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Class-XII

                                Economics (Indian Economic Development)


                                                     CHAPTER-9


                   Topic –Environment and sustainable development (Module-55)




               Short note

               Environment may be defined as all those conditions and their effects which influence human
               life. It is the sum total of surrounding and the totality of the resources.


               According to the Environment Act 1986, “Environment includes, water, air and land and the
               inter relationship which exists among and between water air land and human beings and other
               creatures, plants, micro-organisms and property”.


               Functions of Environment
               Environment performs four vital junctions, which are as follows:

                    It assimilates waste.
                    It sustains life by providing genetic and bio diversity.
                    It also provides aesthetic services like scenery etc


                    Supply Resources Resources include both renewable and non-renewable sources of
                     energy. Resources which can be used without any fear of getting depleted are
                     renewable sources of energy, e.g. trees, fishes, etc. Non-renewable sources are those
                     which are getting depleted or exhausted. e.g. fossil fuel, etc.
                    Assimilates Waste Production and consumption activity generates wastes. It is
                     generally in form of garbage which is absorbed by the environment.
                    Sustains Life Sun, soil, air, water are the essential ingredients of environment for the
                     human life. Absence of these will lead to an end of life on the Earth.
                    Aesthetic Services Environment provides aesthetic services like scenery, which
                     includes rivers, ocean, mountains and deserts. Enjoying these surroundings adds to the
                     quality of life.




               Significance of Environment


                    Environment offers resources for production.
                    Environment sustains life.
                    Environment Enhance quality of life.

               Environmental Crisis
               The environment is performing its functions without any interruption as long as the demand
               of these functions is within its carrying capacity. This means that if the rate of extraction of
               resources will be above the rate of their regeneration, the environment will fail to perform its
               functions.


               Resources are becoming extinct and wastes are generated beyond the absorptive capacity of
               the environment. All this has lead to the environmental crisis, it refers to ecological crisis that
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