CBSE Class 11 Economics Indian Economic Development Revision Notes Chapter 9

CBSE Class 11 Indian Economic Development Revision Notes Chapter 9 – Environment and Sustainable Development

Understanding nuances of the environment’s impact on India’s economy can help plan better policies for the sustenance of both depleting human health and the conservation of natural resources for future generations. The Revision Notes for Class 11 Indian Economic Development Chapter 9 provides pointers on the concepts covered in the chapter, which can benefit students to formulate their answers effectively. Economics is a subject that requires great conceptual clarity and good understanding. . Students can access the Revision Notes for Class 11 Indian Economic Development Chapter 9 from Extramarks to speed up their exam preparation.

What is the Environment?

The environment refers to the harmonious and natural arrangement of biotic (plants, animals) and abiotic (air, water, soil, rocks) elements that surround us and impact our existence and quality of life.

The environmental definition includes all the natural resources on the planet.

Functions of Environment

1. The environment offers resources – Physical resources for production and development like minerals, wood, water, soil etc. are obtained from the environment. There are two types of resources. They  are as follows:

• Renewable resources: Such resources can be used without depletion or exhaustion. Examples – air and sunlight.
• Non-renewable resources: Resources that get exhausted or used over a period of time due to their extraction and extensive usage. Examples – coal and fossil fuels.

      2. Sustenance of life – The primary needs for the existence of human beings are natural resources             like sunlight, soil, water etc.

      3. Assimilation of waste – Absorption by the environment after production and generation of                     waste is an essential aspect of the functions of the environment.

      4. Enhances the quality of life – Aesthetics provided by the environment offer a happy and                          pleasant feeling to living creatures and enhance the quality of life. 

Carrying Capacity of the Environment:

• When resource overuse is not greater than resource regeneration.
• When waste generation does not exceed the ability of the environment to absorb them, the ecosystem is not polluted.
• There is a probability of future environmental crises when the environment’s carrying capacity is exceeded due to the overuse of natural resources and the high level of garbage output.

Absorptive Capacity:

The environment’s potential to absorb degradation and pollution is called absorptive capacity.

Global Warming

Global warming is a dramatic increase in the average temperature of the earth’s lower atmosphere due to the increase in greenhouse gases. This phenomenon has been prevalent since the industrial revolution. 

Ozone Depletion

A reduction in the amount of ozone in the stratosphere, which may be caused due to high amounts of chlorine and bromine, is called ozone depletion. Usually, the chlorofluorocarbons present in air conditioners and refrigerators may be released, leading to the depletion of the ozone layer. 

State of India’s Environment

The limited natural resources of India are under the pressure of over-utilization by the ever-growing need for development. Environmental issues have risen due to the same. A few of these are as follows :

1. Land Degradation – Reduction of Land fertility due to multiple reasons such as deforestation, extraction of fuelwood and fodder, shifting cultivation, encroachment of forest regions, overgrazing and forest fires, improper crop rotation, excess extraction of groundwater etc. 
2. Air pollution – Constant pollution of the atmosphere due to smoke from industries, emission of poisonous gases due to chemical treatments and alarming rates of smoke from vehicles can seriously damage the environment. 
3. Biodiversity loss – This refers to the decline, depletion or extinction of the world’s living species due to climate change, pollution or over-exploitation of natural resources. 
4. Management of freshwater – Dumping wastes in the water resources, household trash and chemical fertilisers used by farmers can result in the degradation of the quality of freshwater.
5. Solid Waste Management – An urgent need to understand the health hazards associated with improper segregation of wastes, littering and huge heaps of garbage which will prevent people from creating solid wastes in such large amounts. 

Sustainable Development

The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) defines sustainable development as “development that meets the demand of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their requirements.”

Strategies for Sustainable Development

The strategies for sustainable development are explained as follows:

