Lesson 9: Environmental Management

In the figure : In the figure weather is short term and local; climate is long term and widespread.

Rule 1: Weather and climate — Weather-related (climatic) factors are atmospheric pressure, temperature, sunlight, visibility, clouds, rainfall and humidity. The climate of a region is the average of daily readings of these parameters recorded for several years, so it is the long-term predominant condition of the atmosphere. Weather relates to a specific place and time; climate relates to a longer duration and a larger area. Weather may change for short periods, but climate changes slowly over a long time.

• Easy : "It rained today" describes weather; "Konkan has heavy rain every year" describes climate.
• Medium : Daily maximum temperatures of 30, 32 and 34 °C over 3 days give an average (30 + 32 + 34) ÷ 3 = 32 °C; a climate value comes from averaging over many years like this.
• Exam-type : One cold day in a desert does not change its climate, since climate needs long-term averages.

Rule 2: Why climate matters — Climate influences food, clothing, shelter and occupations, and is especially important for an agrarian country like India. Wind direction and speed, temperature and pressure are considered while building runways, seaports, huge bridges and skyscrapers. 23 March is observed as World Meteorological Day. Climate decides the diet, clothing, housing and lifestyle of people (for example Kashmiri and Rajasthani people). It is related to the salinity of sea water, ocean currents and the water cycle, causes weathering of rocks, helps to form and enrich soil, and affects the work of soil microbes.

• Easy : Warm woollen clothes in Kashmir and light cotton in Rajasthan summers come from climate.
• Medium : A farmer picks rice (needs much rain) in Konkan and bajra (needs less rain) in dry areas, because climate decides the crop.
• Exam-type : Before building a tall bridge, engineers study wind speed and direction, so that the bridge does not sway dangerously in storms.

Spot the difference

Rule 1: Meteorology — Meteorology studies the inter-relationships between the components of air, natural cycles, geological movements of the earth and climate. It includes storms, clouds, rainfall, thunder and lightning. Forecasts help common people, farmers, fisheries, aviation and water transport.

• Easy : A forecast of heavy rain warns fishermen to stay ashore.
• Medium : Airlines use forecasts of fog and wind to plan flights safely.
• Exam-type : Weather maps are prepared twice in every 24 hours, so a forecast can be updated every 24 ÷ 2 = 12 hours.

Rule 2: Organisations and history — The World Meteorological Organization was established by the United Nations on 23 March 1950. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) was founded by the British in 1875 at Shimla; its head office is in New Delhi, with regional offices at Guwahati, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Nagpur and New Delhi. Monsoon forecasting in India is more than 100 years old. After the famine of 1877, H. F. Blanford first predicted the monsoon, taking Himalayan snowfall as a parameter. Sir Gilbert Walker underlined the link between worldwide climatic factors and the monsoon in the 1930s. A 16-parameter model started by Dr Vasantrao Govarikar was used from 1990 to 2002.

• Easy : IMD was founded in 1875 at Shimla.
• Medium : From 1875 to 1950 (WMO) is 1950 − 1875 = 75 years.
• Exam-type : The 16-parameter model was used from 1990 to 2002, which is 2002 − 1990 = 12 years.

Rule 3: Forecasting models — The mathematical (dynamic) model analyses current weather data with the Param supercomputer. The statistical model compares current observations with the parameters of earlier years. The holistic model combines the outcomes of various models. Models must be changed continually because the ocean–atmosphere relationship is never constant.

• Easy : The statistical model compares today with past years.
• Medium : The holistic model combines the results of the dynamic and statistical models.
• Exam-type : Why do models need constant change? The ocean and the atmosphere keep changing in relation to each other.

Spot the difference

In the figure : In the figure microbes break down wet waste, not dry waste.

Rule 1: Solid waste — If properly disposed of, solid waste can be a valuable source of energy; if not, it causes water, soil and air pollution and threatens health and economic growth. Daily solid waste: Mumbai about 5000 tons, Pune 1700 tons, Nagpur 900 tons. Improper solid waste management was one of the reasons for the Mumbai flood of 26 July 2005.

• Easy : Mumbai makes about 5000 tons of solid waste per day.
• Medium : Pune and Nagpur together: 1700 + 900 = 2600 tons per day.
• Exam-type : In a week Pune makes 1700 × 7 = 11,900 tons of waste, so good management is a huge task.

Rule 2: Types of solid waste — Domestic, industrial, hazardous, farm and garden, electronic (old TV sets, mobile phones, computers), biomedical (bandages, needles, gloves), urban, radioactive (from atomic energy plants and uranium mines) and mining waste (lead, arsenic, cadmium).

• Easy : An old mobile phone is electronic waste.
• Medium : Bandages and needles are biomedical waste and need careful disposal, never mixing with household waste.
• Exam-type : Lead, arsenic and cadmium from mining are poisonous, so mining waste is hazardous.

Rule 3: Wet and dry waste — Biodegradable waste (kitchen waste, ash, soil, dung, plant parts) is easily broken down by microbes and is also called wet waste; it gives compost and biofuel. Non-biodegradable waste (plastic, metal) takes a very long time to degrade and is also called dry waste.

