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Module 2
SENSITIVITY TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Part 1
Welcome back to our environmental lessons with the same thought of biological altruism and
readiness to follow the great environmentalists like the persons to whom you have identified and
presented in the given space in our earlier session. In the light of the mind set you have already
framed we can identify some sensitive environmental issues.
SENSITIVITY TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Degradation of the natural environment, extinction of many varieties of flora and fauna and their
impact on human lives etc. are now visible all over the world. Though it is enriched with natural
resources the situation in India is even more precarious as it is a densely populated country. The
sustainable development of the country is facing big challenges due to the environmental
pollution, those especially linked to land, water and air. Hence it is a necessity to sensitize these
issues in the realm of Environmental Education. Let us have a look into the contemporary
environmental issues experienced by us locally and which will later help us to think and act
globally.
• Environmental pollution- Land pollution, Air Pollution, Water pollution and Sound
pollution.
• Deforestation
• Spoilage of natural resources
• Climate change
Deforestation
• how forests procure earth as spongy to absorb water and enrich the storage of ground
water level.
• find the causes/ justifications of cutting the trees in the name of developmental projects
such as urban planning - residential purposes, roads, new buildings -, hydro electric
projects, tourism, etc… etc…
• Encroaching the forest areas- Munnar, Attappadi, Nelliampathy….case studies
• Industrial purposes- News print, timber, Furniture business etc.are fully depend on cutting
of woods.
Now let us think about the consequences of de forestation.
• Deforestation;- It is the process of being enemy to forests. Its consequences cannot be
dealt with normal and natural ways of regaining the resources.
• It causes the loss of fertility of the surface soil.
• Depletes the ground water level.
• Make threats to the living system of several species of plants and animals and which
results in the extinction of varieties of flora and fauna
• Global warming and its consequences
• Increases carbon emission through decreasing of carbon cycle in soil and atmosphere.
• Environmental pollution- Land pollution, Air Pollution, Water pollution and Sound
pollution.
• Spoilage of natural resources
• Climate change as the consequence of all the above
Environmental pollution
Air Pollution
Air pollution is one of the worst conditions India faces. The International Energy Agency (IEA)
reports that by 2040, India has to face about 9 lakh premature deaths in the country due to the
th
shooting up of air pollution only. As India is at the 11 position out of 20 in pollution rate the
life expectancy of newborn children may go down about 15 months. Also it is a threatening
th
statistic according to the Environmental Performance Index of 14 rank of India among the 180
most polluted countries in the world.
Water pollution
Local observations and experiences in the villages of Kerala thrown light into a very big
phenomena happening in the flowing water bodies. The word river brings forth an image of
flowing water among all the people without the difference of urban or rural, time and space. The
traditional concept of running river has been changed now. Almost all the small rivers in the
urban places and a few in the rural places (areas) are stagnant with a lot of solid dumps,
pollutants and other wastages. But the astonishing seen we see all around is the stagnant water
bodies with a layer of precipitated pollutants and solid wastes in dark colors and seen as the
habitat of varieties of mosquitoes and microbial organisms. The health mission of Kerala like
Arogya Keralam is placing warning boards every nook and corner to avoid stagnation of water to
prevent mosquitoes and other micro organisms which cause various kinds of communicable and
chronic diseases. Basically these warning boards are not meant for rivers and such other water
resources. They meant the house hold surroundings, drainages and water holding things like
utensils, bottles etc. But in the present situation more than this house hold surroundings it is
applicable to the water bodies like rivers and ponds. This is a serious issue which seeks
immediate solutions from the part of the public and also from the government.
Let us think about the ways through which our water bodies are being contaminated. Students
may list the varied activities which may cause water pollution and they may suggest some local
solutions for these threatening against sustainable development.
There is no need to explain more about these widely spread environmental issues as it is known
and experienced even by our little ones.
So you can easily prepare brief notes on the above mentioned environmental hazards and submit
within the time frame given on the monitor. More issues can also be identified according to the
principles of issue based learning. I am sure that you remember the strategical approach in
pedagogy we discussed in our earlier class, especially critical thinking, reflective thoughts and
constructivism being integrated with issue based learning. So contribute your learning outcomes
in such a way.
Now we have to look into some reasons of Environmental Degradation
The rapid growing population, urbanization, economic development, industrialization etc. cause
very serious environmental degradation.
First we are going to focus on Population. The natural demographic phenomena like birth,
death and human migration taken place and continues its way as usual. The varying and
increasing population density demands a lot of infrastructural developments and which results in
the huge amount of utilization of natural resources. The technologies and scientific interventions
for life facilitations cannot be avoided by the common people. Because convenience factor is the
prime concern of our time and for that we compromise a lot with all environmental issues
without looking forward and without leaving anything behind except these challenges.
India is growing very fast in population to overcome China, the most populous country of the
world. In the same manner the imbalance in ecological factors are also growing. In its true sense,
we must agree that the general public is not at all bothered about the environmental concerns. It
is high time to think and act properly to stick on a developing and sustainable path.