• Use of non-conventional sources of energy – Adverse effects on the environment can be reversed by using non-conventional sources such as wind and solar power.  Environmental pollution is largely by thermal and hydro energy sources, which can degrade the quality of other resources. 
• Providing LPG and gobar gas in rural areas – Gobar gas is produced from the already generated cow waste. It is a better alternative to other fuel sources like wood and biomass. LPG is another clean fuel which considerably protects the environment. 
• Compressed natural gas in the urban areas – Usage of CNG is prevalent in public transport vehicles, resulting in reduced air pollution. 
• Wind power – Turbines powered by wind are used to generate electricity to empower the concept of sustainable development. The cost of installation may be high initially, but a lot of long-term expenses are compensated for by this method. 
• Solar Power through Photovoltaic Cells – Using sunlight as an energy source solves an economic issue and is also the first step towards sustainable development. 
• Approaching traditional practices and methods – Indians have always had a strong traditional foothold in many aspects of utilising resources. As we strayed farther from these methods, negative impacts on the environment have increased. 
• Mini Hydel plants  – Electricity generated by streams that turn turbines can meet the local demands of many regions. An eco-friendly option, mini-hydel plants are an excellent choice for sustainable change and development. 
• Biocomposting – Composting using organic materials that act as effective fertilisers for growing land crops is an excellent method for sustainable farming.
• Bio-Pest Control – Pest control is necessary to preserve crops from being degraded in quantity and quality. Various methods like chemical pesticides, plant-based pesticides and even birds and animals are used for effective pest control.  
• Organic farming – The principle of organic farming focuses on restoring nutrients to the soil, which is better than conventional farming.

Environment and Sustainable Development Class 11

Extramarks offers revision notes prepared by subject matter experts based on NCERT books which are aligned with CBSE guidelines and curriculum for all chapters of Class 11 Indian Economic Development to aid student preparation for their exams. The students may download these notes from the app or website to utilise them as quick revision material. Notes for every topic are accurate and reliable since they are thoroughly checked and approved by the experts who follow the CBSE exam guidelines. . These notes are well compiled which helps them to understand the key points easily, make them revise quickly and save time for students.

Revision Notes For Class 11 Chapter 9 Environment and Sustainable Development

Introduction :

The notes for Class 11 Chapter 9 Environment and Sustainable Development cover the important aspects of various strategies for maintaining the development of the Indian economy. Other chapters in the book Indian Economic Development mention the environmental issues associated with the Indian economy.  Improvement of the deteriorating ecological condition is extremely necessary to maintain a fruitful quality of life on earth. 

Environment – Definition and Functions

The environment is defined as the entirety of the planet’s resources and heredity in Revision Notes for Class 11 Chapter 9 Environment and Sustainable Development. The environment is made up of both biotic and abiotic components. “abiotic components” refer to non-living things like air, water, land, and rocks. In contrast “biotic components” refer to living things like people, animals, and trees.

The four functions of the environment are :

• Supply of resources
• Waste assimilation
• Providing aesthetic services to all components present in it
• Facilitation of genetic and biodiversity sustainment

State of India’s Environment

Indian resources are rich in terms of all its environmental spheres. The atmosphere contains several gases, and the lithosphere or soil contains a variety of minerals and high-quality natural vegetation, cattle and wildlife. But, the competition for these rich natural resources is ample, and thus over-utilisation leads to degradation. 

The factors that affect the Indian environment are :

• Deforestation leads to the loss of vegetation and wildlife.
• Fuel and fodder extraction performed unsustainably.
• Forest lands are being encroached upon for man-made constructions.
• Shifting cultivation is a significant reason for degradation.
• Irrigation projects are unsuitably organised, which leads to many environmental issues. 

Sustainable Development

The shortage of resources leads to more competition for the same set of resources by various species on the planet. The gradual change from utilisation to the preservation of these resources sustainably for the current and future generations is necessary to ensure the existence of organisms on earth. 

Primary initiators for sustainable development are : 

• Conservation of natural resources 
• Preservation of regenerative capacity

Strategies for Sustainable Development

Avoiding the over-usage of natural resources can be beneficial to preventing the extinction of these from the environment. The road to sustainable development can be accessed by adopting various strategies. These are listed as follows :

• Usage of non-conventional sources of energy.
• Providing LPG and gobar gas in rural areas.
• Compressed natural gas in urban areas.
• Maintaining proper wind power.
• Solar-powered through photovoltaic cells.
• Approaching traditional practices and methods.
• Biocomposting, hydel plants, etc.
• Controlling bio pests is also important.

Conclusion

Resources for living and nonliving things must be protected and preserved if the country is to prosper. . The development of natural resources is crucial to the success of the Indian economy. To lessen anthropogenic problems like deforestation, industrial pollution, ozone layer deterioration, etc., it is required to comprehend and put into practice various techniques for the expansion of these resources.

Extramarks’ Class 11 Indian Economic Development Revision Notes Chapter 9 is a reliable resource to supplement notes to enjoy a better learning experience and help students score better marks in the examinations.