Quick Revision Notes & Formula Sheet

Class: 11th Economics
Chapter: Environment and Sustainable Development
Board: MP Board

Environment Definition: The environment is defined as the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all resources. It includes all biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) elements that surround us.
Bi biotic elements: Living elements like birds, plants, animals, forests, and humans.
Abiotic elements: Non-living elements like air, water, land, rocks, and sunlight.

The environment performs four vital functions:

Supplies Resources: It provides renewable and non-renewable resources (inputs for production).
Assimilates Waste: It absorbs and digests the waste generated by human and industrial activities.
Sustains Life: It provides genetic and biodiversity essential for life (sunlight, soil, water, air).
Enhances Quality of Life: It provides scenic beauty, mountains, oceans, and green spaces which add to the quality of human life.

Carrying Capacity: The capacity of the environment to absorb resource extraction and waste generation without sustaining permanent damage.
Absorptive Capacity: The ability of the environment to absorb degradation.
The Crisis: When resource extraction rate exceeds the regeneration rate, and waste generation exceeds the absorptive capacity, it leads to an Environmental Crisis.
Major Environmental Issues:
- Global Warming
- Ozone Depletion
- Deforestation
- Land Degradation
- Water and Air Pollution

Global Warming: A gradual increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere caused by the greenhouse effect (emissions of gases like Carbon Dioxide, Methane, etc.).
Ozone Depletion: The phenomenon of thinning of the ozone layer in the stratosphere, primarily caused by the release of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used in refrigerators and aerosols. It allows harmful UV rays to reach the earth's surface.

Opportunities: India has rich biodiversity, fertile soil, abundant rivers, and vast mineral deposits.
Threats / Challenges:
- Poverty-induced environmental degradation: Heavy reliance on biomass (wood, dung) causing indoor air pollution and deforestation.
- Air Pollution: High levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in major urban centers due to vehicular emissions and industrial growth.
- Water Pollution: Contamination of rivers (e.g., Ganga and Yamuna) due to untreated sewage and industrial effluents.
- Land Degradation: Soil erosion, waterlogging, and salinization caused by intensive farming and deforestation.

Definition: Sustainable development is that process of development which meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Commission Definition)
Key Objectives:
1. Sustaining the rise in per capita income and economic welfare.
2. Efficient use of natural resources without depleting future stocks.
3. Preventing environmental degradation.

To achieve sustainable development, India and the world must adopt the following strategies:

Use of Non-Conventional Sources of Energy: Shift from thermal and hydel power (which cause pollution and displacement) to solar, wind, and tidal energy.
LPG, Gobar Gas in Rural Areas: Reducing dependency on firewood and cow dung cakes to check deforestation and indoor air pollution.
CNG in Urban Transport: Using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in public transport vehicles to curb vehicular air pollution.
Organic Farming: Avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides to restore soil health and maintain ecological balance.
Recycling and Waste Management: Promoting the 3Rs—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Public Awareness and Legislation: Enforcing strict environmental laws and educating citizens about the importance of ecological balance.

Environment and Sustainable Development