A STUDY ON IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ON HUMAN HEALTH AND ROLE OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY TO TACKLE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The introduction of contaminants into the natural environment is referred to as pollution that causes adverse changes. As per Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986 “Environmental Pollution” is the presence of pollutant; defined as any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such a concentration as may be or may tend to be detrimental to the environment. Pollutants are the substances that contaminate the environment. The contaminants are chemical, biological, or physical material that has been unintentionally or purposely released into the environment that endangers people and other living things, either directly or indirectly. The continuous emission of Greenhouse gases is responsible for the increase in earth’s temperatures which results in melting glaciers, increased precipitation, and monsoon becoming more erratic and extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, increasing in air temperature, rise in sea level and heat waves are occurring with greater frequency. In due course of time the accelerated pace of climate change, combined with global population and income growth, increasing threatens food security everywhere. Combined with other anthropogenic activities and land use, land cover changes, adverse impacts of Climate change will be aggravated further in the future. Different steps have taken in national as well as in international level to tackle pollution. Science and technology play a very crucial role for the reduction of pollution from the environment. And “Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.