eChapters

The complex interplay of biotic, chemical, and physical forces that shape an organism’s structure and survival within an ecological community is known as its environment. The “backdrop” to the story of human history is the environment, which includes the “wilderness” that humans have not yet domesticated or subjugated, the “hinterland” that surrounds human settlements, and the habitats and resources that humans exploit.
Everything that exists naturally on Earth or in a particular place, both living and nonliving, is included in the natural environment. The lithosphere, crust, upper and lower mantles, inner and outer cores, and other layers make up the structure of the earth.
Every living thing, including non-living ones, interacts with every other thing constantly in its surroundings. People in particular need an environment to survive. Humanity and the environment are mutually dependent. The state of the environment is greatly impacted by human activity, and this has an effect on how our civilization is developing as a whole.

For the protection of all the factors of environment, laws were formed and amended from time to time as per the requirement. There are many acts according to the main factors and separate laws, for the enforcement. Also, the are some control acts, which can be implemented by states for the local environmental problems.

Introduction

The tropical evergreen forests of the Sahyadris or the Malnad region of Karnataka is one of the richest plant areas (“hot spots”) on earth and crucial to the oxygen supply of the world. More than 30,000 varieties of wildlife and plants and over 8,000 said to unique are reported to lie here. Unless reckless deforestation is halted soon, some scientists fear that within the next 100 years this virgin forest could become an arid wilderness.

Agriculture is one of the major age-old occupations of human beings providing food to the people and also supplies raw materials to a number of agro based industries. However the expansion of agricultural fields in the dense woody forest areas has brought about many environmental problems and thereby degraded the quality of environment in ecologically most sensitive areas like Uttar Kannada District. In India, agricultural practices are primarily based on the traditional system of intensive subsistence forming. It is also observed that more and more available area (forest) has been brought under cultivations to feed the population which has been growing at an alarming rate. The agricultural expansion and population growth, in forest areas of Uttar Kannada Districts have degraded the quality of environment.

Introduction

Lonar Lake, near Lonar town in the Buldhana District, India is not just the source of excitement for the visitors but also for the scientist community. Lonar is the third largest natural salt-water lake in the world, with a diameter of 1800 meter. Fredrickson, et al (1973) found that, about 50000 year back a massive meteor entered into the Earth’s gravitational forces ranging 60 meter long and weighing 2 million ton. It was racing at a speed of 25 kms per second towards the planet earth. When it struck the earth the energy released was equivalent to that released by six-megaton atom bombs. The impact was so severe that rocks from all sides came on the surface and reached the height of 20 meters. This impact left a massive crater 170 meters deep and with 1800 meter in diameter. Today it is natural salt-water lake.

10.1 Introduction

The consistent process of rapid urbanization and expeditious developmental activities have severely impacted the environmental components and thereby the quality of life. With limited natural resources, individuals and societies have to learn to bring in attitudinal changes in order to accomplish environment sustainability (UNESCO). From the Book “Our Common Future” (Brundtland Report), the concept of Sustainable Development can be understood as the “development that meets the needs of the present, but does not threaten the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. 

Environmental Ethics is a conceptual term which consist various aspects of environmental fundaments, Enviromental ethics is responsible to protect and sustain the resources and ecological system.

Introduction

Impact Assessment can be broadly defined as the prediction or estimation of the consequences of a current or proposed action (project, policy, technology). Emergence of EIA can be related to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 in the USA. This act is now considered as model legislation for implementation all over the world. Today we have more than 100 countries that have adopted EIA legislation. EIA requirements of aid agencies and funding agencies are typically based on the principles included in the NEPA. In any project planning, along with the traditional technical (engineering) and economic considerations the NEPA requires environmental impact considerations. Environmental impact statements (EISs) are prepared as action forcing mechanism in NEPA that describe the environmental consequences of major actions which significantly affect the quality of human environment. Thus, the primary purpose of EIA is to encourage the environmental considerations in planning and decision making process. Finally, it is expected to arrive at actions which are more environmentally compatible.

Introduction

With ever-increasing population growth, waste management has become a major challenge threatening environmental sustainability. The total solid waste generation was recorded to be 1.3 billion tonnes per year by the world’s cities in 2012, with an ecological footprint of 1.2 kilograms per person/day. With the intensity with which the population growth is happening coupled with urbanization, predictions are made that by the end of the year 2025, 2.2 billion tonnes of municipal waste will be generated (The World Bank, 2018). 

In November 1992 a document entitled Warning to Humanity was released, signed by 1500 scientists from around the world, including 99 Nobel laureates, and the Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The document stated that “human beings and the natural world are on a collision course,” which “may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know.”

1-1. Identify the current state of environmental policies in Indian agriculture and the challenges faced in their effective implementation.

1-2. Evaluate the importance of implementing environmental policies and management systems in Indian agriculture to ensure sustainable development.

1-3. Analyze key international standards, such as ISO 14001 and EMAS, and how they can be applied in the context of Indian agriculture.

1-4. Compare and contrast best practices and case studies of companies and organizations that have successfully implemented environmental policies and management systems in Indian agriculture to draw insights and lessons learnt from them.

