Question 8

Environmental Studies as a multidisciplinary subject: five disciplines and the air pollution problem

10 marks

Time to write: About 20 minutes
Topic: Scope of environmental studies and basic terms

Question

Question 8 · 10 marks

'Environmental Studies is a multidisciplinary subject.' To justify this statement, prepare few points, using the format given below, on the contribution of any five of the disciplines mentioned below in addressing the air pollution issue and reducing its impacts:

S. No.	Discipline	Specific contribution of subject experts
1.	Commerce
2.	Engineering
3.	Economics
No. 4	Law
5.	Biology
6.	Geography
7.	Statistics

Reworded from the university paper; the task is the same. The original paper belongs to the University of Delhi. See DU's question bank.

Before you write

Read off the question and its marks

20 minfor 10 marks

Read from the question

any fiveThe paper asks for any 5, and this is one of them. Only 5 are marked: a sixth earns nothing.

Write it in this order

Read; underline the asks; jot your points 1 min
1 Introduction 1 mark 1 min
2 Five disciplines in the table 8 marks 16 min
3 Conclusion 1 mark 1 min
Check: every ask answered, key terms underlined 1 min

123

Easy marks

Introduction (step 1, 1 mark): two lines that set up the answer.

Short on time? Cut step 2 short rather than leave anything out.

Try it first. About 20 minutes for 10 marks. Write it out, then open the solution.

Solution

Hover or tap a marked figure, like 72,000, to see how it is made and where else it appears.

Introduction

Air pollution has chemical, biological, physical, legal and social sides at once, so no one subject can solve it. Five of the seven disciplines are taken below to show how each helps, which is why Environmental Studies is called multidisciplinary.

S. No.	Discipline	Specific contribution of subject experts
1	Engineering	Engineers design the control equipment: scrubbers in factory smokestacks, which spray water and limestone into the gases to take out the sulphur, and catalytic converters in vehicles, which turn harmful exhaust gases into less harmful ones; they also develop cleaner fuels and more efficient vehicles. Electric buses and CNG autos in Indian cities are their work.
2	Law	Lawyers and lawmakers give pollution control its force. Under India's air pollution law the Central Pollution Control Board advises the Government, guides the State Boards and lays down air quality standards, and anyone who breaks the law can be fined or jailed; public interest litigation, such as M. C. Mehta's case of 1984 over polluting units around the Taj Mahal at Agra, makes courts act.
3	Biology	Biologists and doctors study how pollutants harm living things: smoke and sulphur oxides cause cough, sore throat, irritation of the airways and lung disorders. This tells planners which pollutants matter most for health and which trees, such as those in a green belt, can help.
4	Geography	Geographers explain why pollution builds up in some places: in a valley or a city ringed by hills, cold air can be trapped under warm air on still nights, holding the smoke near the ground until the sun or wind breaks it up. Mapping such areas and wind patterns guides where industries should be placed.
5	Statistics	Statisticians collect and analyse monitoring data: the CPCB ranked 29 Indian cities by their particulate levels and found PM10 in Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Solapur and Lucknow at 3-4 times the standard. Such data show trends, rank the worst places and test whether a measure has worked.

Conclusion

Engineering supplies the technology, law the rules, biology the health evidence, geography the reasons for local build-up and statistics the measurements. Only by putting these together can a city such as Delhi or Kanpur plan to clean its air, and this is what makes Environmental Studies a multidisciplinary subject.

Where the 10 marks sit

#	Component	Marks
1	Introduction	1
2	Five disciplines in the table (1.6 each)	8
3	Conclusion	1
	Total	10

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