Principles of

Environmental Science &

Technology

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary educational field that
unified physical, biological and information sciences to the study of the
environment, and the solution of environmental problems.
It consists of ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, plant
science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil
science, geology and physical geography, and atmospheric science.

Why Environmental Science Is So Momentous?

Environmental science came alive as a substantive, active field of
scientific investigation in the 1960s and 1970s driven by
(a) The need for a multi-disciplinary approach to analyse complex
environmental problems,
(b) The arrival of substantive environmental laws requiring specific
environmental protocols of investigation and
(c) The growing public awareness of a need for action in addressing
environmental problems.

Basic Terminology
Generally, "environmental science" and "ecology" are often used
synonymously, but technically, ecology leads only to the study of
organisms and their interactions with each other and their interrelation
with environment.
Ecology could be considered a subset of environmental science, which
also could involve purely chemical or public health issues. There is
reasonable overlapping between ecology and environmental science
with the disciplines of multiple fields like fisheries, forestry, and wildlife.
The Subjects with Which Environmental
Science Deals With

• Understanding of earth processes

• Evaluating alternative energy systems
• Pollution control and mitigation
• Natural resource management
 • The effects of global climate change
• Environmental issues almost always include an interaction of
physical, chemical, and biological processes.

Earth Processes
Earth Processes is the study of the Earth's solid material and structures
and the processes that create them. Some ideas scientists might
consider include how rocks and landforms are created or the
composition of rocks, minerals, or various landforms.
This helps in understanding the processes by which that habitat has
been created and continually altered is important to determine the
causes of environmental degradation, to restore what is degraded, and
to guide policy decisions toward a sustainable Earth surface.
The Gradual Earth Processes Include

• Formation of Mountains And Ocean Bases

• Continental Drift, Deposition

• Types of Erosion.

The Fastest Processes Include

• Earthquakes
• Eruptions
• Asteroid Impacts
• The Motion of Currents
• The Water Cycle
• Weather Processes.

Evaluating Alternative Energy Systems

Alternative Energy refers to energy sources other than fossil fuels. This
includes all renewable sources and nuclear.
 Alternative Energy Sources
• Hydrogen Gas.
• Tidal Energy.
• Biomass Energy.
• Wind Energy.
• Geothermal Power.
• Natural Gas.
• Biofuels.
• Wave Energy.
Alternative Energy Systems Evaluation Criteria:
• Express data in both a quantitative and qualitative way.
• Evaluate all the Alternative Energy Sources
• Consider Four main criteria – technological, environmental, sociological,
and economic as main evaluation criteria related to main criteria.
• The sensitivity analysis should be conducted to identify which renewable
energy resource is a better option under different circumstances.

Pollution Control and Mitigation

Pollution Control: Pollution Control is the process of reducing or
eliminating the release of pollutants into the environment. It is regulated
by various environmental agencies which establish
pollutant discharge limits for air, water, and land.

Mitigation: Mitigation measures include policies concerning energy,

transportation, food and agriculture, and land use that will reduce GHG
(Green House Gas) emissions.
These policies include:
• Energy policies that can promote development and use of
renewable energy.
• Decrease production and use of fossil fuels, and reduce overall
energy demand
• Transportation policies that promote fuel efficiency and active
transport, such as walking and bicycling.
• Food and agriculture policies that can promote sustainable
practices.
• Enhance food security, promote growth and consumption of fruits
and vegetables, and decrease consumption of meat
• Land-use policies that aim to protect existing forests and promote
growth of new forests.
Natural Resource Management (NRM)
Natural resource management is the management of natural
resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular
focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present
and future generations.
It deals with managing the way, how people and
natural landscapes interact.
It brings together natural heritage management, land use planning,
water management, bio-diversity conservation, and the future
sustainability of industries
like agriculture, mining, tourism, fisheries and forestry.
It recognises that people and their livelihoods rely on the health and
productivity of our landscapes, and their actions as stewards of the land
play a critical role in maintaining this health and productivity.
The Effects of Global Climate Change
Global Climate Change
Climate change is defined as a significant variation of average weather
conditions such as conditions becoming warmer, wetter, or drier, over
tenure of several decades or more. It’s the longer-term trend that
differentiates climate change from natural weather variability.
Record floods. Furious storms, Deadly heat, Climate change reveals
itself in various ways. Every living being, although not equally but the
most likely has to suffer from its worst impacts.
As climate change transforms global ecosystems, it affects everything
from the places we live to the water we drink to the air we breathe.

The Basic Causes for Climate Change

• Global warming is likely to be the greatest cause of species

extinctions this century. A 1.5°C average rise may put 20-30%
of species at risk of extinction.

• Transportation
• Farming and Deforestation
• Fertilizers
• Oil Drilling and Natural Gas Drilling
• Permafrost.
Global Warming

Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air
pollutants collect in the atmosphere instead of escaping into space and
absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s
surface. These pollutants, which can last for years to centuries in the
atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter.
These heat-trapping pollutants—specifically carbon dioxide, methane,
nitrous oxide, water vapour, and synthetic fluorinated gases, known as
greenhouse gases, and their impact is called The Greenhouse Effect.
The levels of greenhouse gases are higher now than at any time in the
last 800,000 years.

We must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 if we are

to avoid a future in which everyday life around the world is marked by its
worst, most devastating effects: the extreme droughts, wildfires, floods,
tropical storms, and other disasters.
Climate Change: Transportation
The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to
anthropogenic U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in many ways.
Climate change and modern transportation go hand in hand and have
contributed to the wide-scale pollution of the planet.
Exciting new transportation vehicles, like cars and steam-powered trains
and boats, were also powered by fossil fuels, which release large
quantities of carbon dioxide into the air generating a significant
greenhouse effect.
Burning fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel releases carbon dioxide, into
the atmosphere is causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm, resulting in
changes to the climate we are already starting to see today.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions the transportation sector increased

more in absolute terms than any other sector.
Climate Change: Farming and Deforestation
• The Farming itself,creates21 percent of global emissions-much
more than the carbon spewing out of every car, plane, and train on
Earth.
• Slash-And-Burn Agriculture is responsible for the loss of around
50 acres of land every hour worldwide.
• It is estimated that 25% of the world’s total greenhouse gas
production comes from deforestation alone.
• Factory Farming intensifies climate change, releasing vast
volumes of greenhouse gases.