Unit –I – Introduction to Environment

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--Meaning of Environment--

The word ―Environment‖ has originated from French word ‗environ‘ means surroundings and

‗ment‘ means the auctioning. The term ‗environment‘ etymologically means surrounding.

According to the committee on environmental Health Association of America environment

comprise the surroundings in which man lives, works and plays. It encompasses the air he

breathe, the water he drinks, the food he consumed and the shelter he provide for his protection

against the element. It also includes the pollutants and other detrimental environmental factors

which adversely affected his life and health.

Some important definitions:-

―Environment is the sum total of biotic and abiotic conditions influencing the response of a

particular organism.‖

According to Osting, ―The environment is a complex of variable factor of causes, which

includes Substance (Soil, Water), Conditions (temperature, light), forces (wind, gravity),

Organisms (plant, animal) and time.‖

―The branch of science concerned with the physical, chemical, biological, conditions of the

environment.‖

―The branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment.‖

―It is the study of air, land, and water and energy system in relation to life system.‖

Structure of Environment:-

Environment is divided in following segments:-

1) Lithosphere

2) Hydrosphere

3) Atmosphere

4) Biosphere

Lithosphere:- Lithosphere is related to edaphic factor. The solid component of the earth is

known as lithosphere. Lithosphere means the mantle of rocks constituting the earth crust.

It includes the soil, which cover the rock crust. Soil play important role as it provides food for

man and animals. Soil usually defined as ―any part of earth‘s crust in which plants root‖

A typical productive soil contains approximately 95 percent inorganic matter and 5 percent

organic matter. Organic matter in the soil provides food for microorganism. This matter includes

amino sugars, organic sulphur, organic phosphate and polysaccharides.

Hydrosphere:- This include all the surface and ground water resource such as oceans, Seas,

rivers, streams, lake, reservoir, glaciers, polar ice caps, ground water and water locked in rock

and crevices and minerals laying deep below the earth‘s crust.

Earth is called blue planet because 80% of its surface is covered by water (97%of earth‘s water

resource is locked up in the oceans and seas, 2.4 %is trapped is giant glaciers and polar ice caps.)

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Surface water contains a lot of organic matter and minerals nutrients, which feed large bacteria

population of algae.

Atmosphere:- The gaseous envelop surrounding the earth is composed of an entire mass of air

containing N2, O2, H2O, CO2, and the inert gases is known as atmosphere. The atmosphere is a

reservoir of several elements essential to life and serves many purpose and function. It absorbs

most of the harmful radiation. It maintains the heat balance of the earth. Different cycles those

are present in the atmosphere in the form of water cycle, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, cycle etc.

related to the movement of matter been an organism and its environment.

Biosphere: - The biosphere is the part of the earth in which life exits. Biosphere is biological

envelop that surround the globe, containing and able to support, It penetrate into and dependent

on the atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. This denotes the relation of living organism and

their interactions with the environment. The biosphere is a relatively thin and incomplete envelop

covering most of the world.

Types of Environment:-

There are mainly three types of environment.

1) The physical environment/ A-biotic environment/ Natural environment.

2) Biotic environment.

3) Social and Cultural environment.

1) The physical environment/ A-biotic environment/ Natural environment:

The physical or a-biotic environment is the environment which includes non living or

physical things which are constitutes of soil and affected the living things.

It includes land, water, air conditions atmosphere which constitute of soil.

The physical or a-biotic environment also includes the climatic factor such as sunbeams,

rainwater, precipitation, moisture, pressure, and wind speed.

The Importance of Physical Environment:-

The most important thing to make house is residential space, and for residential space, we

need land area. The land area is included in physical environment. So it is responsible for

the residential for human beings.

The a-biotic environment like soil, water, and air are the necessary nutrients element

provider for the living beings.

All of living beings are surrounded by atmosphere; it is the combination of different type

of gases. The living being takes oxygen and other gases from the atmosphere.

