Ecology: Greek words ‘oikos’ meaning ‘house’, ‘logy’ meaning the ‘science of’. Literally, ecology is the study of the earth as a ‘household’, of plants, human beings, animals and micro-organisms. They all live together as interdependent components. German zoologist Ernst Haeckel, who used the term as ‘oekologie’ in 1869, became the first person to use the…
On the basis of how the air pollution impacts human health, certain standards for Air pollution have been set. Such standards are often set only for the Ambient air, i.e. the air surrounding us in the outdoors. WHO establishes Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) based on scientific evidence of health risks. It sets limits for…
Particulate matter is the minute solid particles or liquid droplets in the air such as dust, mist, fumes, smoke and smog. Present in vehicle emissions, smoke particles from fires, dust, and ash from industries. These Particles can be classified into two categories: Viable: For example, minute living organisms’ bacteria, fungi, moulds, algae etc. Humans are…
Carbon pricing is an instrument that captures the external costs of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is levied on the Carbon emitters and is used as a relief against the loss that occurred due to Climate Change. It is based on the Polluter Pays principle. The problem of accounting for loss due to Climate Change:…
Pollution is defined as the accumulation of substances or forms of energy in an environment in quantities or at flow rates, which exceed an ecosystem’s capacity to either neutralise or disperse them to harmless levels. (RF Dasmann – 1975). What do the terms used in this definition mean? Pollution can happen through various mediums, such…
Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperature, precipitation, and other atmospheric conditions on Earth. In the history of its evolution over a period of 4.5 billion years, the Earth has witnessed several events of climate change, many of which have led to mass extinctions. In recent times, humans have created yet another unprecedented change…