EM Notes UNIT 1 - Environment management and sustainable development PDF

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Environment management and sustainable development...

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ENVIRONMENT Definition: “The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates” “The sum total of all surroundings of a living organism, including natural forces and other living things, which provide conditions for development and growth as well as of danger and damage.” Some important definitions of environment are as ‘A person’s environment consists of the sum total of the stimulation which he receives from his conception until his death.’ It can be concluded from the above definition that Environment comprises various types of forces such as physical, intellectual, economic, political, cultural, social, moral and emotional. Environment is the sum total of all the external forces, influences and conditions, which affect the life, nature, behavior and the growth, development and maturation of living organisms. Douglas and Holland: ‘The term environment is used to describe, in the aggregate, all the external forces, influences and conditions, which affect the life, nature, behavior and the growth, development and maturity of living organisms.’ Word "environment" is most commonly used describing "natural" environment and means the sum of all living and non-living things that surround an organism, or group of organisms. Environment includes all elements, factors, and conditions that have some impact on growth and development of certain organism. Environment includes both biotic and abiotic factors that have influence on observed organism. Abiotic factors such as light, temperature, water, atmospheric gases combine with biotic factors (all surrounding living species). Environment often changes after some time and therefore many organisms have ability to adapt to these changes. However tolerance range is not the same with all species and exposure to environmental conditions at the limit of a certain organism's tolerance range represents environmental stress. The science of Environment studies is a multi-disciplinary science because it comprises various branches of studies like chemistry, physics, medical science, life science, agriculture, public health, sanitary engineering etc. It is the science of physical phenomena in the environment. It studies of the sources, reactions, transport, effect and fate of physical a biological species in the air, water and soil and the effect of from human activity upon these. Environment Explained: Literary environment means the surrounding external conditions influencing development or growth of people, animal or plants; living or working conditions etc. This involves three questions: 1. What is surrounded? The answer to this question is living objects in general and man in particular. 2. By what Surrounded?

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The physical attributes are the answer to this question, which become environment. In fact, the concern of all education is the environment of man. However, man cannot exist or be understood in isolation from the other forms of life and from plant life. Hence, environment refers to the sum total of condition, which surrounds point in space and time. The scope of the term Environment has been changing and widening by the passage of time. In the primitive age, the environment consisted of only physical aspects of the planted earth' land, air and water as biological communities. As the time passed on man extended his environment through his social, economic and political functions. 3. Where Surrounded The answer to this question. It is in nature that physical component of the plant earth, viz land, air, water etc., support and affect life in the biosphere. According to a Goudie environment is the representative of physical components of the earth where in man is an important factor affecting the environment. Scope of Environment: The environment consists of four segments as under: Atmosphere: The atmosphere implies the protective blanket of gases, surrounding the earth:  

It sustains life on the earth. It saves it from the hostile environment of outer space.

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It absorbs most of the cosmic rays from outer space and a major portion of the electromagnetic radiation from the sun.

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It transmits only here ultraviolet, visible, near infrared radiation (300 to 2500 nm) and radio waves. (0.14 to 40 m) while filtering out tissue-damaging ultraviolet waves below about 300 nm.

The atmosphere is composed of nitrogen and oxygen. Besides, argon, carbon dioxide, and trace gases. Hydrosphere: The Hydrosphere comprises all types of water resources oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, streams, reservoir, polar icecaps, glaciers, and ground water.  

Nature 97% of the earth’s water supply is in the oceans, About 2% of the water resources is locked in the polar icecaps and glaciers.

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Only about 1% is available as fresh surface water-rivers, lakes streams, and ground water fit to be used for human consumption and other uses.

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Lithosphere: Lithosphere is the outer mantle of the solid earth. It consists of minerals occurring in the earth’s crusts and the soil e.g. minerals, organic matter, air and water. Biosphere: Biosphere indicates the realm of living organisms and their interactions with environment, viz atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Element of Environment Environment is constituted by the interacting systems of physical, biological and cultural elements 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 men constitute the biosphere. (3) Cultural elements Cultural elements such as economic, social and political elements are essentially manmade features, which make cultural milieu. Importance of Environment Studies: The environment studies enlighten us, about the importance of protection and conservation of our indiscriminate release of pollution into the environment. At present a great number of environment issues, have grown in size and complexity day by day, threatening the survival of mankind on earth. We study about these issues besides and effective suggestions in the Environment Studies. Environment studies have become significant for the following reasons: 1. Environment Issues Being of International Importance It has been well recognized that environment issues like global warming and ozone depletion, acid rain, marine pollution and biodiversity are not merely national issues but are global issues and hence must be tackled with international efforts and cooperation. 2. Problems Cropped in the Wake of Development Development, in its wake gave birth to Urbanization, Industrial Growth, Transportation Systems, Agriculture and Housing etc. However, it has become phased out in the developed world. The North, to cleanse their own environment has, fact fully, managed to move ‘dirty’ factories of South. When the West developed, it did so perhaps in ignorance of the