The a-biotic environment also controls the climatic factors like weather.

The physical environment also includes the soil which is responsible for the works and

food crops for the living being. It also provides different types of minerals which are very

necessary for growth of life.

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Water is one of the most necessary things for living beings. Physical environment also

deals with the water factor of the earth.

2) Biotic environment:-

It is also known as biological environment and organic environment.

In the opposite side of the physical environment, the biotic or biological environment is

responsible for the living beings.

We know ―Biological‖ is living things. So the biological environment is the environment

which involves the living part of the earth.

The Importance of Biotic Environment:-

In this type of environment includes the plants, trees, animals, mammals, underwater

living beings including human beings and micro organisms like bacteria and fungi.

There is a concept which is necessary to understand. The living beings are highly

dependent to each other. For example humans are highly depend upon plants and trees for

food and oxygen, and plants and trees are also depend upon humans and animals because

of CO2.

3) Social or Cultural Environment:-

This type of environment involves the cultural and life style of the human beings.

The social or cultural environment meant the environment which is created by the man

through his different social and cultural activities and thinking.

The historical, cultural, political, moral, economic, aspects of human life constitute to the

social or cultural environment.

The Importance of Biotic Environment:-

Culture involves the religion of the human, relation with each other etc. in a society there

involves different types of people, they have different religion, different thinking, which

has culture of its own posses people having their own life style.

The social or culture environment affects the social cultural of human beings and hence it

has the great importance.

The development of a child is highly depends upon culture and society.

Global Environmental Problems

--Acid Rain--

Normal rain water is always slightly acidic because the fact that CO2 present in the atmosphere

gets dissolved in it forming H2CO3. Because of the presence of SO2 and NO2 gases as pollutants

in the atmosphere, the pH of the rain water is further lowered, often to as low as 2.4 and this

type of precipitation of lower pH is called Acid Rain.

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-Acid rain means in common language the presence of excessive acids in the rain.

-The term acid rain is commonly used to mean the deposition of acidic components in rain,

snow, fog, dews, or dry particle. The more accurate term is acid precipitation.

Acid rain first found in Manchester, England in 1852, Robert Angus Smith found relationship

between Acid Rain and Environmental Pollution.

Every source of energy that we use is it coal, fuel wood or petroleum product contains sulphur

and nitrogen. These two elements when burnt in the presence of atmospheric oxygen get

converted into their respective oxide-sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, which are highly

soluble in water. During rain these oxide reacts with large quantities of water vapour of the

atmosphere and produce acid like H2SO4.

Acid rain is in fact cocktail of mainly H2SO4 & HNO3 where the ratio of these two acids may

vary depending upon the quantities of oxides of sulphur & nitrogen emitted. H2SO4 is the major

contributor (60-70%) to acid precipitation HNO3 ranks second (30-40%) & HCl third. We know

that large quantities of sulphur & nitrogen oxide emitted in the chimneys of the industrial plants,

these reacts with the moisture in the air to form sulphuric acid & nitric acid.

--Effects of Acid Rain--

Effect of Acidic Precipitation on soils and plant growth:-

Some plants are tolerant of acidic conditions, while others are not. Acidic soil may affect

microorganisms in the soil, which play important roles in plant growth. Acidity affects the

availability of nutrients that are essential for plant growth and increase leaching of aluminum

&mercury, which are toxic to plants at high level. Nitrogen is a nutrients and at certain levels,

nitrogen deposition from air emission has increased growth of vegetation; however , at higher

levels, excess nutrients can reduce plant growth.

Effect of Acid Rain on Buildings and Materials:-

Acid Precipitation is corrosive of metal and alkaline building materials such as marble and

limestone. Urban areas subject to high level of automobile exhaust and other source of acidic

precipitation have experienced significant weathering of statues and buildings materials.

