General Science & Ability: Environmental Sciences

Earth’s environment can be divided into:

1. Atmosphere; gaseous layer surrounding the earth. two types: constant gases (Nitrogen, O2) and variable
gases (ozone, CO2)
a. Atmosphere has 5 distinct layers; Troposphere (earth’s surface and up to 12km, where we live,
weather happens), Stratosphere (12-50km, contains ozone layer – protects from UV rays),
Mesosphere (50-80km, meteors burn up in this layer, coldest layer), Thermosphere (hottest
layer, auroras are formed), and Exosphere (outermost layer, where satellites travel, and blends
into outer space). Temp variations in 5 layers due to the way solar energy is absorbed as it moves
downwards towards the atmosphere.
b. Importance of atmosphere, earth’s security blanket:
i. sustain life on earth; contains life supporting oxygen
ii. life sustaining solar radiation passes, only source to supple energy for photosynthesis
iii. protects us from harmful ultraviolet solar radiation
2. Hydrosphere; total amount of water on a planet.
a. Water moves through hydrosphere in a cycle; water collects in clouds, falls to earth in form of
rain/snow, collected in rivers, lakes, and oceans, then evaporates into the atmosphere to start
the cycle again
b. Importance of water cycle:
i. Involves the exchange of energy, leads to temperature change
ii. Reshapes the geological features of the earth, through erosion and sedimentation
3. Biosphere: sphere where life exists. Consists of lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water) and atmosphere
(air). Consists of biomes – large geographical areas of distinctive plant and animals. Major biomes are:
a. Forest biome: 30% of land cover, includes: tropical rainforest, temperate, and boreal forests
i. store carbon, home to millions of animals, insects, and plants
ii. high temp all year, extremely humid with lots of rainfall
iii. soils are loose, very airy, with high acidity and decaying organic matter
b. Desert biome: 20% of land cover, includes: hot and dry deserts, semiarid, coastal, and cold
deserts
i. High temperatures, very little vegetation cover, low moisture, less cloud cover, exposed
to sun, and very little rainfall
ii. Soil is shallow and rocky
c. Grassland biome: dominated by few species of grass and sparsely distributed trees, includes
Savanna and Temperate Grasslands
i. Thin layered soil, does not hold water, contains organic matter from dead grass – main
source of nutrients for plants
ii. Rainfall is moderate, extreme temps with high summers and freezing winters
d. Tundra biome: coldest of all biomes – derived to Finnish ‘tunturia’ meaning barren land.
Includes: arctic and alpine tundra
e. Aquatic biome: all water bodies on the earth’s surface. Freshwater (ponds, rivers, streams) and
Marine (oceans, coral reefs) biomes
4. Lithosphere

Environmental pollution: the contamination of the physical and biological components of the earth/atmosphere
system to such an extent that normal environmental processes are adversely affected.
 1. Water pollution: the contamination of water bodies like lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, and groundwater.
Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without
adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds
a. Causes: disposal of untreaded municipal liquid waste, leaking of sewage lines, industrial waste
water
b. Effects: drinking water contamination, pollution of water bodies e.g., rivers, canals, drains, sub-
soil water pollution, loss of aquatic life, crop damages, heavy metals in food chain, increased rate
of waterborne diseases
c. Solution: proper disposal and containment of toxic chemicals, implementing renewable energy
sources to reduce pollution, eco-friendly chemicals, toxic fumes generated from industrial zone
should be filtered, development of eco-friendly & recyclable products, reduce, reuse, and recycle
2. Air pollution: refers to the release of pollutants into the air – pollutants which are detrimental to human
health and planet as a whole
a. Causes: exhaust from transportation vehicles, power stations (thermal energy), agricultural
activities (fertilize & pesticide), emissions from factories & industries, chemical industry, aerosols,
CFCs, etc., wildfires & volcanic activity, indoor air pollution
b. Controlling measures: more plantation, encouraging public transport/walk/cycle instead of
private vehicles, using unleaded petrol/fuels with low sulphur & ash content, industries, and
waste disposal sites to be away from cities
3. Land pollution: degradation/destruction of earth’s surfaces and soil, directly or indirectly as a result of
human activities
a. Causes: solid waste; herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides; mining activities, urbanisation, and
industrialisation; chemical and nuclear waste; deforestation and soil erosion; land conversion
b. Effects: groundwater poisoning in landfills; damages food safety; effect on human health;
burning of waste and air pollution; destruction of scenic beauty; loss of biodiversity
c. Solution: awareness, buying biodegradable products and products with little packaging, increase
plantation, reduce, reuse, and recycle

Solid Waste Management (SWM)

 Solid waste refers to unwanted material including semi solid sludge generated from everyday activities
o Origin: domestic, industrial, commercial, construction, bio-medical, agricultural, fishery|
Contents: organic/inorganic| Hazard potential: flammable, toxic, radioactive, infectious
 SWM is associated with control of generation, storage, collection, transport or transfer, processing, and
disposal of solid waste materials
 SWM in Pakistan:
o WB: In 2020, the world was estimated to generate 2.24 billion tonnes of solid waste. With rapid
population growth and urbanization, annual waste generation is expected to increase by 73% to
3.88 billion tonnes in 2050
o SW in Pakistan: Matter of grave concern as more than 5 million people to die each year due to
waste-related diseases
o Roughly 20 million tons of solid waste is generated annually, annual growth rate of about 2.4%
o No single city in Pakistan with a proper SWM
o The root factors for the worsening garbage problem in Pakistan are lack of urban planning,
outdated infrastructure, lack of public awareness and endemic corruption
o Being the 6th most populated country in the world; there is a lot of consumerisms and with it a
great deal of waste being produced
o Like other developing countries, waste management sector in Pakistan is plagued by a wide
variety of social, cultural, legislative, and economic issues
 o In the country, more waste is being produced than the number of facilities available to manage
it. Some of the major problems are:
 There is no proper waste collection system
 Waste is dumped on the streets
 Different types of waste are not collected separately
 There are no controlled sanitary landfill sites. Opening burning is common.
o Citizens are not aware of the relationship between reckless waste disposal and resulting
environmental and public health problems
o As a result of these problems:
 waste is accumulating and building up on roadsides, canals, and other common areas
and burning trash is common, causing hazardous toxins to be exposed thereby
threatening human and environmental health
 Among the already few landfill sites that are present, even fewer are in operation
 Even within Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, there are no permanent landfills to be found
o The waste on the roads allows for an ideal environment for various flies to thrive which effects
both human health and the health of the environment for other species
o The poor SWM in Pakistan has caused numerous diseases and environmental problems to rise
o Initiatives taken: Clean Green Pakistan, banning of plastic bags in Islamabad

Population Planning