Question

Explain need and importance of Environmental studies?

Answer 1

• Public awareness of the environment comes from a result of general knowledge, specialist knowledge of a particular problem and a sense of responsibility for the environment.
• As the Earth's resources are dwindling and our environment is being increasingly degraded by human activities, it is evident that something needs to be done. Human beings cannot isolate themselves from the environment. The imbalance that they have created is slowly interfering with their survival and sustenance on Earth.
• Environmental pollution, growing human population, depletion of natural resources, climate changes, calamities and disasters are all environmental concerns. Environmental protection and conservation is beyond the capacity of one individual, one institution or one government.
•  Hence every citizen of the world needs to be aware and need to actively participate in protecting the global environment.
  Importance:

1. Environmental studies helps to understand the current environmental problems through the knowledge of physical, chemical, biological, and social processes. It provides the skills necessary to obtain solutions to environmental problems. It encourages the development and application of scientific principles to solve environmental problems.

2. Environmental studies helps to maintain ecological balance through basic operating knowledge of environmental systems and processes. It gives information regarding the changes in the environment due to anthropogenic factors. It helps gain skills to analyse the various environment systems and the effect of human activities on them.

3. Environmental studies helps to achieve sustainable development through the understanding of the relationships of development and environment. The concepts of environmental studies can be applied to study agriculture and design sustainable production systems.

4. Environmental studies applies economic methods, concepts of environmental policy analysis and environmental management. It helps to formulate the broad social, economic and regulatory frameworks in which environmental problems can be resolved. It includes property rights, cost-benefit analysis, economic instruments for pollution control etc.

5. Environmental studies aims to protect biodiversity. Growth in human population, increased material consumption, and technological development has increased rate and scale of environmental degradation leading to loss of biodiversity.

6. Environmental studies helps to educate people regarding their duties towards environmental protection. It provides basic information about the various environmental issues like energy needs, global climate change, toxic emissions, and waste disposal. It provides knowledge about development and utilisation of energy resources and importance of environmental stability in the contemporary culture.