The Environmental Studies syllabus for Grade X is divided into eleven compulsory units. Each unit carries separate marks, and together they form a 3-hour examination of 100 marks.
Total Marks: 100Time: 3 HoursAll eleven units are compulsory.
Instructions: This syllabus is divided into eleven units. All units are compulsory and separate marks are indicated with each unit as given below.
Learners engage with: air and water quality, population and urbanisation, soil and land resources, food and agriculture, biodiversity, energy, waste, global environment, sustainable development and project-based internal assessment.
Air pollution from domestic combustion - reducing pollution from household cooking and promoting cleaner fuels such as kerosene in rural areas.
Industrial air pollution control - energy-efficient devices, cleaner technologies, meteorological controls, zoning, penalties and subsidies; includes the Taj Trapezium case study.
Vehicle emission control - improved engine design (e.g. catalytic converters, four-stroke engines), cleaner fuels, public transport options, traffic management and economic policy measures.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 2
Addressing Population (10 Marks)
10 Marks
Link between population growth and environmental degradation - UN population projections for 2050, climate connection, and contrasting futures; rising population in developing countries and rising consumption in developed countries.
Demographic transition - stages of transition and examples from developed and developing nations such as India, China, Korea and Malaysia (for awareness, not for testing).
Strategies for controlling population growth - family planning, birth control, healthcare, education, economic development and women-centred human development.
Development framework for poverty alleviation - social mobilisation, agricultural development, small-scale industries and human development (for understanding only, not tested).
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 3
Managing The Urban Environment (5 Marks)
5 Marks
Urbanisation as a major challenge for the future.
Sustainable cities - recognising the need for environmentally sound, livable cities.
Planning environmental improvement in urban areas.
Rural development as a way to reduce migration pressure on cities.
Developing secondary cities and towns to counter excessive migration.
Community participation and role of private enterprises in city improvement and cleanliness.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 4
Managing Soil And Land (10 Marks)
10 Marks
Conserving soil - erosion control (terracing, contour ploughing, dry farming, tree planting, bunds, gullies, wind-breaks, use of organic fertilisers) and soil conservation (land-use management, vegetative and mechanical practices, appropriate cropping systems like strip cropping, tree crops and foliage crops).
Land reforms - meaning and measures taken in India to provide land to the landless.
Integrated rural development - objectives and schemes such as social and community forestry.
Role of women and local communities in conservation of soil and land resources.
Combating deforestation - reforestation, energy plantations, sustainable forest harvesting, alternative livelihoods and changes in consumption patterns.
Managing forest grazing - causes and effects of overgrazing and the idea of controlled forest grazing (National Forest Policy, 1988).
Alternatives to timber - including recycling of timber and paper.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 5
Food (10 Marks)
10 Marks
Sustainable agriculture - integrated pest management (meaning, aims, advantages and limitations).
Genetically modified organisms - applications in plants and animals and associated environmental risks.
New crop strains - high-yielding and hybrid varieties and their viability.
Mixed cropping - advantages and disadvantages; regenerative practices like intercropping, crop rotation, agro-forestry, polyvarietal cultivation and polyculture.
Conservation tillage farming - idea, benefits and drawbacks.
Trickle / drip irrigation - need, operation, advantages and disadvantages.
New organic fertilisers and integrated nutrient supply - bulky manures, green manures, bio-fertilisers, sewage sludge and balanced use of nutrients.
Gene banks - what they are and why maintaining them is important.
Global food security - imbalances in food availability, inequality in distribution and the role of food aid.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 6
Biodiversity (10 Marks)
10 Marks
Biodiversity at risk due to human actions - reasons for loss of biodiversity and the impact of human consumption on Earth’s resources; economic, ecological and aesthetic reasons for concern.
Conserving genetic resources - in-situ (wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, biosphere reserves) and ex-situ (zoological parks, botanical gardens, gene banks in research institutions); harvesting wildlife to meet commercial demands.
Conservation strategies - major national and international efforts such as the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Project Tiger (1973), IUCN, Ramsar Convention (1971), CITES and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 7
Energy (10 Marks)
10 Marks
Fossil fuels and electricity generation - electricity as ‘energy on demand’, dwindling fossil fuel supplies and the distinction between renewable and non-renewable resources (for awareness; not examined).
Nuclear energy - nuclear fission, advantages and disadvantages, safety concerns (e.g. Chernobyl disaster) and basic idea of nuclear fusion.
Towards a sustainable energy future - energy conservation and alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass and liquid fuels from biomass (methanol, ethanol, gasohol, CNG, hydrogen).
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 8
Waste (5 Marks)
5 Marks
Solid waste and the ‘throwaway society’ - understanding solid waste and the difference between biodegradable and non-biodegradable materials; where trash goes (landfills and incinerators).
Solid waste options for the future - reducing the amount of waste, reusing and recycling, composting, vermiculture, biotechnological solutions and finding alternatives to commonly used materials.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 9
Environment And Development (6 Marks)
6 Marks
Global environmental pollution - responsibility of developed and developing countries and the need for mutual cooperation.
Economic development and environmental degradation - roles and viewpoints of developed and developing countries; the concept of a ‘debt trap’.
International trade and environment - how unfair trade practices can worsen environmental problems.
Role of multinational corporations - definition, contribution to development and controversial impact on the environment; case study of the Bhopal gas tragedy and ways to regulate MNC activities in developing countries.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 10
Towards A Sustainable Future (4 Marks)
4 Marks
Global interdependence - links between countries through economic and environmental factors.
International cooperation - key agreements and institutions such as the Montreal Protocol, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Earth Summit, UN International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo) and the Kyoto Treaty.
Sustainable development - concept and its relevance for developed and developing countries.
Role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in promoting sustainable and equitable development.
Technology that sustains - use of satellite imagery and remote sensing for monitoring deforestation, desertification, land degradation, wastelands, mining, ozone depletion and for predicting droughts and floods; alternate technology to create self-sustaining societies; role of biotechnology in achieving global food security.
Grade X · Environmental Studies · Unit 11
Internal Assessment (20 Marks)
20 Marks
Internal assessment consists of at least three assignments prescribed by the teacher.
Suggested Assignment 1 - field study on the effect of human interaction on the natural environment and a report (around 1500 words) on its likely global impact.
Suggested Assignment 2 - an original study / essay (around 2000 words) on an area of the curriculum showing concern for environmental issues, supported by a functional model.
Evaluation - projects / assignments are assessed independently by an Internal Examiner (subject teacher) and an External Examiner (nominated by the Head of School, not teaching this class section).
