SAUNI AASPAS UNIT TEST : STANDARD - 5, SEMESTER 1 & 2
As residents on Earth, our actions can impact the planet and the rest of its inhabitants. Just as major environmental catastrophes, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions, can affect us, our actions can have major impacts on the environment.
Human activities, such as pollution released into the environment, cutting down forests, and damning rivers, have all created significant impacts for environmental health and society. Environmental studies is the field that examines this relationship between people and the environment.
Environmental studies is an interdisciplinary subject examining the interplay between the social, legal, management, and scientific aspects of environmental issues.
Interdisciplinary means that issues are examined from multiple perspectives. Unlike environmental science, which focuses mainly on the scientific component of these environmental issues, environmental studies investigates the scientific and the humanitarian aspects.
Students of environmental studies learn the causes, effects, and possible solutions to address important environmental problems.
Environmental studies majors must first investigate the broad range of issues that our society is facing now and in the future. Broad issues to be addressed include population and consumption concerns, energy use, biodiversity, and global climate change. Each issue requires consideration of the political, social, and economic concerns, in addition to a scientific understanding.
Let's consider the 2014 drought in California. From a scientific perspective, we know that the entire state is facing drought conditions due to low amounts of rain and snowfall over the past few years.
In addition, growing populations and agriculture businesses have further strained the decreasing water supply. Economically, this drought is creating large stresses to the extensive agricultural communities in California, who rely on water to irrigate their crops.
From a social viewpoint, several communities have faced dwindling water supplies, which have prompted government officials to place restrictions on water use and develop relief efforts to supply water to those in need.
This example of the drought in California shows the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in understanding and resolving environmental issues. The drought is caused by a combination of natural (low rainfall), social (growing population), and economic (farming) causes.
Some issues may only affect a local community, such as regional water use policies and their effects on agriculture and local businesses. Other environmental issues have global implications, such as growing industry causing carbon dioxide levels to rise in the atmosphere.
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