Standard VIII – Environmental Education

Contents

Section I: Balance in Nature…………………………………........2

• What is an Ecosystem………...……………………………………2
• What is the Structure of an Ecosystem...…………………………...2
• Food Chains & Food Webs……….………………………...……...3
• Some Useful Ecosystem Websites…………………………………3

Section II: The Impact of Population on the Environment….......4

• Population Growth & Overpopulation……………………………..4
• Malthus’ Theory……………………………………………………4

Section III: Harnessing Resources……..………………..………..6

• What is Energy…..………………………………………………....6
• Renewable & Non-Renewable Energy.……………… ...….……….6
• Energy in India…………………………………………………….6
• Agriculture & Animal Husbandry………………………………….7
• Agriculture’s Impact on the Environment………… ...…………….7
• Animal Husbandry: Impacts……………………………………….7

Section IV: Environmental Pollution……………………………..8

• The Problem with Pollution…………………………........................8
• The Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Case Study……………. …… ...………..8
• Pollution & Its Impact on Humans………………………………...9
• Environmental Disasters………………………………………….10
• Pollution Prevention…………………………………………........10

Some Useful Websites……………………………………………11

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Standard VIII – Section I: Balance In Nature
What is an Ecosystem?
A system is something that is made from lots of What kind of factors do you think might
different parts that do different things, but all influence what kind of Abiotic components
work together. The word Eco means living are prevalent in any given ecosystem:
things and their surroundings or environment, Hint: LIGHT
so an ecosystem is a system made from the
community of interacting living things and their
surroundings.
An environment may be defined as the area
surrounding living things, e.g. the soil, water and
the atmosphere (containing oxygen and carbon
dioxide) and the area's conditions, e.g. rain, What is the difference between primary,
temperature, amount of light, dampness. secondary and tertiary consumers?
Primary:
What is the Structure of an Ecosystem? Secondary:
To understand the structure of any Ecosystem Tertiary:
we must first look at the different components
that are involved in creating it. All ecosystems Identify the ecosystem components in the
around the world are made up of two main pond environment below. Look for Biotic
groups: and Abiotic elements and also identify the
(i) Abiotic Components: consist of the non- producers, consumers and decomposers.
living elements of the ecosystem. They include
things like rocks, water, soil etc.
(ii) Biotic Components: This includes all the
living things in an ecosystem, from bacteria and
viruses to birds and mammals (including you).
Biotic components are further divided into
Producers or Autotrophs, Consumers or
Heterotrophs and Decomposers or
Saprotrophs, like Fungi. Producers are capable
of manufacturing their own food, while
Consumers need to move in search of food.