Effect of Acid Rain on Health:-

Acidic precipitation does not affect human health directly; however, the particulate matter

associated with acid precipitation has been shown to have adverse health effects, particularly

among those who have respiratory disorder. There is also some concern that acidic precipitation

could contribute to leaching of toxins such as mercury that could be carried by runoff into bodies

of water, contributing to environmental sources if this toxin.

Acid rain is already an acute problem in North America and Europe. Crops and Forests in

Canada are being destroyed by acid rain due to pollutants emitted by industries in Northern,

USA. Acidity kill fish, bacteria and algae and the aquatic ecosystem is destroyed. Winds carry

air pollutants from one country to another. Air pollution in England now descends upon Sweden

as acid rain. Acidification of soil changes its biology and chemistry. Acidic air pollutants are

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responsible for many other damaging effects such as corrosion of metal, weakening or

disintegration of textile, paper and marble. Investigation is going on to find out whether Taj-

Mahal is being affected due to pollutants released from Mathura refinery.

--Green House Effect--

CO2 and water vapors in the atmosphere transmit short wavelength solar radiation but reflect the

longer wavelength heat radiation from warmed surface of the earth. CO2 molecules are

transparent to sunlight but not to the heat radiation. So they trap & re-enforce the solar heat

stimulating an effect which is popularly known as Greenhouse effect.

The Greenhouse effect may therefore define as the progressive warming up of the earth‘s surface

due to blanketing effect of the manmade CO2 in the atmosphere.

The four major greenhouse gases, which cause adverse effects, are CO2, CH4, N2O, CFCs.

Among these CO2 is the most common & imp greenhouse gas.

Major greenhouse gases, their percentage contribution to greenhouse effects & their

sources:-

Name of the Gas Composition Source of emission Percentage

contribution

Carbon dioxide CO2 Combustion of fossil fuel,

Deforestation & land use

change.

61%

Methane CH4 Enteric fermentation of

catalytic insects, Biomass

burning & Garbage

landfills, Coal mine &

natural gas leak

15%

Chlorofluorocarbon CFC-11, CFC-12,

CFC-13, CFC-114,

CFC-115

Aerosol, Refrigeration, Air

conditioning, Plastic foam,

Industrial Solvent

11%

Nitrous Oxide N2O Fertilizer, fossil fuel

combustion, Biomass

burning

4%

Others NO, NO2, SO2,

Water Vapors,

Ozone

9%

--Global Warming--

The green house effect is a phenomenon which is based on the principle of infrared absorption

characteristics of gases. Higher the concentration of CO2, greater will be the absorption of

thermal radiation which means that more infrared radiation is trapped & re-emitted back to

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earth‘s surface , resulting in a heat trap increasing mean global temperature. This is called as

Global warming.

During the last two centuries, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased dramatically. The

probable cause is the burning of fossil fuel and burning of forest by farmers. Scientists have been

worrying that the growing burden of carbon dioxide and the other gases may change the earth

climate. In normal circumstances, much of the solar radiation that penetrates the earth

atmosphere is re-radiated as heat from the earth‘s surface and dissipates into space.

But an increase of carbon dioxide allows most solar radiations to penetrate the atmosphere, but

prevents part of the heat re-radiates by the land and water bodies from escaping into space. As

carbon dioxide accumulates enough heat may be trapped to gradually warm the atmosphere.

It is well established fact that the changes in concentration of green house gases are closely

related with temperature change of the earth planet. The greater the concentration of green house

gas, the higher is the temperature. Prediction of the global temp. Rise due to doubling of CO2 is

about 3 to 5% by the year 2050, while others put it between 1.5-2.5%. Green house gas by virtue

of their ability to trap heat reflected from the earth surface causes global warming resulting in

unwanted change in climate. Since the advent of industrial revolution, the world‘s dependence of

fossil fuel like coal & oil has increased leading to a phenomenon rise in GHG concentration in

the atmosphere. Global mean temp has increased by 0.6 C since the start of the 20th

century.