• Easy : A banana peel is wet waste; a plastic bottle is dry waste.
• Medium : Compost can be made only from wet waste, because microbes act on it.
• Exam-type : Of 10 kg household waste, if 6 kg is wet, then 10 − 6 = 4 kg is dry, and 6 ÷ 10 × 100 = 60% can be composted.

Spot the difference

In the figure : In the figure reduce, reuse and recycle to manage waste.

Rule 1: Need and methods — Need: to prevent pollution, to produce energy and fertilizer and create employment, to reduce the strain on natural resources, and to improve health and maintain environmental balance. Methods: composting, vermicomposting, pyrolysis (energy such as biogas and bioelectricity), incineration of biomedical waste, and land-fill sites.

• Easy : Vermicomposting uses earthworms to turn wet waste into manure.
• Medium : Incineration (burning in special furnaces) is used for biomedical waste like used needles and bandages.
• Exam-type : Pyrolysis of waste gives biogas and bioelectricity, so it solves two problems: waste and energy.

Rule 2: 3 R mantra and habits — The 3 R mantra is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The seven principles are Reuse, Refuse, Recycle, Rethink, Reduce, Research and Regulation. Good habits: use cloth bags, throw wrappers into dustbins, use both sides of paper, use rechargeable batteries, and avoid use-and-throw articles.

• Easy : Use a cloth bag instead of a plastic bag: that is Reduce.
• Medium : Writing on both sides of a page uses half as much paper: one page does the work of two.
• Exam-type : A family uses 4 plastic bags a day. In 30 days: 4 × 30 = 120 bags. With cloth bags, they avoid all 120.

Rule 3: Time to degrade — Banana peelings 3 to 4 weeks; cloth bags 1 month; rags 5 months; woollen socks 1 year; wood 10 to 15 years; leather shoes 40 to 50 years; tin cans 50 to 100 years; aluminium cans 200 to 250 years; certain plastic bags 10 lakh years; thermocol cups an infinite duration. America is the largest producer of electricity from solid waste, and Japan makes threads and paper from banana peelings. Athens enacted a garbage disposal law in 320 BCE.

• Easy : A banana peel disappears in 3 to 4 weeks, but plastic stays for lakhs of years.
• Medium : Leather shoes take 40 to 50 years and an aluminium can 200 to 250 years, so a can lasts about 5 times longer (200 ÷ 40 = 5).
• Exam-type : 10 lakh years is 10,00,000 years. Dividing by wood's 10 years, plastic takes 10,00,000 ÷ 10 = 1,00,000 times longer than wood.

In the figure : In the figure natural materials degrade quickly; leather and wood take decades.

Spot the difference

In the figure : In the figure in first aid always check ABC first.

Rule 1: Disaster management — Natural disasters (lightning, floods, fire) and man-made disasters (accidents, bomb explosions, chemical accidents, stampedes, riots) cause large-scale damage. Disaster management is action through proper planning, organised activity and co-ordination: prevention of losses, preparation, relief, immediate action, assessment of damage, rescue and help, and rehabilitation.

• Easy : A flood is a natural disaster; a chemical leak is man-made.
• Medium : Steps in order: prevent losses, prepare, relief, immediate action, assess damage, rescue, rehabilitate.
• Exam-type : In an emergency, call 108 (ambulance) or 112 first, then give first aid while waiting.

Rule 2: First aid and ABC — First aid aims at preventing death, preventing worsening of health and starting rehabilitation. ABC: Airway (keep the passage open), Breathing (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation) and Circulation (CPR, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation).

• Easy : A means Airway, B means Breathing, C means Circulation.
• Medium : Check ABC in the order A, B, C: first make sure the airway is open before anything else.
• Exam-type : Only trained people should do CPR; others should call for help and keep the person lying down.

Rule 3: Common injuries — Bleeding: cover with an antiseptic pad and press for 5 minutes. Fracture: immobilise with a wooden rod or ruler; for a back injury keep the patient still on a firm stretcher. Burns: hold under clean, cold flowing water for at least 10 minutes. Sprains: RICE — Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate.

• Easy : Burn on a hand: hold it under cold running water for at least 10 minutes.
• Medium : A cut bleeds: press with a clean pad for 5 minutes without lifting it to peek.
• Exam-type : For a twisted ankle, RICE means rest, ice, compression with a bandage and keeping the leg raised.

Rule 4: Carrying a patient — Methods: cradle (children), piggy back and pulling (unconscious patients), human crutch (injured leg), two-hand and four-hand chairs, and a stretcher. In floods, boats, wooden boards, bamboo floats and tyre tubes help.

• Easy : An injured leg: a human crutch helps the patient walk with support.
• Medium : A child is carried by the cradle method; an unconscious adult by pulling or piggy back, as the situation allows.
• Exam-type : If a back injury is suspected, do not move the person except on a firm stretcher, as moving carelessly can worsen the injury.

Spot the difference