result of the following three major factors:
1. Modern technological civilization has been affecting nature greatly; therefore, there is a need to
analyse consequences of human actions from ethical perspectives.
2. With the advancement of science, our understanding about nature and environmental problems is
increasing day by day. This growing knowledge is also raising new ethical issues.
3. Our expanding moral concern that other living beings have equal rights to live on the earth is also
raising the need for environmental ethics. Environmental Sciences: Scope and Importance 9

Asthana and Asthana (2009) lists following as what should be the guiding principles of environmental
ethics (are being given here with slight modifications)
1) The distribution of the resources of the world should be egalitarian as far as possible.
2) All humans are equal. For all there should be equal opportunities to compete for the comfort’s
world.
3) The rights of the environment and natural resources should take precedence over the right of
individuals as they are linked to the welfare of entire biosphere.

Some important directives of environmental ethics are based on:

1) Individuals’ obligation to the community and the society
2) The rights of nature
3) Our obligations to the future generation

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Environmental ethics promotes an eco-friendly thinking and urges man to adopt a worldview
which is not anthropocentric (man focussed) but one in which he co exists with nature.
Important points of this kind of thinking include:
o Nature exists not for human beings alone, but for all the species present on the earth.
o The natural resources are limited and they do not belong only to human beings or
present generation of human beings but they are rather shared by all including other life
forms and future human generations.
o Economic growth is good till it sticks to least damage to the earth environment.
o A healthy economy depends upon a healthy environment.
o The success of mankind depends upon how best we can cooperate with the rest
of the nature while trying to use them for our benefit.

Environmental ethics can provide us the guidelines for putting our beliefs into action and
help us decide what to do when faced with crucial situations. Most of the environmental laws
formulated by different countries of the world fall under following categories;
1) Command and control legislation
2) Laws making environmental assessment mandatory
3) Laws involving incentives or deterrents
4) Set aside schemes

The design and implementation of most of the environmental legislation have been shaped
and guided by a set of principles such as:
1) The precautionary principle
2) The preventive principle
3) The ‘’polluter-pays” principle
4) The public participation principle

In our day-to-day life or in developmental projects, we have to face numerous questions

that compare human welfare with the well-being of other creatures. For example: Should we
continue to cut the forests for the sake of human development, causing a huge loss to the
community of wildlife in the process? Similar questions are dealt with in various disciplines
such as law, sociology, theology, economics, geography, and management. Environmental
ethics provides/tries to provide answers to these complex questions. While answering these
questions, two world-views are often observed: anthropocentric world-view and eco-centric
world-view. Anthropocentric world-view says, “Man is all powerful and the supreme creature
on the earth. Man is the master of nature and can harness it at his will”. Eco-centric world-
view, on the other hand, says, “Nature has provided us with all the resources for leading a
beautiful life, and she nourishes us like mother. We should respect her and nurture her”.

Environmental Science