What are some examples of Producers &

Consumers? List them below.
Producers Consumers
Hint: Trees Hint: Humans
 Standard VIII – Section I: Balance In Nature
Food Chains & Food Webs
A food chain shows how each living thing in an
ecosystem gets its food. Each link in this chain is
food for the next link. We have already seen how
an ecosystem is made up of producers and
consumers, now we can see how these elements fit
into a food chain. Two simple food chains are
shown below.
Most animals are part of more than one food
chain and eat more than one kind of food. These
interconnected food chains form a food web.
In a food chain, energy is passed from one link to
another. When a herbivore eats, only a fraction of
the energy becomes new body mass; the rest is lost
as waste or used. Similarly, when a carnivore eats,
only a fraction of that energy becomes mass.
Because of the large amount of energy that is lost
at each link the further along the food chain you
go, the less food and energy remains available.
Create a definition of the term Food Chain?
What are the different components of a
typical food chain?
Why are there always more Herbivores
than Carnivores in an ecosystem?
What is the difference between a food
chain and a food web?
Create a simple food web to represent the
ecosystem where you live. Look at the food
web shown below for help.
Some Useful Ecosystem Websites
‰Food & Agriculture Organisation of the U.N
http://www.fao.org/
‰ U.N Environment Programme
http://www.unep.org/
‰ U.S Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/
‰ Wikipidea.org – Free online Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chain
‰ Envirolink
http://www.envirolink.org/
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 Standard VIII – Section II: The Impact Of Population On
The Environment
Population Growth & Overpopulation
Our world population has grown more since
1950 than it has in the last 4 million years. With
these additional people come additional demands
on Earth’s Resources. However, understanding
the impact of population on the Earth is not just
a question of numbers and densities it also a
question of resources and the carrying capacity
of an environment.
Overpopulation occurs when the population of
a living species exceeds the carrying capacity of
its ecological niche. If a given environment has
a population of 10, but there is food and drinking
water enough for only 9, then that environment
is overpopulated, while if the population is 100
but there are resources enough for 200, then it is
not overpopulated.
Overpopulation can result from increases in
births, a decline in mortality rates, or from an
unsustainable use and depletion of resources.
“Pop”ulation Quiz – Group Activity
1. What is the world population in 2005?
a) 900 million b) 2.5 billion c) 6.3 billion d) 7.5
billion e) 12 billion
2. By how many people does the world grow
each year?
a) 11 million b) 24 million c) 45 million d) 83
million e) 160 million
3. At its current rate of growth, how long will
the world’s population take to double?
a) 9 years b) 22 years c) 54 years d) 95 years e)
148 years
4. What is the population of India in 2005?
a) under 100 million b) about 350 million c)
about 800 million d) over 1,000 million
Malthus’ Theory
In 1798 the economist Thomas Malthus argued
that if left unrestricted, human populations
would continue to grow until they would become
too large to be supported by the food grown on
available land. He proposed that, while resources
tend to grow linearly, human populations grow
exponentially. At that point, the population
would be restrained through mass famine and
starvation. Malthus argued for population control
to avoid this happening. As the population
exceeds the amount of resources the population
decreases, since the lack of resources causes
mortality to increase. This theory is described in
Malthus’ famous J-curve.
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 Standard VIII – Section II: The Impact Of Population On
The Environment
Group Activity: Water, Water Everywhere?
As the world’s population grows, access to fresh
water declines. This relationship is evident in
both industrialized and developing countries and
in both arid and wet climates. This next activity
will introduce you to the relationship between
population growth and water availability.
What does the word scarcity mean to you? Why
is there an important relationship between
scarcity and population growth? What kind of
scarcities have you heard of or experienced
yourself?
Have a look at the graph below and answer the
following questions.
Relative Sufficiency = more than 1700 m3 per capita
Freshwater Stress = 1000-1700 m3 per capita
Freshwater Scarcity = less than 1000 m3 per capita
Water, Water Everywhere?
1. By how much is the world population
predicted to change between 1950 and 2050?
2. By how much is the average world per
capita water availability predicted to change
between 1950 and 2050?
3. As population increases what happens to
water availability? Why?
4. If these predictions come true, how will
the world be different in 2050?
5. Which parts of the world do you think will
face the most serious water shortages? Why?
6. Do you know of water scarcity in your city?
If yes, what is being done about it and how
can you help?
Group Homework – Water Survey
We all drink the same water that Dinosaurs,
Cleopatra, and Mahatma Gandhi did, and future
generations will drink that same water too. That
is why it is important that we use water wisely &
protect water supplies whenever and wherever
possible. To see how well people in your city
conserve water Create And Conduct A Survey
Of Water Usage in your building or society.
Create questions that will help you estimate how
much water people use in a usual day and find
out if they actively try to conserve water. Then
analyze your data and present it to the class along
with suggestions on how water conservation can
be improved. Make your presentation as visual as
possible by creating graphs and charts and
involve all members of your group.
Before you conduct your survey,
present a copy of your survey to
your teacher, just to make sure
you’re on the right path
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 Standard VIII – Section III: Harnessing Resources
