Dharmanandan - Biodiversity loss,its past and current trends and its impact

Centre for Concept Design

19 Jul 202409:51

Summary

TLDRThis lecture series on Environmental Studies covers topics like biodiversity laws, environmental audits, impact assessments, and risk assessments. It explains the concept of biodiversity and its loss due to human activities like habitat destruction and climate change. The lecture discusses the impacts of biodiversity loss on ecosystems and human life, and introduces tools to assess and mitigate environmental risks posed by projects.

Takeaways

🌿 **Biodiversity Defined**: Biodiversity refers to the variability among living organisms, including within species, between species, and of ecosystems.
🌍 **Historical Perspective**: Geological records show five major extinction events, but the current rate of biodiversity loss is unprecedented, driven by human activities.
🏞️ **Drivers of Biodiversity Loss**: Habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and invasive species are the main causes.
🌳 **Consequences of Biodiversity Loss**: Loss of species disrupts ecosystems, impacts food webs, nutrient cycling, and can lead to the loss of potential resources and species.
💸 **Economic Impact**: Biodiversity loss affects industries like tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, impacting the economy.
🔍 **Environmental Audit**: It's a systematic internal review to ensure environmental responsibility, including complaint evaluation, performance assessment, and risk identification.
🏗️ **Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)**: A proactive tool used to predict potential environmental impacts of a project before it begins, including scoping, impact assessment, mitigation measures, and monitoring.
📊 **Environmental Risk Assessment**: A systematic process to estimate the likelihood and severity of adverse environmental effects from a project or activity.
🌱 **Three R's Concept**: Reduce, recycle, and reuse are key concepts in sustainability, aiming to minimize waste and resource consumption.
🌐 **Ecomark Scheme**: A scheme to promote sustainable practices and products, encouraging businesses to adopt environmentally friendly measures.

Q & A

What is the definition of biodiversity according to the UNDP?
-According to the UNDP, biodiversity is the variability among living organisms from all sources, including diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.
How many major extinction events have occurred throughout Earth's history?
-Geological records reveal five major extinction events throughout Earth's history.
What is the primary driver of the current rate of biodiversity loss?
-The current rate of biodiversity loss is primarily driven by human activities.
What are the main causes of biodiversity loss as mentioned in the script?
-The main causes of biodiversity loss mentioned are habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and invasive species.
What is the impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystems?
-Biodiversity loss disrupts ecosystems by altering the delicate balance between them, impacting food webs, nutrient cycling, and natural processes that sustain life on Earth.
How does biodiversity loss affect ecosystem services?
-Biodiversity loss puts at risk the ecosystem services we rely on, such as clean air and water, food security, pollination, and flood control.
What is an environmental audit and what does it assess?
-An environmental audit is a systematic internal review of an organization's environmental practices, policies, and compliance with regulations. It assesses complaints evaluation, performance assessment, and risk identification.
What is the purpose of an environmental impact assessment?
-An environmental impact assessment is a proactive tool used to predict the potential environmental impacts of a proposed project before it begins.
What are the key elements of an environmental impact assessment?
-The key elements of an environmental impact assessment are scoping, impact assessment, mitigation measures, and monitoring and reporting.
What is an environmental risk assessment and what does it involve?
-An environmental risk assessment is a systematic process used to estimate the likelihood and severity of adverse effects on the environment resulting from a particular project, activity, or substances.
What are the steps involved in an environmental risk assessment?
-The steps involved in an environmental risk assessment are hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization, risk estimation, and risk management.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Biodiversity Laws & Environmental Assessments

The lecture series on Environmental Studies covers six topics including biodiversity laws, environmental audits, impact assessments, risk assessments, waste management, and sustainability. Biodiversity is defined by the UNDP as the variability among living organisms, including within and between species and ecosystems. Historically, there have been five major extinction events, but the current rate of biodiversity loss is unprecedented, driven by human activities such as habitat loss, climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and invasive species. The consequences of biodiversity loss are far-reaching, impacting ecosystem disruption, services, potential resources, and human economies. The lecture then discusses tools for environmental protection and conservation, including environmental audits, which are systematic internal reviews of an organization's environmental practices and compliance with regulations.

