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ENVIRONMENT and ECOLOGY

CE 1101/ CE1201
UG-1st Year ‘20-21

Human – Environment Interaction and

Sustainable Development

Lecture By:

Dr. Prasun Chatterjee

Faculty, CE, IIEST

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CE 1201: Environment & Ecology

Syllabus / Topics to be covered

Source: Session 2019-20, 2nd semester

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Energy (Light) as an Environmental Component CE1201-M-1:Lec2/Slide-03/31

Sunlight is the ultimate source of energy of Biological world

• Visible Light is a narrow band of electromagnetic spectrum (390 – 760 nm)
• UV ray < 390 nm and Infrared > 760 nm
• Light makes photosynthesis possible through chlorophyll(light absorbing pigments)
6 CO2 + 6 H2O + Sunlight (E = hν)  C6H12O6 + 6 O2

• Light is not only responsible

for photosynthesis, but
influences transpiration and
stomatal functioning
• Photoperiod also influences
the structure of vegetative
organs, growth, germination
etc
• There is minimum survival
light intensity

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Minimum survival Light Intensity – Balance between food formation (photosynthesis) and
Food breaking (respiration, energy released)

Energy of a Photon: E = h γ, h Planck’s const., γ  Frequency = C/ λ

Energy of Emission : E = σAT4, σ  Stefan-Boltzman Const, A  Surface area

Wien’s Displacement Rule: The wave length at which the spectrum reaches its maximum
point is given by

λmax = 2898/ (T oK)

Accordingly, Sun with surface temp of 5800oK, λmax = 0.48 µm

The Earth with Av. Surface temperature = 288oK , λmax = 10.1µm

It suggests that average wavelength in Sun’s spectrum is much shorter

than that of Earth’s IIEST_CE1201_PkC_02.01.2021
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Deforestation:
• Cultivation, Urbanization, Industrialization
• Impacts environment
 Impacts climate change, atmospheric CO2
level
 Hydrologic cycle, soil water
 Soil erosion, landslide
 Impacts biodiversity

Agricultural activity:
• Food production, population growth
• Impacts on environment
 Chemical fertilizers
 Pesticides
 Agricultural run-off with silt, nutrients,
oxygen depleting materials

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Burning of Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels:
Petroleum
Coal
Natural gas
Wood
Others
Result of Burning of Fossil Fuels:
• Release CO2 in atmosphere
• Particulate matters (PM2.5, PM10)
• Un-burnt hydrocarbon
• PAHs
• SOx, NOx
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Industrial Activities

Sl Industry Air Water pollutants

pollutants
1 Thermal CO, NOx, Heavy metals- Pb,
power plant SOx, VOC, Hg, Cr, Cd, FGD-
PM10, waste , Sludge, SS
PM2.5 (fly ash)
2 Petroleum & CO, SO2, BOD, Oil &
allied VOC, HC, Grease, Oily
PM10 waste, ammonia,
Phenols, sulfides
3 Iron & Steel CO, NOx, Oily wastes, SS,
Industry SOx, VOC, TDS, CN, acidic,
PM10 alkaline wastes,
ammonia, Cr
4 Computer/ Acid fumes, Acidic waste
Silicon Chip Toxic Gas, water, alkaline
Processing VOC waste, heavy
metals, Waste
IIEST_CE1201_PkC_02.01.2021 etchant
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Steady increase in CO2 level in

Atmosphere – Post industrialization era

CO2 in atmosphere = 400 ppm

What is CO2 level

• In % ?
• Partial Pr. ?

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Municipal Waste

Municipal Wastewater:
TSS
BOD
COD
TOC (as C)
Ammonia
TKN (as N2)
Total Phosphorous (as P)
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Occurred in December 1952

• Casualty – 12000 estimated
• Affected – 100000 approx
A period of cold weather, combined
with an anticyclone, temperature
inversion and windless conditions,
collected airborne pollutants—
mostly arising from the use of
coal—to form a thick layer
of smog over the city. It lasted from
Friday 5 December to Tuesday 9
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It happened at a Union Carbide

Pesticide plant in the city
of Bhopal, India.
On 3 December 1984, the plant
released 42 tons of toxic methyl
isocyanate (MIC) gas, exposing
more than 500,000 people to
toxic gases.

