Introduction to Environmental

Science

Dr. Amanullah Mahar

Assistant Professor
Centre for Environmental Science
University of Sindh, Jamshoro
Email: aman.mahar@usindh.edu.pk
 1. Introduction
• Our surrounding include forests, rivers,
mountains, desert or combination of these
elements.
• Most of us live in a landscapes that have
been heavily modified by the human
beings in villages, towns, and cities.
• But even those of us who live in cities get
our food supply from surrounding
villages.
• We use water to drink and other day to
day activities, we breath air, and we use
resources from which food is made.
• Our dependence on nature is so great that
we cannot continue to live without
protecting the earths environmental
resources.
2. Definition
Environmental science, interdisciplinary academic field that draws on
ecology, geology, meteorology, biology, chemistry, engineering, and
physics to study environmental problems and human impacts on the
environment.
2. Definition
• Environmental studies incorporates
more of the social sciences for
understanding human relationships,
perceptions and policies towards the
environment.
• Environmental engineering focuses on
design and technology for
improving environmental quality in
every aspect.
• Understanding the earth processes,
evaluating alternative
energy systems, pollution control and
mitigation, natural resource
management, and the effects of global
climate change.
3. The Aim and objectives
One of the major goals of
environmental science is to
understand and to solve
environmental problems. In
order to accomplish this goal,
scientists study two main types
of interactions between humans
and their environment. One area
of focus is on how we use
natural resources, such as water
and plants.
4. Why Environmental Science is important
Environmental science is
important because it enables
you to understand how these
relationships work. For
example, humans breathe out
carbon dioxide, which plants
need for photosynthesis.
Plants are sources of food for
humans and animals. In short,
organisms and humans depend
on each other for survival.
5. History of Environmental Science
• Though the study of the environment is
as old as any human endeavor, the
modern field of environmental science
developed from the growing public
awareness and concern about
environmental problems in the 1960s
and ’70s.
• The publication of books such as Rachel
Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) and Paul
R. Ehrlich’s The Population
Bomb (1968), together with nuclear
proliferation and growing concerns over
the anthropogenic release of toxins and
chemicals, raised awareness about the
need to study the effects of human
actions on the environment.
5. History of Environmental Science
• The burgeoning field of environmental
science took on the task of quantifying
the effects of disasters such as the
1979 Three Mile Island accident or the
impact of atmospheric sulfur
dioxide and other emissions on acid
rain.
• Environmental scientists analyze a wide
variety of environmental problems and
potential solutions,
including alternative
energy systems, pollution control,
and natural resource management,
and may be employed by government,
industry, universities, or nonprofit
organizations.
6. Scope
Environmental Science is a
decision support science,
which has emerged as a result
of convergence of a wide
range of disciplines,
therefore, its scope is wide as
inter and multi-disciplinary
field of knowledge. Its ambit
is as wide as environment
itself.
7. Teaching objectives
• Enable students to learn how to
analyze and assess environmental
problems, its interrelationships with
other systems of the society;
• Equip student with the knowledge
and skill necessary for pollution
abatement, environmental
conservation, management of
natural resources and making path
to sustainable development; and
• To impart skills to carry out
independent scientific and technical
research on various crosscutting
aspects of environmental issues.
8. Course outline (ENVS – 408)
• Basic principles: about convergence of
ecology with economic and sociology to
evolve as environmental science, its
nature, history, scope and the contribution
to society. Environmental aspects: physic-
chemical, biological, socio-economic,
socio-cultural, moral and ethical, and
philosophical thinking.
• Environmental problems: local, regional
and global level. Environmental
challenges: Sustainability of resources for
development: efficiency of energy and
water resources, current and future trends
in growth and resultant environmental
pollution, poverty and resource depletion,
development in industry, agriculture and
urbanization.
9. Recommended books
• Environmental Science: Earth as a Living
Planet, Botkin, D.B & Keller, E.A. 9th Ed.
John Wiley & Sons, 2013.
• Environmental Science: systems and
solutions, McKinney, M.L., Schoch, R.M.
& Yonavjak, L. 5th Ed. Jones & Bartlett
Publishers, 2013
• Environmental Science: Toward a
Sustainable Future, Wright, R.T. & Nebel,
B.J. 10th Ed. Pearson Educational, 2007.
• Environmental Science: working with the
Earth.11th Ed. Miller, G., Tyler. Cengage
Learning, 2005
Thank You