Grade 5 Chapter 18: The Environment and Us

Topics covered: Our dependence on the environment, Environmental pollution, Effects of pollution, Protecting the environment, Our responsibility.

Our Dependence on the Environment

Can you tell?

• What do we get from nature?
• How do plants and animals depend on each other?
• Why is clean air important for us?

We are all part of the environment. We depend on the environment for all our basic needs. We get air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, and materials to build our homes from the environment. Plants and animals also depend on the environment for their survival. The environment provides us with everything we need to live and grow.

[Note: Students should refer to the image showing how we depend on the environment on page 89 of their textbook.]

Think about it:

1. What would happen if there were no trees in our surroundings?
2. How do rivers help us and the environment?

Environmental Pollution

Let’s try this (Activity):

1. Observe your surroundings. Do you see any garbage or smoke?
2. Discuss with your friends what makes the air or water dirty in your area.

When harmful substances are added to the environment, it becomes polluted. This is called environmental pollution. Pollution harms living things and the non-living parts of the environment. There are different types of pollution:

• Air Pollution: Smoke from factories, vehicles, and burning garbage releases harmful gases into the air, making it difficult to breathe.
• Water Pollution: Throwing waste, sewage, and industrial chemicals into rivers, lakes, and oceans makes the water unsafe and harms aquatic life.
• Soil Pollution: Dumping garbage, plastic, and using too many chemicals in farming can make the soil infertile and harmful.
• Noise Pollution: Loud sounds from vehicles, machines, and loudspeakers can be harmful to our ears and cause stress.

[Note: Students should refer to the images showing different types of pollution on page 90 of their textbook.]

Use your brain power!

1. Why is it harmful to breathe polluted air?

   Answer: It can cause respiratory problems like asthma and other lung diseases.

2. How does plastic waste harm the environment?

   Answer: Plastic does not decompose easily, pollutes soil and water, and can harm animals if they eat it.

Always remember: Pollution makes our environment unhealthy and unsafe for all living things.

Effects of Pollution

Can you recall?

• What are some diseases caused by drinking dirty water?
• How does loud noise affect us?

Pollution has many harmful effects on us and the environment:

• On Human Health: Polluted air can cause breathing problems. Polluted water can cause diseases like cholera and typhoid. Noise pollution can cause headaches and hearing loss.
• On Animals and Plants: Pollution can harm or kill animals and plants, disrupting the food chains and affecting biodiversity. For example, fish die in polluted water.
• On the Environment: Pollution can damage the ozone layer, lead to global warming, and make land infertile.

The textbook mentions that "Pollution, squalor, epidemics, addictions and insect-borne diseases are all beneficial for community health. (-)" This statement is **false**. These factors are actually *harmful* for community health.

Think about it:

1. How does cutting down trees (deforestation) contribute to environmental problems?
2. Why is it important to keep our surroundings clean to prevent diseases?

Protecting the Environment: Our Responsibility

Let’s try this (Activity):

1. Discuss with your family ways to reduce waste at home.
2. Plant a sapling in your school or home garden and take care of it.

Since the environment provides us with everything, it is our responsibility to protect it. We must take care of our natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife. We should also have compassion for living creatures. The Constitution of India states that it is a duty of every citizen "to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures."

Here are some ways we can protect the environment:

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:
  • Reduce: Use less of things, especially those that create waste.
  • Reuse: Use items multiple times instead of throwing them away after one use.
  • Recycle: Convert waste materials into new products. Separate wet and dry waste.
• Plant More Trees: Trees give us fresh air and help keep the environment clean.
• Conserve Water and Energy: Use water and electricity wisely.
• Avoid Pollution: Do not litter, do not burn garbage, and use public transport or bicycles for short distances.
• Safeguard Public Property: Do not damage public facilities or natural areas.

[Note: Students should refer to the image showing ways to protect the environment on page 91 of their textbook.]

Use your brain power!

1. How does carpooling or using a bicycle help in reducing air pollution?

   Answer: It reduces the number of vehicles on the road, thus reducing the amount of harmful gases released into the air.

2. Why is it important to teach others about environmental protection?

   Answer: Because environmental protection is a collective responsibility, and everyone needs to participate to make a difference.

Always remember: The environment is our home. We must protect it for ourselves and for future generations.

What We Have Learnt

• We depend on the environment for all our basic needs.
• Environmental pollution (air, water, soil, noise) is caused by adding harmful substances to the environment.
• Pollution has harmful effects on human health, animals, plants, and the environment itself.
• It is our responsibility to protect and improve the natural environment.
• We can protect the environment by practicing reduce, reuse, recycle, planting trees, conserving resources, and avoiding pollution.

Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks.
   1. We depend on the __________ for all our basic needs.
   2. Smoke from factories causes __________ pollution.
   3. Throwing waste into rivers causes __________ pollution.
   4. We should __________ water and energy.
2. Answer the following questions.
   1. What is environmental pollution?
   2. List any two effects of air pollution on human health.
   3. What are three ways to protect the environment?
   4. Why is it important to have compassion for living creatures?
3. True or false? Correct the wrong statements.
   1. Pollution, squalor, epidemics, addictions and insect-borne diseases are all beneficial for community health.
   2. We must protect and improve the natural environment.
   3. Cutting down trees helps the environment.

Activities

1. Organize a 'Cleanliness Drive' in your school or neighborhood.
2. Make a poster on 'Say No to Plastic'.
3. Discuss with your family how you can reduce your carbon footprint.