Impacts of Global Warming: - The following may be consequences

1. Melting of glaciers, snow, mountain and polar ice caps.

2. The forest vegetation will not be able to adapt with the changing temperature and may

face destructions.

3. Increase in sea level, Increase in flow of rivers and change in rain fall pattern.

4. Chances of submersion of island and occurrences of more cyclones and hurricanes.

5. This will damage of agriculture crops and Human population will be displaced.

6. Fresh water will be contaminated with the salty water of sea.

7. The effect of global warming on the Tropies and southern hemisphere will be uncertain.

Ozone layer Depletion:-

Ozone is a tri-atomic form of oxygen. It is found largely in the stratosphere, a region of the

atmosphere that extend from about 6 km at the poles & 17 km at the equators to about altitude

ranging from 15 to 50 km above the earth surface. This region is frequently known as Ozone

Layer.

The presence of ozone layer in the stratosphere is of vital significance for all biota, because the

harmful solar radiation, such as UV rays, which are lethal to life on the earth are not allowed to

enter the earth‘s atmosphere by ozone layer or ozone umbrella.

Formation of Ozone:-

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Ozone is formed by natural process from oxygen in stratosphere. In the mesosphere, the

atmospheric oxygen absorbs UV radiation <240 nm & photo dissociation into two oxygen atmos.

These atoms subsequently combine with molecular oxygen of upper stratosphere, producing

ozone.

Synthesis: O2 + hν (λ < 240 nm) O + O

O + O2 + M O3 + M

Where, M- Third body, usually N2 or O2.

Ozone Depleting Process:-

It includes i) The natural Process ii) The anthropogenic Process

I) The natural Process

Ozone is effective in absorbing particular short wavelength UV radiation in the range 230-320

nm, releasing atomic oxygen. This natural mechanism, however, does not necessarily upset the

ozone equilibrium because the loss of ozone caused by natural process is compensated by the

creation of ozone through atmospheric circulation,

Decomposition:- O3 + hν (λ >230 - 320 nm) O2 + O

O + O3 O2 + O2

II) The anthropogenic Process

Many other chemical species expect oxygen also plays a role in determine the actual

concentration &lead to enhanced ozone destruction. Some of species occur naturally while other

are of recent industrial origin.

a) Chlorine radical (ClOx):-

The CFC‘s & halons are entirely manmade with wide application in air conditioning,

refrigeration, and aerosols, electric & metal clearing etc. they act as a catalyst in the

destruction of ozone in the stratosphere. A wide range of CFCs are known but widely

used are CFCl3 & CF2Cl2.

CFCl3 + hν (λ < 290 nm) CFCl2 + Cl

The related chlorine radical is capable of taking part in the catalytic decomposition of ozone as

follows-

Cl + O3 ClO + O2

ClO + O Cl + O2

O + O3 O2 + O2

Second & third chlorine radical could also be produced by decomposition of CFCl2 radical

generating additional Cl radical responsible for Ozone depletion.

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CFCl2 + hν (λ < 290 nm) CFCl + Cl

CFCl + hν (λ < 290 nm) CF +Cl

Chlorine atoms catalyze the destruction of ozone. In case of CFCs, the following mechanisms

has also been proposed,

CH3Cl + hν (λ < 290 nm) CH3 + Cl

b) The nitric oxide (NOx) cycle:-

The nitric oxide cycle contributes in a significant way in the natural destruction of

stratospheric ozone in the lower region of the stratosphere.

NO + O3 NO2 + O2

NO2 + O NO + O2

O + O3 O2 + O2

In the upper atmosphere, NO is produced by reaction involving atomic & ionic species of

nitrogen.

Ozone hole:-

The ozone hole is actually an area of thinner than normal ozone drastically thinning of ozone

layer is known as ozone hole. Temperature is a key faction in ozone loss, along with chlorine &

bromine chemicals.

