Environmental Studies – 307 Syllabus for Class 12


1. Human Beings and Nature

  • Modern Schools of Ecological Thought
    • Deep Ecology vs. Shallow Ecology: Deep Ecology (Gary Snyder, Earth First) versus shallow ecology.
    • Stewardship of Land: (e.g., Wendell Berry).
    • Social Ecology: Marxist environmentalism and socialist ecology (Barry Commoner).
    • Feminism and Green Politics: Focus on environmental movements like feminism, Green politics in Germany and England.
    • Sustainable Development: Understanding sustainable development from a broader ecological and social perspective.
  • Key Organizations
    • World Wide Fund for Nature: Mission and strategy for conservation.
    • Greenpeace: Mission, core values, objectives, and strategies.

2. Population and Conservation Ecology

  • Population Dynamics
    • Factors Influencing Population Change: Birth, death, immigration, emigration, age structure, population pyramids, survivorship curves, r and K strategies.
  • Human Populations
    • Malthusian Model and Demographic Transition: Overpopulation, shortage of resources, and questioning Malthus.
    • Population Regulation: Exponential growth curve (J-shaped) and Logistic growth curve (S-shaped), factors regulating population size (space, food, climate, etc.).
  • Human Population Control
    • Family Planning and Women’s Empowerment: Strategies for population control with an emphasis on women’s empowerment.
  • Ecosystem Threats
    • Causes and Consequences: Habitat destruction, genetic erosion, loss of diversity, waste, and increasing consumption.
  • Conservation
    • In-situ and Ex-situ Conservation: Importance, types, and methods of conservation, with examples from wildlife sanctuaries, zoos, and biosphere reserves.
    • Conflicts in Forest Management: Issues concerning people living around forests, poaching, developmental projects, and the role of forest departments and NGOs.
  • Case Study: Project Tiger: Origin, aims, objectives, successes, and failures in tiger conservation.

3. Monitoring Pollution

  • Pollution Monitoring
    • Primary and Secondary Pollutants: Understanding the importance of monitoring air and water quality.
  • Atmospheric Monitoring Techniques
    • Manual and Instrumental Monitoring: Techniques like Passive Samplers, High Volume Samplers, Photometric, and NDIR methods.
  • Air Quality Standards
    • National and International Standards: NAAQM, WHO guidelines for air quality, and the role of pollution control boards.
  • Water Testing
    • Indicators of Water Quality: Electrical conductivity, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, etc.
  • Soil Testing
    • Soil Indicators: Biological, physical, and chemical indicators for soil type and quality.

4. Third World Development

  • Urban-Rural Divide
    • Push and Pull Factors: Causes of migration and the impact on rural and urban areas, with future trends.
  • Critique of Conventional Development Models
    • Environmental, Social, and Equity Considerations: The negative impacts of development on resources, pollution, and the disparity in resource distribution.
  • Gandhian Approach to Development
    • Principles of Local Self-governance: Antoday, Sarvoday, Panchayati Raj, and local self-sufficiency.
  • Urban Environmental Planning
    • Problems of Sanitation, Water, Transport, and Energy: Constraints faced in third-world urban areas and indigenous solutions like rainwater harvesting, composting, etc.
  • Examples of Urban Planning:
    • Bogota (Traffic Management)
    • Cuba (Urban Agriculture)
    • Curitiba (Urban Renewal)

5. Sustainable Agriculture

  • Traditional Agriculture in India
    • Techniques and Systems: Irrigation, crop varieties, maintaining soil fertility, and the impact of colonialism on agriculture.
  • Green Revolution
    • Techniques and Impacts: High Yielding Varieties (HYVs), fertilizers, and pesticides; ecological impacts and the need for sustainable practices.
  • Sustainable Agriculture
    • Techniques: Crop rotation, integrated pest management, and organic farming.
  • Food Security
    • Global and Local Issues: The importance of food security, with emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices and land reform.

6. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

  • Natural Resources
    • Classification: Renewable and non-renewable resources, scarcity, and natural resource accounting.
  • Economic Indicators
    • GNP vs. Other Forms of Measuring Income: Definitions and comparisons of GNP, GDP, and their role in assessing growth and sustainability.

Additional Notes

  • Monitoring Tools: Techniques and strategies for monitoring pollution levels, air and water quality.
  • Practical Applications: Fieldwork and lab-based methods for better understanding soil and water quality indicators.

 

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Environmental Studies (Class 12) Syllabus Breakdown

1. Introduction to Environmental Studies

  • Basic concepts of environmental studies and their significance.
  • Interactions between environment and society.
  • Types of resources: renewable and non-renewable.

2. Ecosystems

  • Understanding ecosystems: structure, function, energy flow, and types of ecosystems (forest, grassland, aquatic, etc.).
  • Food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids.
  • Importance of biodiversity in ecosystems.

3. Natural Resources

  • Types of natural resources: land, water, soil, minerals, and energy resources.
  • Resource conservation techniques and sustainable development.
  • Renewable energy resources: solar, wind, and biomass.

4. Biodiversity and Conservation

  • Importance of biodiversity: ecosystem stability and human survival.
  • Threats to biodiversity: habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, etc.
  • Conservation strategies and national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves.

5. Environmental Pollution

  • Types of pollution: air, water, soil, noise, and light pollution.
  • Causes, effects, and control measures of pollution.
  • Environmental impact assessment and sustainable industrial practices.

6. Social Issues and the Environment

  • Environmental problems at local, national, and global levels.
  • Human rights, women, and the environment.
  • Role of government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in environmental protection.

7. Sustainable Development and Environmental Laws

  • Concepts of sustainable development and its goals.
  • Importance of environmental legislation and policies.
  • International efforts for environmental protection: Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, etc.

8. Fieldwork/Practical Studies

  • Environmental surveys, waste management, and studying local ecosystems.
  • Projects related to environmental issues: conservation, pollution control, etc.

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