What is Energy?
Energy is the ability to do work. Oil, coal, natural
gas, wind, water – just to name a few - provide us
with the energy we need in our daily lives. For
example, we use natural gas, coal and nuclear
power to generate electricity that makes the lights
and fans in this classroom work. There are two
forms of energy: renewable energy and non-
renewable energy.
Renewable & Non-Renewable Energy
Non-renewable energy: comes from sources
that can’t be replenished in a short period of
time. We get most of our energy from
nonrenewable energy sources, which include
fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, coal
(thermal) and from nuclear energy.
Renewable energy is a source of energy that
can almost never be exhausted. We can obtain
renewable energy from the sun (solar energy),
from the water (hydropower, tidal and wave
energy), from the wind (windmills & turbines),
from hot dry rocks, magma, hot water springs
(geothermal) and even from firewood, animal
manure, crop residues and waste (biomass).
Group Activity – Questions about Energy
1. Why is it important to utilize renewable
sources of energy?
2. What are some of the problems associated
with Renewable energy usage?
3. When are renewable sources of energy NO
longer considered renewable?
4. Why is nuclear energy considered to be
non- renewable?
5. Select any one type of renewable energy
and find out how it works and how it can be
used. Present your data to the class.
Energy in India
India's energy consumption is increasing rapidly,
from 4.16 quadrillion Btu (quads) in 1980 to 12.8
quads in 2001. This 208% increase is largely the
result of our nation’s increasing population,
rapid urbanization and industrialization.
India faces significant challenges in balancing its
increased demand for energy with the need to
protect its environment from further damage.
The graph below shows India’s current energy
consumption by source:
All India Energy Consumption
3%
7%
31%
7%
1%
51%
Coal Natural Gas
Nuclear Petroleum/Oil
Hydro Renewable
• What can you tell about India’s energy
consumption from the graph above?
• How can the Indian government improve
the ongoing energy crisis?
• Which kind of renewable energy would be
the most successful in India? Why?
• Write a letter to the Prime Minister of India
telling him why you think India should focus
more on and invest more money in
renewable energy. Post it!
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 Standard VIII – Section III: Harnessing Resources
Agriculture & Animal Husbandry
Agriculture is the process of producing food,
feed, fiber and many other desired products
through the cultivation of a variety of plants
and through the raising of domesticated animals
or livestock, the latter is also known as Animal
Husbandry.
Agriculture is a completely human practice and
often causes environmental problems because it
changes natural land use patterns and is also
responsible for the generation and release of
harmful by-products and toxins into the natural
environment.
Agriculture’s Environmental Impact
Agriculture is the most widely practiced human
activity and has a tremendous impact on natural
resources and the environment. Some of the
negative effects of agriculture are listed below:
♦ Natural ecosystems (forests and grasslands)
are converted to agricultural land, resulting in
the loss of biodiversity
♦ The use of fertilizer leads to excess nitrogen
and phosphorus in the soil and water bodies
causing soil pollution and eutrophication.
♦ Farming practices leads to depletion of
minerals & nutrients from the soil and cause
soil erosion.
♦ Herbicides, Insecticides and Pesticides have
detrimental impacts on the natural environment
and human health.
♦ In some extreme cases, agriculture may lead
to desertification.
♦ Some agricultural practices also leads to air
pollution through the release of ammonia, NO
and particulate matter.
♦ Agriculture also uses a lot of water and so
places an additional stress on this resource.
Did you know ???
The earth has a total land area
of 130,043,970 km2, of this
area, nearly 49,734,060 km2 is
used for agriculture, this is
over 50% of all the productive
land on earth.
Animal Husbandry: Impacts
Like agriculture animal husbandry or the raising
of livestock also has serious implications for the
environment. Some of these are listed below:
♦ Maintaining livestock leads to the production
of a lot of waste which can enter water sources
and cause pollution and disease
♦ Livestock like cattle and sheep require large
expanses of land a lot of feed which put
pressure on the natural environment.
♦ Animal husbandry can sometimes also cause
harm and cruelty to the animals if not practiced
properly
Group Activity: Questions
1. How does agriculture cause a decrease in
biodiversity?
2. How does farming cause soil degradation and
erosion? How can we prevent or reduce this?
3. Find an example of agriculture induced
desertification in India. How did it come about?
4. Investigate the story of the Aral Sea, learn
about how the demands of agriculture changed
this ecosystem. Discuss your findings in class.
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 Standard VIII – Section IV: Environmental Pollution
The Problem with Pollution
As human beings we affect our environment
and planet in many different ways. We grow
food, generate energy, utilise land and other
natural resources and unfortunately we also
pollute. Environmental pollution is a very
direct and often harmful activity, it is the release
of environmental contaminants, resulting from
human activity, into the air, soil or water.
Pollution Watch:
Complete the table below to learn more
about the different types of pollution and
their impact on the environment.
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Case Study
1 a.m., Monday, December 3rd, 1984.
In a densely populated region of Bhopal, a
poisonous vapor (methyl isocyanate) bursts
from the stacks of the Union Carbide pesticide
plant. The terrible human and environmental
disaster that ensued is a testament to the
importance of pollution control and regulation.
Did you know ???
Of the 800,000 people living in
Bhopal at the time, 2,000 died
immediately, and as many as
300,000 were injured.