Ozone depletion is an annual phenomenon over the South Pole during Aug & Sept when coldest

temperature is prevalent. Thin clouds form in these cold conditions & chemical reaction on cloud

partials help chlorine & bromine gases to rapidly destroy ozone. By early oct, temperature

typically start to warm & the ozone layer starts to recover.

The size & duration of the hole depends on natural year to year variability of atmospheric

conditions.

In the Antartic & Artic conditions exit where spring time ozone depleting events may occur,

resulting in the major loss of ozone hole reached a maximum size of more than 26.5 million

sq.km. Larger than the entire area of North America.

Effects on Human beings:-

1) The three kinds of skin cancer- Basal cell Carcinoma, Squamous cell Carcinoma &

Melanoma are rapidly climbing the list of human diseases caused by UV rays.

2) UV radiation causes Leukemia & breast cancer, although the reasons are obscure.

3) UV radiation cause blood vessels near the skin‘s surface to carry more blood, making the

skin hot, swollen or red, causing sun burns.

4) UV radiations are also observed by cornea & lens leading to photo kerotitis & cataracts.

5) Ozone has been reported to be a strong irritant & is supported to reach the lungs &

respiratory tract.

Effect on Plants:-

1) Exposure to air containing ozone results in the lesions to plants usually confined to the

upper surface of leaves.

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2) Ozone flecking is observed with the plants of grape, citrus, & tobacco. At 0.02 ppm, it

damages tomato, pea, pine, & other plants. In pine seedlings it causes tip burn.

3) In plants O3 enters through stomata. It causes visible damage to leave, thereby reducing

their photosynthetic rate.

4) Due to ozone reduction, intense UV radiation causes greater evaporation of surface water

through the stomata of the leaves & decreases the soil moisture content.

Effect on Biotic Community:-

1) The loss of fish population would directly affect the inhabitants of coastal areas.

2) The increased UV radiation will increase the mortality rate of larvae of Zooplanktons.

3) Many micro-phytoplanktons would die because of their exposure to UV solar radiation.

Effect on Environment:-

1) Depletion of ozone affects heat balance on the earth in no. of ways that may result in

modification of climate.

2) Ozone depletion can be depress photosynthesis in marine algae & kill several species.

3) It was estimated that there is direct relation between ozone hole & around 12% fall in the

rate of phytoplankton in Antarctica.

Environmental Conferences:-

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment

Also known as the Stockholm Conference was an international conference convened under

United Nations auspices held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5–16, 1972. It was the UN's first

major conference on international environmental issues, and marked a turning point in the

development of international environmental politics.

When the UN General Assembly decided to convene the Stockholm Conference, at the initiative

of the Government of Sweden, UN Secretary-General U Thant invited Maurice Strong to lead it

as Secretary-General of the Conference.

The conference was opened and addressed by the Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme and

secretary-general Kurt Waldheim to discuss the state of the global environment. Attended by the

representatives of 113 countries, 19 inter-governmental agencies, and more than 400 inter-

governmental and non-governmental organizations, it is widely recognized as the beginning of

modern political and public awareness of global environmental problems.

The meeting agreed upon a Declaration containing 26 principles concerning the environment and

development; an Action Plan with 109 recommendations, and a Resolution.

One of the seminal issues that emerged from the conference is the recognition for poverty

alleviation for protecting the environment. The Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in her

seminal speech in the conference brought forward the connection between ecological

management and poverty alleviation. It is to be noted that she was the only other speaker in the

conference other than the hosting country prime minister.

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Some argue that this conference, and more importantly the scientific conferences preceding it,

had a real impact on the environmental policies of the European Community (that later became

the European Union). For example, in 1973, the EU created the Environmental and Consumer

Protection Directorate, and composed the first Environmental Action Program. Such increased

interest and research collaboration arguably paved the way for further understanding of global

warming, which has led to such agreements as the Kyoto Protocol.

