Class 11 Economics Notes Chapter 9 (Environment and sustainable development) – Indian Econimoc Development Book

Detailed Notes with MCQs of Chapter 9: Environment and Sustainable Development from your Indian Economic Development textbook. This is a crucial chapter, not just for your Class 11 understanding, but also because questions frequently appear from this section in various government exams. Pay close attention to the concepts and India-specific details.

Chapter 9: Environment and Sustainable Development - Detailed Notes

1. Introduction: What is Environment?

• Definition: The environment is defined as the sum total of all external conditions and influences (biotic and abiotic) that affect the life and development of an organism. It includes physical elements (land, water, air), biological elements (plants, animals), and the interrelationships among them.
• Environment and Economy: The economy operates within the environment. The environment provides resources for production and consumption and absorbs the waste generated by these activities. Economic development traditionally involved transforming nature to meet human needs, often leading to environmental degradation.

2. Functions of the Environment:

The environment performs four vital functions:

• Supplies Resources: Provides renewable resources (like forests, fisheries, which can regenerate) and non-renewable resources (like fossil fuels, minerals, which get exhausted with extraction).
• Assimilates Waste: Absorbs and neutralizes the waste generated by production and consumption activities. This capacity is known as the absorptive capacity or carrying capacity of the environment.
• Sustains Life: Provides essential genetic and biodiversity, crucial for the continuation of life.
• Provides Aesthetic Services: Offers scenic beauty, recreation, and other aesthetic benefits.

3. Environmental Crisis: The Challenge

• The Problem: The demand for environmental resources and services is exceeding its supply and regenerative capacity.
  • Resource Depletion: Extraction of renewable resources is faster than their regeneration rate. Non-renewable resources are depleting rapidly.
  • Waste Generation: Waste generated is beyond the absorptive capacity of the environment, leading to pollution.
• Carrying Capacity: Refers to the environment's ability to support life and assimilate waste without degradation. When human activities exceed this capacity, environmental crises occur.
• Absorptive Capacity: The environment's ability to absorb degradation/pollution. This capacity is limited.
• Opportunity Cost of Environmental Degradation: Negative environmental impacts involve high opportunity costs – e.g., health expenditures due to pollution, loss of productive land, clean-up costs.

4. Reasons for Environmental Crisis:

• Population Explosion: Increasing population puts immense pressure on resources and generates more waste.
• Advent of Industrial Revolution & Industrialization: Large-scale production leads to increased resource extraction and pollution.
• Intensive and Extravagant Consumption: Affluent consumption standards in developed countries and rising standards in developing countries increase resource use and waste.
• Urbanization: Growth of cities concentrates population and economic activities, leading to localized pollution (air, water, noise, waste).
• Poverty: Poor populations often overuse marginal resources for survival (e.g., cutting forests for fuel), leading to degradation.

5. State of India's Environment:

India faces significant environmental challenges due to high population density, poverty, industrialization, and urbanization.

• Land Degradation: Soil erosion (due to deforestation, faulty agricultural practices), waterlogging, salinization, and desertification are major issues affecting agricultural productivity.
• Biodiversity Loss: Habitat destruction, poaching, and introduction of exotic species threaten India's rich biodiversity.
• Air Pollution:
  • Vehicular emissions are a major source, especially in urban areas.
  • Industrial emissions contribute significantly.
  • Indoor air pollution from burning biomass fuel affects rural households.
• Water Contamination:
  • Discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluents into rivers and water bodies is rampant.
  • Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides pollutes groundwater.
  • Access to safe drinking water remains a challenge for many.
• Management of Fresh Water: India has abundant rainfall but faces issues of water scarcity due to uneven distribution, inefficient management, and pollution.
• Solid Waste Management: Increasing urbanization and changing consumption patterns lead to massive generation of solid waste, posing serious health and environmental hazards.

6. Global Environmental Issues:

• Global Warming: Gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth's lower atmosphere, primarily caused by the emission of greenhouse gases (CO2, methane, etc.) from human activities (burning fossil fuels, deforestation). Impacts include melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events.
• Ozone Depletion: Thinning of the ozone layer in the stratosphere, which protects Earth from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Caused mainly by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty aimed at phasing out ozone-depleting substances.