05:00

🔍 Environmental Audits & Impact Assessments

Environmental audits serve to evaluate compliance, assess performance, and identify risks within an organization's environmental practices. They help avoid legal issues, optimize resource use, and mitigate potential accidents. Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are proactive tools used to predict potential environmental impacts of a proposed project. They involve scoping, impact assessment, mitigation measures, and monitoring and reporting. The lecture also covers environmental risk assessments, which estimate the likelihood and severity of adverse environmental effects from a project or activity. This involves hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization, risk estimation, and risk management. The session concludes with a summary of the topics covered, including biodiversity laws, environmental audits, impact assessments, and risk assessments.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Biodiversity

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth, encompassing the diversity within and between species and ecosystems. It is a fundamental concept in environmental studies, as it highlights the complexity of life and its interdependence. In the script, biodiversity is discussed in the context of laws and regulations designed to protect it, emphasizing its importance to the health of our planet.

💡Environmental Audit

An environmental audit is a systematic review of an organization's environmental practices, policies, and compliance with regulations. It is a self-assessment tool used to identify areas for improvement and ensure environmental responsibility. The script mentions that audits evaluate adherence to regulations, assess performance, and identify risks, which are crucial for organizations to minimize their environmental impact.

💡Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

EIA is a tool used to predict the potential environmental impacts of a proposed project before it begins. It is a crucial planning stage activity that helps decision-makers assess the feasibility and potential consequences of a project. The script explains that EIA involves identifying the project scope, assessing impacts, developing mitigation measures, and establishing monitoring and reporting plans.

💡Environmental Risk Assessment

Environmental risk assessment is a systematic process used to estimate the likelihood and severity of adverse effects on the environment resulting from a particular project, activity, or substance. It is a proactive approach that anticipates potential problems and takes steps to mitigate them before they occur. The script outlines the steps involved, including hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization, risk estimation, and risk management.

💡Habitat Loss

Habitat loss is a significant driver of biodiversity loss, primarily caused by the conversion of natural habitats for agriculture, urbanization, and infrastructure development. The script discusses how habitat loss leads to the disappearance of forests at alarming rates and the fragmentation of habitats, which isolates populations and hinders their long-term viability.

💡Climate Change

Climate change is mentioned as a major factor affecting biodiversity, with rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and ocean acidification disrupting ecosystems. The script emphasizes how climate change pushes many species beyond their ability to adapt, leading to biodiversity loss.

💡Overexploitation of Natural Resources

Overexploitation refers to unsustainable practices such as fishing, hunting, and resource extraction that deplete populations of plants and animals. The script highlights this as a significant cause of biodiversity loss, as these practices can lead to the depletion of species at an alarming rate.

💡Pollution

Pollution is the contamination of air, water, and soil by pollutants like pesticides, industrial waste, or plastic. The script discusses how pollution creates toxic environments that harm wildlife and ecological processes. It is identified as a key factor contributing to the decline in biodiversity.

💡Invasive Species

Invasive species are non-native species introduced into a new environment that can outcompete native species for resources, leading to declines in biodiversity. The script uses the example of the Lana Kamar plant to illustrate how invasive species can disrupt ecosystems and reduce biodiversity.

💡Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem services refer to the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems, such as clean air and water, food security, pollination, and flood control. The script explains that biodiversity loss puts these services at risk, as the loss of species can disrupt the delicate balance of ecosystems and impact the natural processes that sustain life on Earth.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to maintain ecological balance and human well-being through the responsible use of resources. The script touches on the concept of 'reduce, recycle, reuse' as part of sustainability efforts, emphasizing the need for a proactive approach to environmental management to ensure long-term ecological and economic viability.

Highlights

Introduction to Environmental Studies lecture series with six topics to be covered.

Definition of biodiversity as the variability among living organisms.

Historical perspective on biodiversity loss and five major extinction events.

Current rate of biodiversity loss is unprecedented, primarily driven by human activities.

Habitat loss as a major driver of species loss due to agriculture, urbanization, and infrastructure development.

Climate change disrupts ecosystems and affects species' ability to adapt.

Overexploitation of natural resources depleting plant and animal populations.

Pollution creates toxic environments that harm wildlife and ecological processes.

Invasive species outcompete native species for resources, leading to declines in biodiversity.

Consequences of biodiversity loss include ecosystem disruption and impact on ecosystem services.

Biodiversity loss affects human race with severe economic consequences for industries.

Environmental audits as a systematic internal review of an organization's environmental practices.

Environmental audits help identify areas for improvement and ensure environmental responsibility.

Environmental impact assessment is a proactive tool used to predict potential environmental impacts of a project.

Key elements of an environmental impact assessment include scoping, impact assessment, mitigation measures, and monitoring.

Environmental risk assessment estimates the likelihood and severity of adverse environmental effects.

Steps in environmental risk assessment include hazard identification, exposure assessment, hazard characterization, risk estimation, and risk management.

Summary of the lecture covering biodiversity laws, environmental audit, environmental impact assessment, and environmental risk assessment.