Earth Summit

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as

the Rio Summit, Rio Conference, Earth Summit was a major United Nations conference held in

Rio de Janeiro from 3 June to 14 June 1992.

In 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development was also held in Rio, and is

also commonly called Rio+20 or Rio Earth Summit 2012 was held June 20-22nd.

Overview

172 governments participated, with 108 sending their heads of state or government Some 2,400

representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) attended, with 17,000 people at the

parallel NGO "Global Forum" (Forum Global), who had Consultative Status.

The issues addressed included:

systematic scrutiny of patterns of production — particularly the production of toxic

components, such as lead in gasoline, or poisonous waste including radioactive chemicals

alternative sources of energy to replace the use of fossil fuels which are linked to global

climate change

new reliance on public transportation systems in order to reduce vehicle emissions,

congestion in cities and the health problems caused by polluted air and smog

the growing scarcity of water

An important achievement was an agreement on the Climate Change Convention which in turn

led to the Kyoto Protocol. Another agreement was to "not carry out any activities on the lands of

indigenous peoples that would cause environmental degradation or that would be culturally

inappropriate".

The Convention on Biological Diversity was opened for signature at the Earth Summit, and

made a start towards redefinition of measures that did not inherently encourage destruction of

natural ecoregions and so-called uneconomic growth.

Twelve cities were also honored by the Local Government Honors Award for innovative local

environmental programs. These included Sudbury in Canada for its ambitious program to

rehabilitate environmental damage from the local mining industry, Austin in the United States

for its green building strategy, and Kitakyūshū in Japan for incorporating an international

education and training component into its municipal pollution control program.

The Earth Summit resulted in the following documents:

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

Agenda 21

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Forest Principles

Moreover, two important legally binding agreements were opened for signature:

Convention on Biological Diversity

Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Critics, however, point out that many of the agreements made in Rio have not been realized

regarding such fundamental issues as fighting poverty and cleaning up the environment.

Green Cross International was founded to build upon the work of the Summit.

Earth Summit 2002

The World Summit on Sustainable Development, WSSD or Earth Summit 2002 took place in

Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August to 4 September 2002. It was convened to discuss

sustainable development by the United Nations. WSSD gathered a number of leaders from

business and non-governmental organizations, 10 years after the first Earth Summit in Rio de

Janeiro. (It was therefore also informally nicknamed "Rio+10".)

Declarations

The Johannesburg Declaration was the main outcome of the Summit; however, there were

several other international agreements.

It laid out the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation as an action plan.

Agreements

Johannesburg, 27 August: agreement was made to restore the world's depleted fisheries for 2015.

It was agreed to by negotiators at the World Summit.

Partnership initiatives

Instead of new agreements between governments, the Earth Summit was organized mostly

around almost 300 "partnership initiatives" known as Type II, as opposed to Type I Parnerships

which are the more classic outcome of international treaties. These were to be the key means to

achieve the Millennium Development Goals. These are kept in a database of Partnerships for

Sustainable Development.

U.S. participation

The absence of the United States rendered the summit partially impotent. George W. Bush

boycotted the summit and did not attend. Except for a brief appearance by Colin Powell, who

hurriedly addressed the closing stages of the conference while his airplane taxied on the runway

of Johannesburg International, the US government did not send a delegation, earning Bush praise

in a letter from conservative organizations such as Americans for Tax Reform, American

Enterprise Institute, and Competitive Enterprise Institute. [1]

[2]

History

The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, was first held in Stockholm,

Sweden, in June 1972, and marked the emergence of international environmental law. The

Declaration on the Human Environment also known as the Stockholm Declaration set out the

principles for various international environmental issues, including human rights, natural

resource management, pollution prevention and the relationship between the environment and

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development. The conference also led to the creation of the United Nations Environment

Programme.

The Brundtland Commission set up by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the pioneer of sustainable

development, provided the momentum for first Earth Summit 1992 – the United Nations

Conference on Environmental Development (UNCED), that was also headed by Maurice Strong,

who had been a prominent member of the Brundtland Commission – and also for Agenda 21.

