CUET Environmental Studies Syllabus 2025: Unit-Wise Topics

Overview: Knowing the CUET Environmental Studies syllabus is essential for scoring 200/200 on the exam. With around 7 major units, each with sub-topics, reviewing the syllabus PDF is necessary for a good percentile. 

In 2024, around 5736 students appeared for the Environmental Studies exam, and no one scored 200/200 marks. The number of test takers is expected to be even higher in 2025, and this is why being thorough with the CUET Environmental Studies syllabus makes all the difference. The important units are: 

• Human Beings and Nature, Population and Conservation Ecology, Monitoring Pollution
• Third World Development, Sustainable Agriculture, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
• International Relations and the Environment

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CUET Environmental Syllabus 2025 Overview

The Common University Entrance Test is among the most common entrance tests for students seeking admission to Undergraduate programs. 

• The CUET Environmental Studies exam happens once a year.
• The exam will be conducted in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode.
• All exam questions are multiple-choice objective tests.
• The test can be taken in any of the 13 languages offered for the question paper by you. You are free to choose whatever language you prefer.
• Around 280 universities will participate in CUET 2025.
• According to the Environmental Studies CUET syllabus, the paper will consist of 50 questions, and you must answer 40.
• The total marks for the exam are 200. 
• The exam duration will be 45 minutes. 

Environmental Studies CUET Syllabus PDF Download Links

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CUET Environmental Studies Syllabus from Class 12

1- Human Beings and Nature

• Modern schools of ecological thought.
• Deep ecology (Gary Snyder, Earth First) vs. shallow ecology.
• Stewardship of land (e.g. Wendell Berry).
• Social ecology [Marxist environmentalism and socialist ecology (Barry Commoner)].
• Feminism. (vi) Green Politics (e.g. Germany and England).
• Sustainable Development.
• Modern schools of ecological thought; definition and basic understanding of Deep Ecology as opposed to Shallow Ecology; Stewardship
• Social Ecology - Marxist environmentalism and Socialist Ecology, Ecofeminism
• Green political movements of Germany and England and Sustainable Development (basic concepts).
• World Wide Fund for Nature – organisation, mission, strategy for conservation.
• Greenpeace – organisation, mission statement, core values, objectives and strategy.

2- Population and Conservation Ecology

Population dynamics

• Factors causing population change (birth, death, immigration and emigration); relation between the factors; age structure and its significance
• Population pyramids, survivorship curves, three general shapes, and r and K strategies.
• Human populations (Malthusian model and demographic transition).
• Definition of Carrying Capacity; Malthusian view: the concept of ‘over-population’ and shortage of resources; Questioning Malthus.
• Population Growth vs Disparate Consumption of resources within and amongst nations.
• Definition and understanding of Demographic Transition; Factors influencing demographic transition.

Human populations (Malthusian model and demographic transition)

• Definition of Capacity to Carry The Malthusian concept of "overpopulation" and resource scarcity; Malthus is disputed.
• Population Growth versus Unequal Resource Consumption within and between Nations.
• Definition and comprehension of demographic transition; demographic transition-influencing factors.

Population Regulation

• Growth without regulation (exponential); simple population regulation (logistic growth curve)
• Factors regulating population size (space, food and water, territories, predators, weather and climate, parasites and diseases, disasters and self-regulation).
• Basic understanding of the Exponential growth curve (J – shaped) and Logistic growth curve (S-shaped)
• Factors regulating population size (space, food and water, territories, predators, weather and climate, parasites and diseases, disasters and self-regulation)

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Controlling the human population

• Family planning, education, economic growth, and the status of women.
• Strategies for population control with a focus on empowering women. (Details about family planning methods are not required.)

Threats to the ecosystem

• Habitat degradation, genetic erosion, biodiversity loss, expanding agriculture, water impounding, human waste, and rising consumption.
• With appropriate examples, there is only a cursory awareness of the origins and effects of challenges to the ecosystem's provisioning and regulatory functions.

Conservation

• Significance; the precarious condition of Indian forests; tensions surrounding forested regions - people and tribal rights 
• Tourism - poaching - highways - development projects - dams; scientific forestry and its limitations; social forestry;
• The function of the forest department: non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• Joint forestry management; wildlife - sanctuaries, conservation, and management in India, ecotourism; Project Tiger as a conservation case study

The Environmental Studies syllabus for CUET also mentions:

Conservation, in situ, and ex-situ conservation are defined as the significance of conservation.

• In-situ conservation: sanctuaries for wildlife, national parks, and biosphere reserves (definition, objectives, features, advantages, and disadvantages).
• Ex-situ conservation: zoos, aquaria, plant collection (objectives, features, advantages, and disadvantages).