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Evolution of the Concept – Sustainable Development CE1201-M-1:Lec2/Slide-19/31

1972 – Stockholm : UN Conference on the Human Environment

1983 – UN created World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)

o Chairperson – Harlem Brundtland (Ex P. M. Norway)

1987 – WCED was officially Dissolved

o Published a Report in 1987 titled as “Our Common Future”
o The Report first used the word “Sustainable Development”

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Sustainable development is the key to the long-term security of the Earth

“Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising ability of the future generations to meet their needs”

Also known as Brundtland

Commission report IIEST_CE1201_PkC_02.01.2021
published in October 1987
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1. Water Supply projects – Dam, Reservoir, Irrigation etc

2. Energy – Mining, Power plant, Oil Exploration

3. Urban Infrastructures/ Industrialization

4. Transportation

5. Agricultural Projects- Expansion

Development projects comes-up with

• Displacement of population
• Loss of livelihood, cultural disintegration
• Deforestation, loss of biodiversity
• Waste generation, pollution and impact on the environment, climate change
• Health impact
• Disaster like industrial mishaps, nuclear accidents, oil spills, contamination of water
and atmosphere and many more

Current Ecological Footprint of Humanity – 1.5

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WCED and Further Development

Post-2015 Development Agenda – Future development framework on the basis of MDGs

2015 Paris- Conference on Climate Change: Tacking climate change is possible if SDGs are
met IIEST_CE1201_PkC_02.01.2021
2018 IPCC – UN body to assess science related to climate change & decide way forward
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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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1992- UN Conference on Environment & Development (Earth Summit) at Rio De Janeiro

2012 (Rio+20) – UNCSD ,
2015 Paris- Outcome – 17 Sustainable Development Goals

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Ref: Cornet Y., Gudmundsson H., Building a metaframework for sustainable transport indicators, Transportaion Research Record
Journal, 2531: 103-112,Jan 2015, IIEST_CE1201_PkC_02.01.2021
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Concept of Green - Economy

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People have utilized the power of the wind for millennia,

dating back to the first recorded windmill in Persia between
500 and 900 AD. Wind turbines are a great solution for power
generation due to their cost and the fact that they require a
very small land footprint.

A solar farm can reduce 94% of the emissions that a coal

power plant emits. It also eliminates noxious pollutants like
Sulphur nitrous oxides and mercury. From roof-top solar
panels to massive solar farms that can attain the same
generating capacity as a conventional power plant.

Crop rotation, in contrast, is defined as ―the successive

planting of different crops on the same land to improve soil
fertility and help control insects and diseases.‖ This way of
farming is not a new practice, but rather a more ancient way
of farming chemical-free, whilst maximizing the long-term
growth potential of land.
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IPCC Report – Global

warming of 1.5oC
• Impact of 1.5oC rise
above pre-industrial
level
• Needs global net
human caused CO2
emission to fall by 45%
from 2010 level by 2030
• Not accepted by 4
Countries –US, Russia,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

 China contributes about 23% of Global CO2 emissions

 US contributes about 15% of Global CO2 emissions
 India emitted 2.3 billon tonnes of CO2 in 2018 (4.8% rise from last year) as per
International Energy Agency (IEA) which is about 7% of global CO2 emissions
 India's per capita emissions were nearly 40% of the global average (4.2 t approx)
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• Built on the river Yangtze, downstream of the place known as “Three Gorges”
• Stretch nearly 1.5 Km across and 200m height
• Largest hydroelectric dam – estimated capacity 18,200 MW, meeting about 10% of
total China’s energy demand
• Construction started in 1994, estimated cost – 24 bn US$
• Remarkable feat of engineering
• In 2010 reservoir water level reached 175m , adequate to generate full power

Impacts - Hope or Despair?

• More than a million people got displaced
• Reservoir inundated a vast area
• Millions in the downstream otherwise reliant on river flood plain (fisherman,
peasants etc), lost their livelihoods
• Serious Environmental impact, downstream river flow lost or artificially changed.
Bio-diversity in respect of aquatic species, plants got affected
• Displacement and relocation of large no. of people resulted in loss of assets,
unemployment, cultural disintegration , health issues and social unrest

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UG-1st Year ‘20-21

CE1201: End of Module-1

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