Pollution
The Latin word “polluere,” which meaning to “soil” or “defile,” is the source of theEnglish word “pollution.” Unwanted changes in our environment that negatively impact humans, animals, and plants are known as pollution.
Any unfavorable alteration to the physical, chemical, or biological properties of any element of the environment (air, water, or soil) that has the potential to negatively impact a variety of life forms and property is referred to as environmental pollution.
Substances that are produced by human activity and are present in greater quantities than they would naturally be—solid, liquid, or gaseou —and that negatively impact our environment are referred to as pollutants.
Three Categories of Contaminants Exist
• Pollutants that break down or are not persistent: Natural processes rapidly decompose them. For instance, leftover veggies, home sewerage, etc.
• Pollutants that degrade slowly or are persistent: These are bad for the environment and take decades to break down. For example, most plastics and DDT (pesticides).
• Non-biodegradable contaminants: These have long-term negative effects on the environment and public health since they cannot be broken down by natural processes. For instance, radioactive waste and toxic materials like lead or mercury.

Pollution: Environmental pollution in general, may be described as the contamination of the environment with harmful wastes arising mainly from human activities. These activities release certain materials which produce pollution in the atmosphere water and soil. In simple words, environmental pollution may be defined as direct or indirect changes as a result of human activities, which adversely influence the biological and non-biological equilibrium of the environment.

7.1 What is Pollution?
 
Pollution is a contamination of the environment by man-made substances or energy that has adverse effects on living or non-living matter. In simple terms, pollution can be seen as the wrong substance in the wrong place in the wrong quantities at the wrong time. This implies that harm is caused to the environment if the same substance is present at levels too low.

Types of pollution
Pollution can be categorized according to the medium in which it occurs such as

3.1 Air Pollution

Air pollution is a phenomenon by which particles either a solid or liquid and gases contaminate the environment. Such contamination can result in health effects on the population, which might be either chronic arising especially from long-term exposure or acute due to accidents. Other effects of pollution may be damage to materials, agricultural damage namely reduced crop yields and tree growth, impairment of visibility namely tiny particles scatter light very efficiently, and even climate change global warming.

3.1.1 Classification of Air Pollutants

Air Pollutants are classified as Natural as well as Anthropogenic. Natural pollutants are those that are found in nature or are emitted from natural sources. For example, volcanic activity produces sulfur dioxide, and particulate pollution may derive from forest fires or windblown dust. Anthropogenic pollutants are those that are produced by humans or controlled processes. For example, sulfur dioxide is produced by fossil fuel combustion and particulate matter comes from diesel engines.

Air pollutants are further classified as primary or secondary. Primary pollutants are those that are emitted directly into the atmosphere from an identifiable source. Examples include carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. Secondary pollutants are those that are produced in the atmosphere by chemical and physical processes from primary pollutants and natural constituents. For example, ozone is produced by hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen (both of which may be produced by car emissions) and sunlight.

Metals are toxic and non biodegradable pollutants released into the environment through effluents from agriculture waste, mining, metal processing industries, pharmaceutical industries as well as domestic and natural activities. Metallic pollutants tend to persist indefinitely and eventually get accumulated in the ecosystem. Metals especially arsenic, copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium and silver etc. possess a risk to living systems. Conventional processes applied to remediation of metallic pollutants are often restricted due to technical and economical constraints. Particularly when the metal contamination is at very low concentration the conventional methods become inefficient. In this situation application of bioremediation techniques is a technology of choice for environmental protection and clean up.

Introduction

The issue of environmental protection has become increasingly important in recent years, and one of the most effective ways to address this problem is through the use of recycled products. Recycling helps to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, prevent pollution, and combat climate change making it a critical part of any sustainable development strategy. In this chapter, we can explore how recycled products can help protect the environment and the many benefits that come with their use.

Abiotic Environment

The physical or abiotic environment includes all those physical and non-living chemical aspects, which exert an influence on living organisms. The abiotic components are soil, water, air and energy from various sources. These provide both habitation and raw material for the synthesis of organic food.

Bhuva is a small village in north-west Gujarat – India.  My mother was born there. The loving people of Bhuva called me ‘Bhano’ (Sister’s Son / Nephew) and it was my favourite place to go as a child. I have my fondest memories of Bhuva, but could not visit for several decades, until when I was once at the Junagadh Campus of Gujarat Agricultural University, to inaugurate the International Conference on New Developments in Agriculture. Bhuva was not too far and I decided to go there. Soon as I reached, a familiar face, now aged with time, recognized me from a distance and with tears rolling from his old eyes (and mine) he hugged me, calling out “MaroBhano, MaroBhano” (My sister’s son, my sister’s son)! Now in his eighties, it was overwhelming to meet Nanji Ata, who I always remembered being wise, educated and cheerful. He was a relatively progressive farmer with about 6 to 7 acres of land, a few cows and a buffalo. Though water was scarce and saline, he managed to make a good living and was considered a well to do man.

7.1 Summary

Climate change is a complex global phenomenon that poses significant challenges for agriculture including uncertainty about future weather patterns, soil conditions, and other environmental factors. Farmers are facing the difficult task of interpreting and responding to these changes in order to maintain their livelihoods and ensure food security for growing populations. In this context, mental modelling has emerged as a useful approach for understanding how farmers interpret and respond to climate change. Mental models are cognitive representations of how individuals understand and make decisions about complex systems, and can be used to identify key drivers of behaviour and decision-making.

The present study has explored the social, ecological, and economic factors that influence farmers’ mental models on perception of climate change, level of uncertainty and trend of agricultural change in the selected study area. It argues that farmers’ mental models are shaped by a range of factors, including their own experiences and observations, social networks and interactions, access to information and resources, and broader economic and political contexts. The present study has also highlighted the role of uncertainty in shaping farmers’ mental models and decision-making. Uncertainty about the future impacts of climate change can create significant challenges for farmers, as they must make decisions based on incomplete information and uncertain predictions.