7. Sustainable Development:

• Concept: Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Definition popularised by the Brundtland Commission Report, "Our Common Future", 1987).
• Need: To ensure long-term economic growth and human well-being while protecting the environment. It balances economic, social, and environmental objectives.
• Key Features:
  • Focus on inter-generational equity.
  • Efficient use of resources.
  • Conservation of natural capital.
  • Control of pollution.
  • Emphasis on improving quality of life, not just quantity of consumption.

8. Strategies for Sustainable Development in India:

India has adopted various strategies to promote sustainable development:

• Use of Non-conventional Sources of Energy: Promoting solar energy (photovoltaic cells), wind power, tidal power, geothermal energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
• LPG, Gobar Gas in Rural Areas: Providing clean cooking fuel (LPG under Ujjwala Yojana, biogas plants) to reduce indoor air pollution and deforestation for fuelwood.
• CNG in Urban Areas: Mandating Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for public transport and vehicles in cities to curb air pollution.
• Wind Power: Harnessing wind energy, particularly in coastal and hilly areas. India is one of the leading countries in wind power installation.
• Solar Power: Utilizing solar energy through photovoltaic cells for electricity generation, water heating, etc. The National Solar Mission aims to boost solar power capacity.
• Mini-hydel Plants: Developing small hydroelectric power projects on streams, which are generally more environmentally friendly than large dams.
• Traditional Knowledge and Practices: Reviving and utilizing traditional systems like Ayurveda, traditional water harvesting methods, and agricultural practices that are inherently sustainable.
• Biocomposting: Promoting composting of organic waste to produce manure, reducing landfill burden and providing natural fertilizer.
• Biopest Control: Using natural predators or biochemicals derived from plants to control pests, reducing reliance on harmful chemical pesticides.
• Shift towards Organic Farming: Encouraging farming practices that avoid synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, improving soil health and reducing water pollution.

9. Conclusion:

Environmental protection and economic development are not contradictory but complementary. Sustainable development provides a framework for achieving economic progress while preserving the environment for future generations. This requires conscious effort, policy interventions, technological innovation, and public participation.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) for Practice:

1. The capacity of the environment to absorb waste and pollution is known as its:
   a) Carrying capacity
   b) Absorptive capacity
   c) Biotic potential
   d) Resource capacity

2. Which of the following is NOT considered a primary function of the environment?
   a) Supplying resources
   b) Assimilating waste
   c) Generating non-renewable energy
   d) Sustaining life through biodiversity

3. The concept of 'Sustainable Development' was popularized by which report?
   a) Rio Declaration
   b) Kyoto Protocol
   c) Brundtland Commission Report ('Our Common Future')
   d) Agenda 21

4. Major environmental problems faced by India include:
   a) Land degradation and biodiversity loss
   b) Air and water pollution
   c) Solid waste management issues
   d) All of the above

5. Which of the following is a major cause of global warming?
   a) Ozone depletion
   b) Emission of greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide
   c) Acid rain
   d) Water pollution

6. Using CNG in urban vehicles is primarily a strategy to combat:
   a) Water pollution
   b) Noise pollution
   c) Air pollution
   d) Land degradation

7. Which strategy promotes sustainable agriculture by avoiding synthetic inputs?
   a) Use of Mini-hydel plants
   b) Organic farming
   c) Promoting LPG use
   d) Installing wind turbines

8. The Montreal Protocol is an international agreement aimed at tackling:
   a) Global warming
   b) Ozone layer depletion
   c) Biodiversity loss
   d) Deforestation

9. Which of the following represents a non-conventional source of energy?
   a) Coal
   b) Petroleum
   c) Solar energy
   d) Natural Gas

10. The Brundtland Commission definition of sustainable development emphasizes:
    a) Maximizing present economic growth
    b) Prioritizing environmental protection over development
    c) Meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs
    d) Rapid industrialization using any available resources

Answer Key for MCQs:

1. b) Absorptive capacity
2. c) Generating non-renewable energy (Environment supplies them, doesn't generate them in the human timescale)
3. c) Brundtland Commission Report ('Our Common Future')
4. d) All of the above
5. b) Emission of greenhouse gases like Carbon Dioxide
6. c) Air pollution
7. b) Organic farming
8. b) Ozone layer depletion
9. c) Solar energy
10. c) Meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs

Make sure you understand these concepts thoroughly. Revise them periodically, especially the definitions and the strategies for sustainable development, as these are favourite areas for examiners. Good luck with your preparation!