Environment Education

Seminar
Topic : Environmental Degradation

Submitted by

Febitha (Reg :No : 1090822BD035)

Abisha .M ( Reg No : 1090822BD002)
B.Ed 1st year
Grace College of Education
Padanthalumoodu
Environmental Degradation :Introduction
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment
through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the
destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.

Environmental degradation is an alarming issue in the planet. The

main reasons behind the problem are industrial revolution and
population explosion and high demand of luxury items in the life.
Meaning
The term ‘Environmental Degradation ‘ is a wider and
comprehensive concept meaning the overall lowering of the
environmental qualities.
Environmental degradation is a result of the dynamic inter play of
socio-economic, institutional and technological activities.
Environmental changes may be driven by many factors including
economic growth, population growth, urbanization, intensification of
agriculture, rising energy use and transportation.
Difference between Environmental Pollution
and Degradation
Environmental Pollution

• Pollution is the cause for the degradation of environment.

• Environmental pollution is taking place due to slow and gradual human activities , eg .,increase of
human population, establishing factories and industries, development of transportation facilities, etc.
• The pollution degrades the quality of the environment.
• The environmental pollution includes the contamination of air , land, soil, water
and many other environmental components.
• Pollution can result from various sources, such as industrial processes, agricultural practices, and
transportation emissions.
Degradation

• The degradation of environment is caused by pollution and hazards/

disasters.
• The hazards or disasters are sudden by natural processes or by human
activities (eg : Tsunami that struck the Indian Coasts on 26.12.2004).
• Environmental degradation leaves direct impact on the ecology and
thus is caused ecological imbalance.
• The environmental degradation affects the natural balance of our
ecosystem.
• Degradation includes deforestation, soil erosion, and habitat
destruction, leading to declining ecosystems and losing biodiversity.
Causes of Environmental Degradation
1. The development of modern technologies
2. The increase in the human population
3. High pressure on natural resources
4. The high rate of exploitation of natural resources
5. Growing industries and factories
6. Increasing settlement of urbanization
7. The development of economic functions of man
8. Humans frequently abuse the environment to further their self-interest.
9. Global warming further leads to the melting of ice caps causing flood in several
areas.
 All these causes affecting the components of the environment are to be
modified to such an extent that the adverse effects on the environment are
reduced to minimum by Homeostatic mechanism.

Homeostatic mechanism: It is a process that maintains the stability of the

organism’s internal environment in response to fluctuations in external
environmental condition.

If the physical and biological processes cannot compensate and regulate the
adverse effects on living organism and man it refers to ‘ Environmental
Degradation ‘.
Types of Environmental Degradation
It is divided into 2 major categories;

1. Slow degradation resulting from man induced environmental

pollution
2. Extreme adverse changes in environmental quality brought in
immediately, by natural processes.
 The huge damage and lost to the quality of environment and living
organisms are called hazards and disasters. Disasters include both man
induced hazards and natural hazards . Environment Degradation with
its to major divisions are given in the following flow chart.
 Environmental Degradation

Environmental pollution Environmental hazards

Physical pollution
Air pollution Natural Hazards. Man
induced hazards
Land pollution
Water pollution Terrestrial (Endogenous)
Physical
Noise pollution . Volcanic eruptions
Chemical
. Earth quakes
Social
Social pollution . Land slides
Population explosion
Sociological pollution Atmospheric ( Exogenous)
Economic pollution - Cyclones
- Storm
- Lightening
- Forest fires
Conclusion
Investigations on human practices on the environment concluded
that, the agricultural practices characterized by applying inappropriate
farming methods with agricultural expansion has led to environmental
degradation and biodiversity loss. Humans are a major source of
environmental issues. Likewise, our activities are the major reason that
the level of harmful gases and pollutants have increased in the
environment.
References
• https://www.researchgate.net
• https://archiev.unescwa.org
• https://byjus.com
• Environmental education, Prof, K. Nagarajan, M.Sc. (psy).,M.A (psy).,
M.Ed., Ph.D.
Thank You