Urbanization- Heavy loss of natural resources, heavy pressure on land (land degradation),
deforestation, habitat destruction and loss of bio diversity are some of the crucial issues happen
due to urbanization. The changing consumption pattern cause rising demand of energy which
results in spoilage of natural resources.
We all know that the utilization of natural resources is more in urban areas compared to the rural.
Let us think about the utilization of water itself. The outdoor tiled floors of the new houses can
be cleaned only by using water, the sanitation and other drainage systems in the urban areas need
huge quantity of water. But in the rural agri-based areas some of these provisions are managed
naturally by linking with irrigation purposes. The natural soil backgrounds of the village houses
provide much convenience to natural drainage and at the same time it helps to prevent stagnancy
in drainages. This is a small observation regarding the water usage only. Only means only on the
single side of utilization of water. If go beyond that a lot of peculiarities and consequences can
be observed on water utilization.
Do you remember the term observation I used in the previous class as a step in the hierarchy of
learning process?
Through observation you can identify many more situations to compare in the matter of water
usage in urban area. If your observation is extended to the use of electricity and other resources
for a comparative study it will be a true reinforcement for our environmental sustainable
development study.
So we can again work out on another assignment. Please note.
Compare the utilization of natural resources in urban and rural context with reference to
environmental sustainability.
I hope your presentations will supplement to our course content for further reference.
SENSITIVITY TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Part 2
Dear students we have discussed the two important areas as reasons for environmental degradation. They are
yet to be discussed in an elaborated way - Economic development and industrialization. In a broad sense these
two seems to be resulted in the same way same and interrelated.
In the module contains international conventions of environmental sustainability and Environmental
jurisprudence you have learned or you are going to learn a lot of environmental concepts related to trade,
economy and law. It is a never ending controversy on economic development and environmental degradation
with respect to various aspects of natural resource revenue, government policies, corruption of officials and
other trade conflicts in the field. All these terminologies require much more attention, reading and reference for
a deeper understanding. Otherwise you may not be in a position to reflect on these issues as we are strictly
passing through reflective learning practices. So you may please note this link for further reading. You will be
able to share additional information on these key issues which I am going to discuss with you in the next class.
Earth and Us: Population – Resources – Environment – Development
edited by Mostafa Kamal Tolba, Asit K.
Biswas https://books.google.co.in/books?id=3lRtBQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover
The infrastructural developments, increase in number of branded expensive motor vehicles, increase in trade
and businesses etc. are the economic development indicators of the present days. Even in educational field the
status of institutions are indicated by the luxurious facilities provided by the management. Also it is a trend to
rate the quality of the schools on the basis of the amount paid by the parents as donation and other yearly
expenses to meet the education of their children. This trend is seen everywhere and in all sectors of life. Dear
students you think how quantity Vs quality in a money driven society. Same is the case of economic
development and sustainable development.
Several studies have been conducted on environmental costs and developmental costs and it is found
that the majority of the public are of the opinion of increasing developmental costs than environmental costs. It
is a clearly evident social truth and common tendency among the public that they always follow superficial and
immediate developmental strategies than the philosophical and futuristic dimensions of sustainable
development. Environmental quality and sustainability are considered only after the fulfillment of basic needs
and sometimes after the fulfillment of all the livelihood requirements even by the government. At the part of
government there might have been a number of social development commitments like poverty eradication,
employment opportunities, and utilization of development funds from agencies. Also it is matter of political and
democratic governance and policy of the ruling party for getting approval and appreciation from the general
public and their voters. We have to agree with the policies taken for eradicating of poverty and to provide a
shelter with basic requirements to all. In a civilized society nobody can object these fundamental rights of the
citizens in the cost of environmental protection. But sustainability cannot be compromised. Some developed
countries advocates this policy as a better thing to attain a developed state of economy in the countries first
and then implement developmental activities for environmental sustainability. Earth with pure air, fertile land,
clear and pure water, diversity of flora and fauna, cool atmosphere is needed to everyone. Our development
should not harm our young one’s existence. That is the concern of being educated and educate others
environmentally.. Education is the best route and destination of the journey of sustainable development and
teacher education is the junction for enrooting the technical support and guidelines through interdisciplinary
approaches. Thus the integrity of work education in the process of sustainable development can be assured
through environmental education.
Unfortunately the environmental concerns are being awakened only at the time of crisis
management. When a crisis arises the circumstances will immediately be altered. Behind every movement
against environmental threats there will be a learned group committed to educate the public at any cost. We
call them activists. But the policy makers and bureaucrats ignore environmental costs to meet their objectives
of economic development. Sustainability is not a prime concern for them. Then who can assure environmental
sustainability? Solutions have to be found and implemented at personal level and local level.
You know,
• The environmental activists like Medha Patkar, Vandana Siva, Sugathakumari, Daya bhai, C R
Neelakandan etc… had involved in many of the environmental issues time to time.
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