Type of Pollution Sources Ecological Impact Examples of Pollutants

Vehicle Air pollution affects local Smoke, Dust, Lead,

Example :
Emissions climate and temperature Carbon dioxide,
Air Pollution Sulphur dioxide
Factories Leads to acid rain

Loudspeakers,
Example : Affects animal & human health
Construction, Noise
Noise Pollution Causes stress
Traffic

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 Standard VIII – Section IV: Environmental Pollution
Pollution & Its Impact on Humans
Pollution is a major cause of environmental
health problems affecting both developing and
the developed countries alike. The effects of
pollution on health are very complex as there
are many different sources and types of
pollution and their effects vary from one type to
the another and from one individual to another.
Of all the different sources of pollution, air
pollution and water pollution have the most
direct impact on human health.
The Health Impacts of Water Pollution
Water resources and aquatic habitats all around
the world are threatened not only by over
exploitation and mismanagement but also by
severe pollution from domestic waste, industrial
effluents and agricultural activity.
Complete the following table, showing
the effects of pollutants prevalent in water
on human health.

The Health Impact of Air Pollution Pollutant Effect on human Health

Air pollutants consist of gaseous pollutants,
suspended particulate matter (SPM), volatile Pesticides Hint: DDT is potentially linked
(DDT, Organo- to breast cancer in woman
organic waste and suspended metals. The
effects of these various pollutants on humans is phosphates)
tabled below.
Nitrates & Nitrites
Pollutant Effect on human Health
(NO3, NO2)
SPM Causes Asthma & respiratory
(smoke, dust, problems. Lead and arsenic
fumes) cause lung tissue damage. Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs)
Reduces amt of O2 entering (PCBs, Dioxins)
Carbon monoxide the blood. Binds with haem
(CO) containing proteins causing
organ damage. Heavy Metals
(Lead, Arsenic,
Can cause damage to the Mercury
Lead (Pb) nervous system. May cause
cancer. Hazardous to kids.
Oxidises to form sulphuric Petrochemicals
Sulphur dioxide
acid. Leads to respiratory (Benzene)
(SO2) diseases, affects the lungs.
Causes Asthma, Emphysema
Ozone (O3) and decreased lung function. Sewage
Induces headaches & nausea

Nitrogen Oxides Causes lung irritation, asthma

and emphysema. Leads to
(NO, NO2) acid rain & ozone formation
Causes throat irritation,
Tobacco Smoke cancer, bronchitis, asthma &
decrease in lung function.
Pick any one of the pollutants listed
above and find an actual example of its
contamination in a natural habitat. Narrate
the incident to the class.

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 Standard VIII – Section IV: Environmental Pollution
Environmental Disasters
An environmental disaster is a disaster due to
human activity and should not be confused with
a natural disaster such as an earthquake or the
recent tsunami.
There is little we can do to avert the progression
of natural disasters, in some cases however, the
incidence and magnitude of natural disasters is
exacerbated by human degradation of the
environment and disturbance of ecosystems.
Floods, like those that rocked Mumbai in 2005,
were made worse because of polluted rivers,
land reclamation, poor drainage and mangrove
destruction. Similarly, droughts, landslides and
many other natural events are exacerbated by
deforestation, bad land use & global warming.
The hope is that future advances in science and
technology and educated decisions about land
use will provide early warning systems & reduce
the impact of these disasters to a minimum.
Man-made environmental disasters are an out-
come of human activity, and as such they can be
mitigated by responsible decision making and
management. These disasters include oil spills
like the Exxon Valdez (1989) and Gulf war
(1991) spills and nuclear disasters like the one
seen at Chernobyl (1986), now very relevant in
view of India’s move towards nuclear energy.
[ The dead city of Pripyat, 3 km from the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant seen in the distance ]
Pollution Prevention
Pollution prevention and reduction is possible
but requires individual, communities, industries
and governments to make conscientious and
responsible decisions about their activities.
Agriculturists can reduce fertilizer and pesticide
induced pollution by growing suitable crops and
using biological controls instead of chemicals to
protect crops and livestock.
Industrialists can replace harmful chemicals
with less harmful ones or invest money in
cleanup operations and suitable disposal and
governments can reduce pollution by creating
laws to protect the environment and making
sure these laws are enforced.
What Can you do?
We all engage in activities that cause some
degree of pollution in the city, but if try and
think about our actions first, pollution can
become a thing of the past. Complete the table
of Do’s and Don’t for the following activities.
Pollution Do’s and Don’ts
When you’ve had a sandwich from the corner
sandwichwala…
DO: DON’T:
When you’ve made a mistake while writing your
essay…
DO: DON’T:
When you’re deciding what drink you want to
buy from the canteen…
DO: DON’T:
When its Holi and you’re going to play with
your friends…
DO: DON’T:
When you see a friend throwing chocolate
wrappers on the road…
DO: DON’T:
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 Standard VIII – Some Useful Websites
‰ Food & Agriculture Organisation of the U.N
This UN site contains information on agriculture and pollution
http://www.fao.org/

‰ U.N Environment Programme

Information on ecosystems, population growth and pollution
http://www.unep.org/

‰ Ministry of Environment & Forests (India)

A government of India website that has information on environmental issues and conservation in
India, as well as current environmental policies and laws.
http://envfor.nic.in/

‰ Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (India – Maharashtra)

Information on management of waste and pollution as well as statistic on air and water pollution
in the city.
http://mpcb.mah.nic.in/

‰ U.S Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.A)

Information on ecosystems, wildlife, environmental issues, pollution and conservation.
http://www.epa.gov/

‰ Toxics Link (India)

Independent organisation working to share information about the sources and dangers of
poisons in the environment, as well as clean and sustainable alternatives for India and the World.
http://www.toxicslink.org/

‰ Eco Kids (Canada)

Information, games and activities on ecosystems
http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/index.cfm

‰ Envirolink
Information on ecosystems
http://www.envirolink.org/

‰ Tata Energy Resources Institute (TERI) – EduGreen

Information, games and quizzes for students on pollution, ecology and conservation.
http://edugreen.teri.res.in/

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