South Africa's first National Conference on Environment and Development entitled, "Ecologies

Politics, Politicise Ecology" was held at the University of the Western Cape in conjunction with

the Cape Town Ecology Group and the Western Cape Branch of the World Conference on

Religion and Peace in 1991. Prominent persons involved in this conference were Ebrahim

Rasool, Cheryl Carolus, Faried Esack, and Julia Martin.

The initial informal discussions on a possible new Summit in 2002 were held in February 1998

and hosted by Derek Osborn who co-chaired the preparatory meetings for Rio+5 and Stakeholder

Forum for a Sustainable Future. A set of 10 governments started working informally to start

putting together the possible agenda for a Summit. The non papers produced in 1998 and 1999

ensured that when the UN Commission met in 2000 it could agree to host another Summit in

2002.

2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference

Connie Hedegaard, former president of the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen

(left chair to Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on 16 December)

The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen

Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 December and 18

December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 5th Meeting of the Parties (MOP 5)

to the Kyoto Protocol. According to the Bali Road Map, a framework for climate change

mitigation beyond 2012 was to be agreed there.

The conference was preceded by the Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions

scientific conference, which took place in March 2009 and was also held at the Bella Center. The

negotiations began to take a new format when in May 2009 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

attended the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen, organized by the

Copenhagen Climate Council (COC), where he requested that COC councilors attend New

York's Climate Week at the Summit on Climate Change on 22 September and engage with heads

of government on the topic of the climate problem.

Connie Hedegaard was president of the conference until December 16, 2009, handing over the

chair to Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen in the final stretch of the conference,

during negotiations between heads of state and government. On Friday 18 December, the final

day of the conference, international media reported that the climate talks were "in disarray".

Media also reported that in lieu of a summit collapse, solely a "weak political statement" was

anticipated at the conclusion of the conference.

The Copenhagen Accord was drafted by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa

on December 18, and judged a "meaningful agreement" by the United States government. It was

"taken note of", but not "adopted", in a debate of all the participating countries the next day, and

it was not passed unanimously. The document recognized that climate change is one of the

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greatest challenges of the present day and that actions should be taken to keep any temperature

increases to below 2 °C. The document is not legally binding and does not contain any legally

binding commitments for reducing CO2 emissions Many countries and non-governmental

organizations were opposed to this agreement, but, throughout 2010, 138 countries had either

formally signed on to agreement or signaled they would. Tony Tujan of the IBON Foundation

suggests the perceived failure of Copenhagen may prove useful, if it allows people to unravel

some of the underlying misconceptions and work towards a new, more holistic view of things.

This could help gain the support of developing countries. Malta's Ambassador for Climate

Change, Michael Zammit Cutajar, extends this to suggest "the shock has made people more open

to dialogue"

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Important Questions:

1. What is mean by environment? Explain Abiotic and Biotic components with suitable

examples.

2. Discuss the structure of environment.

3. Discuss the types of the environment.

4. What do you mean by physical and biological environment?

5. Write a note on scope of environment.

6. What do you mean by environmental conferences?

7. Discuss the global environmental problems.

8. Define- Ozone layer depletion. Enlist the causes of ozone layer depletion.

9. Give an account of green house gases.

10. Explain Global warming and its effect on surrounding climate.

11. Discuss causes, impacts and preventive measures of Acid rain.

12. Explain Stockholm Conference.

13. Explain green house gas effect with neat labeled diagram.

14. Explain why environmental science is called as multidisciplinary science.

15. Write a note on Copenhagen Summit.

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References:-

Environmental Sciences- S. C. Santra.

Ecology & Environment- P. D. Sharma.

Internet Wikipedia.

Compiled & Prepared by-

Mr. Kiran P. Pawar

Dept. of Environmental Science,

M. J. College, Jalgaon.

Email: kiranpawar933@gmail.com