People, Development & Environment Syllabus for UGC NET exam

The major topics in the People, Development & Environment unit are as follows:

• Development and environment: Millennium development and Sustainable development goals.  
• Human and environment interaction: Anthropogenic activities and their impacts on the environment.  
• Environmental issues: Local, Regional and Global; Air pollution, Water pollution, Soil pollution, Noise pollution, Waste (solid, liquid, biomedical, hazardous, electronic), Climate change and its Socio-Economic and Political dimensions.  
• Impacts of pollutants on human health.  
• Natural and energy resources: Solar, Wind, Soil, Hydro, Geothermal, Biomass, Nuclear and Forests.  
• Natural hazards and disasters: Mitigation strategies.  
• Environmental Protection Act (1986), National Action Plan on Climate Change, International agreements/efforts -Montreal Protocol, Rio Summit, Convention on Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, International Solar Alliance. 

Aspirants must study important topics from each of the above concepts.

Topic-wise notes for the People, Development & Environment chapter

Development and environment: Millennium development and Sustainable development goals. 

Sustainable development is defined as development that satisfies the demands of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs. Sustainability is all about 3 major aspects: economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

Overall sustainability aims at the following based on the 17 goals set by the UN:

1. No Poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good Health & Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality 
6. Clean water and sanitation 
7. Affordable and clean energy 
8. Decent work and economic growth 
9. Industry innovation and infrastructure 
10. Reduced inequality 
11. Sustainable cities and communities 
12. Sustainable consumption and production 
13. Climate action 
14. Life below water 
15. Life on land 
16. Peace, justice, and strong institutions 
17. Partnerships for the goals

Human and environment interaction: Anthropogenic activities and their impacts on the environment  

Pesticides, solvents, halogenated chemicals, petroleum hydrocarbons, and phthalate esters are among the organic pollutants or substances that damage soil and aquatic habitats as a result of anthropogenic activities and natural processes. 

The employment of typical or conventional ways for remediation of these organic contaminants, such as physical and chemical treatments, is an expensive process. 

Aspirants must study the various methods of physical and chemical treatments and their overall impact on the environment for this section.

Environmental issues

In this section, candidates must study the various environmental issues and their impact on life on earth.

The environmental issues that are predominant at various levels are as follows:

1. Polluted Drinking Water
2. Poor Air Quality
3. Soil contamination
4. Deforestation
5. Pollution 
6. Global warming
7. Ozone layer depletion
8. Acid Rain

There are many other issues that also have a significant impact on the environment, but these are the issues that have an alarming effect at present and need to be addressed. Candidates must be thorough with these topics, their sources, their impact and ways to address them.

Impacts of pollutants on human health

Aspirants must study the various types of pollutants in air, water and soil and their impact on human health.

The major air pollutants and their effects on human health are as follows:

1. Carbon compounds from automobile exhausts can be a major cause of respiratory problems.
2. Sulphur compounds from refineries and power plants can be a major reason for acid rain and have a detrimental impact on human health.
3. Pollutants such as hydrocarbons have cancer-causing properties.

The major water pollutants and their impact on the entire ecosystem are:

1. Domestic sewage has nitrates, phosphates and other harmful chemicals that can cause eutrophication. 
2. Oil leakage or oil spills have severe effects on the water ecosystem majorly.
3. Excretory wastes in water bodies can majorly affect human and aquatic animals.

The major soil pollutants and their impact on the environment are as follows:

Pollutants such as lead, tin, and mercury from industrial waste can deposit in the soil and cause nervous disorders, affect the Central nervous system, cause blood poisoning, etc

Candidates must learn about these pollutants, their sources, their impact and ways to address them in this section.

Natural and energy resources

In this section, candidates must learn about the different types of natural and energy resources.

Natural resources can be classified into renewable and non-renewable resources.

Learn about conventional and non-conventional sources of energy, their utility and the measure needed to make them last longer without affecting the environment.

Learn about Solar energy, Wind energy, Hydro energy, Tidal energy, Biomass, Biogas, etc., their properties, usability, and major infrastructure to conserve and use the various energy sources.

Natural hazards and disasters

In this section, important topics include:

1. Geological hazards such as avalanches, earthquakes, tsunamis, Landslides, volcanic eruptions, etc.
2. Meteorological Hazards such as drought, Hail storms, heatwaves, tornadoes, etc.

Learn about some more hazard types, such as Water and climate-related hazards, Chemical/Industrial/nuclear disasters, Accident related disasters, Biological disasters, etc.

Aspirants must also learn about the disaster management plan and mitigation strategies undertaken by the government during different incidents.

Government disaster management entails a continuous and integrated process of planning, organising, coordinating, and implementing actions that are essential or advantageous for:

• The avoidance of risk or the threat of a calamity.
• Mitigation or risk reduction of any calamity, its intensity, or its repercussions.
• Research and knowledge management are examples of capacity building.
• Preparation for any type of calamity.
• Quick response to any potentially disastrous disaster scenario or tragedy.
• determining the degree or magnitude of a disaster’s impacts.
• Evacuation, rescue, and relief efforts.
• Reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Climate Change 

Climate change is caused due to multiple factors, such as:

• Global temperature rise 
• Ocean pollution  
• Shrinking ice caps  
• Glacial retreat 
• Reduction of snow cover 
• Rise of Sea level 
• Acidification in oceans and large water bodies

Aspirants must learn about Environmental Protection Act (1986), National Action Plan on Climate Change, International agreements/efforts -Montreal Protocol, Rio Summit, Convention on Biodiversity, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, and International Solar Alliance in this section.

People, Development & Environment is a vast unit in Paper 1 of the UGC NET exam. Aspirants must thoroughly prepare this section and learn about all the above-mentioned topics in detail.

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