‘Environmental studies’ has become an undisputed requirement in the syllabi of all undergraduate courses. The first edition of this textbook was the outcome of the efforts of the Expert Committee constituted by the UGC in response to the directive given by the Supreme Court of India, on the necessity for a basic course on the environment. The Second Edition has incorporated the feedback from the students and faculty to make it more user-friendly. In this JNTU specific edition, apart from focus on sustainable development and the ecological footprint, several topics that were specifically required as per the JNTU syllabus have been added. This includes deforestation, desertification, water resources, ecosystem values and services, carrying capacity, ambient air quality standards, automobile and industrial pollution, bioremediation, handling of biomedical waste, details of international protocols and conventions that were mentioned earlier, life cycle assessment, EIA, risk assessment, socio-economic impacts of various types of pollution and life styles and green buildings. New relevant tables, case studies and flowcharts have also been included.