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environmental impact of its activities. Evidently such a path is neither practicable nor desirable, even if developing world follows that. 3. Explosively Increase in Pollution World census reflects that one in every seven persons in this planted lives in India. Evidently with 16 per cent of the world's population and only 2.4 per cent of its land area, there is a heavy pressure on the natural resources including land. Agricultural experts have recognized soils health problems like deficiency of micronutrients and organic matter, soil salinity and damage of soil structure. 4. Need for an Alternative Solution It is essential, especially for developing countries to find alternative paths to an alternative goal. We need a goal as under: a) A goal, which ultimately is the true goal of development an environmentally sound and sustainable development. b) A goal common to all citizens of our earth. c) A goal distant from the developing world in the manner it is from the over-consuming wasteful societies of the “developed” world. 5. Need to Save Humanity from Extinction It is incumbent upon us to save the humanity from extinction. Consequent to our activities constricting the environment and depleting the biosphere, in the name of development. 6. Need for Wise Planning of Development Our survival and sustenance depend. Resources withdraw, processing and use of the product have all to by synchronised with the ecological cycles in any plan of development our actions should be planned ecologically for the sustenance of the environment and development.

How to solve environmental problems?

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Before solving certain problem you first need to acknowledge it and this is something that has been only partially done with environmental problems. Why? Because world leaders are reluctant to acknowledge the seriousness of global environmental condition as they are constantly postponing actions for „better future times“.

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Climate change, huge biodiversity loss, the destruction of tropical rainforest, the depletion of natural resources and excessive levels of environmental pollution are all major problems and we sadly don't have the luxury to wait for better times as world leaders think we have.

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Our current lifestyle will have to change if we want to stop further environmental destruction. We must find solutions that would enable maintenance of our current

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lifestyle without further destruction of our environment, and the key for this lies in sustainability. 

Sustainability, however, requires completely different way of thinking and installment of new values into our society in order to encourage people to improve the environmental conditions in their communities.

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People from different countries need to work together because many environmental problems have global character and can be solved only by an adequate international action (such as climate change).

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We need to better utilize science and technology in order to make our industry greener. This means finding economically viable and efficient solutions to replace „dirty technologies“that are being used in many industries (such as coal power plants).

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Education is also one of the keys in solving environmental issues. Better education and improved literacy rates should be a main foundation to create the adequate level of environmental conscience in many countries of the developing world.

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World also needs to find a way to alleviate poverty because poor people think only how to survive. To more than one billion hungry people in the world environmental issues mean very little and we must show more care for this people.

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This world is still a rather selfish place where money and material goods rank well above humanity and social responsibility. As already said before this can only be achieved with the completely different way of thinking and adopting adequate sustainable behavior and policy.

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It's time to get our act together and do something that will save our planet from global environmental disaster. Saving our environment from environmental issues means ensuring wellbeing for our future generations and giving them chance to enjoy in many beauties this planet has to offer instead of crying at the broking legacy that was left to them by their irresponsible and selfish ancestors

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT Introduction: Different life form with varying characteristics are existent in nature. This variation in their characteristics can mainly be attributed to the environmental conditions under which they exist. For example, the biodiversity with the respect to plant life. Available in rain forests is altogether different as compared to the biodiversity of forests existing in near polar regions. The food habits of various human species vary as per the available resources in the ecosystems where they exist. Thus it can be stated that life forms in the biosphere are surviving within certain ranges of environmental conditions and these conditioned help the essential biochemical cycles and processes to occur within the species. The second definitions also define the ease and efficiency with which these 5|Page

biochemical processes take place varying environmental quality of on ecosystem, under which different life forms exist, gives rise to the basic biodiversity criteria. However there exists a specific range of environmental conditions that are commonly helpful for the existence of wide range of species in ecosystems. All the natural ecosystems have the capacity to maintain themselves in a stage of dynamic equilibrium with their surroundings provided there is no interference from other factors outside the required environment. Owing to the interaction between the system and its environment the ecosystems receives a cyclic renewable resource from the environment as input. This input received by the ecosystem is then made available to the consumers existing in the system. The input to the system may be in the form of matter or energy. It is therefore evident that the analysis of existence of life forms in an ecosystem ultimately depends upon the application of concept of mass and energy. Difference in the quantum of input and output of a resource from an ecosystem defines the accumulation of that resource in that ecosystem,. Thus Resource Input to the system - Resource Output from the system = Accumulation of the resource in the system.

