Describe in your own words what you understand by the term ‘ecology’.
The term ecology may be defined in the following ways –
1. Ecology is that branch of biology which deals with the relations and interactions between the organisms and their environment.
2. It is the set of relationships existing between any complex system and its environment.
3. Human Ecology is that branch of sociology which is concerned with the interdependence of people and institutions.
4. It is the study of relationships between human groups and their physical environment.
5. Human Ecology is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their environment. Here environment includes the natural environment, social environment, and built environment
Why is ecology not limited only to the forces of nature?
Ecology is not limited to the forces of nature because –
1. Over time, it has been modified by human activities.
2. The calamities like being flood prone or global warming, which appear to be the natural feature of the environment are often created by human intervention.
3. The ecological changes can be brought by natural as well as human factors but it is not easy to separate and distinguish that which ecological change is the result of natural factors and which is the result of the human factors.
Describe the two-way process by which ‘social environments’ emerge.
The emergence of social environment is said to be a two way process because nature shapes society and society shapes nature, so we can say that social environment emerges from the interaction of both biophysical ecology and human interventions.
1. The example of nature shaping society can be –
a. The fertile soil of Indo-Gangetic floodplain, which enables intensive agriculture; due to which a dense population settles there.
b. The desert of Rajasthan which supports pastoralist only, who keep on moving for their living.
2. The example of society shaping nature can be –
a. The private automobiles that have transformed the lives and landscapes.
b. Human interventions which are affecting environment badly, like global warming etc.
Why and how does social organisation shape the relationship between the environment and society?
The relationship between environment and social society is shaped by the social organisations in several ways; the major factor is the access to the natural resources.
• It is related to the property relation, which determines that how and by whom the natural resources will be used.
• The private ownership of natural resources affects its access to others.
• The division of labour in the production process also results in the ownership and control over resources.
• The people who lack the ownership or access to the natural resources will have a different relationship than those who own or can easily access the resources.
So, the social organisations influences that how different social groups will relate to their environment and it is publishers in relationship between environment and the society
Why is environmental management a complex and huge task for society?
Environmental management is a complex and huge task for society because –
1. Due to lack of sufficient information about the biophysical process, it is difficult to predict and control the environment.
2. The human relation with environment is becoming complex due to increased industrialisation.
3. Spread of industrialisation has expanded and accelerated the resource extraction which affects the ecosystem adversely.
4. The complex industrial technologies and the new forms of organisation requires sophisticated management system which can be dangerous to the environment because they are quite fragile and vulnerable to errors.
5. We use technologies in every sphere of life which affects the environment in a negative way.
6. The various industrial accidents have also affected the environment adversely like Bhopal gas leak disaster.
What are some of the important forms of pollution-related environmental hazards?
The major threat to environment is pollution. Different types of pollution are - air pollution, water pollution, and noise pollution. All these affect the environment in different ways.
1. Air Pollution – It is a major environmental problem in both rural and urban areas. However in urban areas the air pollution is more than the rural areas due to the emissions from industries and vehicles but in rural areas also the burning of wood and coal for domestic purpose causes air pollution.
2. Water pollution – It affects the surface water as well as groundwater. The major sources of water pollution include domestic wastage, factory effluents, runoff from agricultural farms.
3. Noise pollution – It is mostly found in urban areas and the causes of noise pollution are traffic, political campaigns, loudspeakers, etc.
The various risks related to pollution are –
• Air pollution can cause various problems like respiratory problems, serious illness and sometimes even death.
• Water pollution causes water borne diseases, contaminated drinking water and reduces the immunity level among the children.
• Noise pollution can cause hearing impairment.
What are the major environmental issues associated with resource depletion?
Resource depletion is the consumption of resource at a faster rate than the replenishment rate. There are two types of resources – renewable and non-renewable. The depletion of non-renewable resource is a major environmental issue. The non renewable resources that are depleting rapidly are fossil fuels, water, land, etc.
1. The depletion of land resources – The fertile soil of land gets destroyed due to soil erosion, waterlogging, and other activities like production of bricks.
2. The depletion of water resources – It causes of acute shortage of water all over India. Water is required in almost every field whether it is agriculture or industries or household. The water shortage is a major problem faced by the world today.
3. Depletion of biodiversity – Habitat is another major environmental issue which can be caused due to expansion of areas under agricultural and it can endanger many species of flora and fauna.
Explain why environmental problems are simultaneously social problems.
Environmental problems are simultaneously social problems also because people, society, and environment are interrelated and so every environmental problem is the problem of society. The society not only creates but also solves environmental problems.
1. The environmental problems affect the different groups of a society in different manner because of social inequality.
2. The social status determines the extent of control and access to the environmental resources, so the classes or the groups having easy access to or ownership of natural resources will be less harmed by the environmental issues than those who do not have easy access.
3. However certain environmental problems are of universal concern and they are not limited to a particular social group.
What is meant by social ecology?
Social Ecology is a social theory which suggests the need to change the social, political, and economic trends so as to create harmony in the society. It emphasizes on the role of social relations in environmental practices and perceptions. It emphasizes that the social relationships create the environmental perceptions and practices in the society. Therefore, different social groups have different relationships to the environment and they approach it differently. Social Ecology is concerned with both rural and urban society regarding their adjustment to the environment.
Describe some environment related conflicts that you know of or have read about. (Other than the examples in the text.)
Some environmental related conflicts are –
• The Chipko Movement – It was a socio-ecological movement for protecting the trees. It started in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and then was spread all over the India.
• Narmada Bachao Andolan – It was about the construction of Sardar Sarovar Dam on the river Narmada.
• Distribution of river water between Punjab Haryana and Rajasthan