Relevance of Environmental Management course in Management curriculum: Environmental management course is very much required in the B-school curriculum. Environmental management can be so important because our environment gives a part of what we are whether our culture are dirty people or clean, it is also nice to live in a nice, clean place which is not polluted. It is also important to get people live in that place if a certain city, country is polluted no one will think of living there and visitors will have a negative point of view on that place. Environmental management is not, as the phrase could suggest the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of interaction by the modern human societies with, and impact upon the environment. The three main issues that affect managers are those involving politics (networking), programs (projects) and resources (money, facilities, etc.). The need for environmental management can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. Amore common philosophy and impetus behind environmental management is the concept of carrying capacity. Simply put, carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of organisms a particular resource can sustain. Environmental management is therefore not the conservation of the environment solely for the environment's sake, but rather the conservation of the environment for humankind's sake. Environmental management involves the management of all components of the bio- physical environment, both living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic). This is due to theinterconnected and network of relationships amongst all living species and their habitats . The environment also involves the relationships of the human environment, such as the social, cultural and economic environment with the biophysicalenvironment. As with all management functions, effectie management tools,standards and systems are required . An 'environmental management standard or system or protocol attempts to reduce environmental impact as measured by some objective criteria. The ISO 14001 standard is the most widely used standard for environmental risk management and is closely aligned to the European EcoManagement and Audit Scheme (EMAS). As a common auditing standard, the ISO19011 standard explains how to combine this with quality management.The environmental damage already inflicted due to alarming on-going populationexplosion, rapid movement towards urbanization and industrialization, increasingn 6|Page

eeds of energy and fast scientific and technological advancement cannot be reversedunless there is collective thinking, will and effort. These call for public awareness and participation for bringing about an attitudinal change and finally restricting further damage to the environment. Effective implementation of environmental managementand conservation programmes depends on education, awareness raising and trainingin the relevant areas. Without an understanding of how to conserve natural resourcesa n d t h e c o m p e l l i n g n e e d t o d o s o , f e w p e o p l e w o u l d b e motivated to pa r t i c i p a t e actively in programmes on environmental conservation, Environment education and awareness thus assume critical importance. Definition: “Environmental management is not, as the phrase could suggest, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of interaction by the modern human societies with, and impact upon the environment.” “Administrative functions that develop, implement, and monitor the environmental policy of an organization.” “An attempt to control human impact on and interaction with the environment in order to preserve natural resources.” "Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." Environmental management is the practice of creating this harmony. It involves management of both the living and non-living components--all the components of nature. Objective and Components of Environmental Management Multidimensional approach to EM brings to fore following specific objectives for considerations.      

Management of natural resource exploitation though regulation Protection of environmental quality through pollution control Efforts to maintain the ecological balance through multiple use of resources Preservations of biodiversity Minimizing the adverse effects on environment through adoption of concept of cleaner technology of production Formulation and implementation of environmental regulation and laws.

Components of Environmental Management Efficient and effective management requires a deep understanding of various fundamental issues discussed in earlier chapters. A generalized list of identified components requiring attention to arrive at effective EM strategies is as follows.  Efficient and cost effective control measures for atmospheric aquatic and land pollution to avoid environmtal degradation.  Adoption of efficient cost effective and low waste generating production technologies to avoid over exploitation of resources including energy  implementation of cleaner technology of production to achieve a step towards sustainable development  Adopting recommended tools for environmental management achiving sustainable development viz., 7|Page

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1. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) 2. Environmental audits (EA) 3. Environmental management systems (EMS) 4. Environmental risk assessment (EIRA) Undertaking promotional measures for environmental awareness amongst the public and propagation of environmental perception in common mass through educational and awareness programmers’. Provisions for imparting environmental education and training at schools colleges and also through Panchayats and Nagar Parishads for rural population UNESCO, UNEP (United National Education Programmes) and Environmental education conference (EEC) have carried out extensive work in this respect. Control measures to reduce population over growth. Control for over consumption and over exploitation of resources

Efforts for establishing social equity with specific reference to 3rd world countries. Why environmental study: An environmental manager is responsible for overseeing the environmental performance of private, public and voluntary sector organisations. They also develop, implement and monitor environmental strategies, policies and pro...