3- Monitoring Pollution

Pollution monitoring

• Primary and secondary pollutants. Importance of monitoring air pollution, including Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (gaseous and particulate) (gaseous and particulate).
• Concept of carbon credits and carbon trading in regulating emissions.
• Causes for excessive vehicular pollution and different methods taken to restrict pollution-emission requirements for new cars
• Implementation of CNG program, inspection & maintenance program for in-use vehicles
• Phasing out of aged commercial vehicles and promotion of public transport.

Monitoring the atmosphere: methods

• Monitoring at emission source and of ambient air quality, criteria for monitoring stations,
• Types of stations, number of stations, frequency of data collection, characteristics of ambient air sampling,
• Fundamental consideration for sampling (should be dealt with in brief) (to be dealt with in brief).
• Classification of techniques- manual and instrumental. Manual- Passive samplers, High Volume Samplers, and Bubbler Systems.
• Instrumental-photometric techniques- NDIR, Chemiluminescence - concept, and usage.

International and national air quality standards

• National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (NAAQM)
• Primary functions of the Central Pollution Board and the State Pollution Control Board
• Objectives of air quality standards, New name of NAAQM,
• National Air Monitoring Programme (NAMP), objectives of the NAMP.
• Definition of air quality standards and importance
• National air quality standards for gases/particulate matter under WHO recommendations.

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Water testing: indications of water quality

• Indicators (electrical conductivity, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, faecal waste, temperature, hardness, nitrates, and sulfates)the relevance of each and their interpretations.
• B.O.D. and C.O.D., a theoretical concept only (lab work for better understanding and not for testing) (lab work for better understanding and not for testing)

Soil testing: indicators of soil type and quality and laboratory work

• Soil indicators- the features of a good soil indicator
• The three fundamental categories of soil indicators- biological, physical, and chemical, are two instances.
• The information offered by each of these categories of indicators.
• Definitions, impacts, and experiments to determine soil respiration, pH, soil aggregate, infiltration rate, and simple techniques for changing each.

4- Third World Progress

Urban-rural divide

• Urbanization - push and pull causes; repercussions on rural and urban sectors; future trends and forecasts.
• Migration causes include push and pull influences, effects on rural and urban areas, and mitigation strategies. Trends and forecasts for the future
• An analysis of the conventional development paradigm from the perspectives of sustainability, environmental impact, and equity.

Explanation of Development

A realization that progress has become associated with expansion & Environmental effects:

• Ignoring negative environmental repercussions
• Changing patterns of resource usage in response to market pressures
• Overuse and exploitation of resources
• Diversion of scarce resources to luxury goods
• Unequal access to resources
• Increasing waste and pollution

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A case study of the Gandhian method in terms of its objectives and methods

• Local autonomy — the fundamental ideas behind village policy, Antoday, Sarvoday, and Panchayati Raj
• Local self-sufficiency, local markets, and environmental sustainability.
• The village as a foundation for growth, encouragement of cottage industries and intermediary technologies; emphasis on employment.
• Contrast the above with the current paradigm of growth.

Urban environmental planning and management

• Problems of sanitation, water management, transportation, energy, air quality, housing
• Constraints (economic, political) in addressing the problems
• The inapplicability of First World solutions and the need for an indigenous approach to the urban environment.
• A fundamental comprehension of the following urban environmental issues: sanitation, water management, transportation, energy, air quality, and housing.
• Rainwater harvesting, garbage segregation, composting, energy from solid and liquid wastes
• Sewage management (dry toilets, Decentralized Water Management System) known (DEWATS)

Aspects of new urbanism and smart growth objectives. The following examples of urban planning and management from the Third World are to be studied: 

• Bogota - Bolivia (Traffic Management); 
• Cuba (Urban agriculture using organic methods); 
• Curitiba - Brazil (Traffic planning and urban renewal utilizing innovative measures);
• Cochabamba - (Water management and protests against the privatization of water supply).

5- Sustainable Agriculture 

Traditional Agriculture in India

irrigation systems; crop varieties; techniques for maintaining soil fertility; the impact of colonialism

• Indian agriculture at independence: food scarcity, food import, and the need to increase production - the need for land reform
• Green revolution - HYVs - fertilizers - pesticides - large irrigation projects (dams); critical appraisal of the green revolution from the perspectives of agro-biodiversity
• Soil health; the ecological impact of pesticides; energy (petroleum and petrochemicals); ability to reach the poorer sections of the rural communities
• Sustainability - the need for sustainable agriculture - characteristics for sustainable agriculture; techniques of water soil and nutrient management; techniques of water
• Traditional agriculture, natural farming, organic agriculture, modern agriculture (utilization of hybrid seeds, high-yielding varieties, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides)
• Gene revolution (genetically modified seeds) and sustainable agriculture are defined.

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Micro versus macro irrigation systems

• Canal irrigation/dam versus sprinkler/ drip/ trickle drip/dug wells & Fundamental characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of each type. 
• Aspects of India's pre-colonial agriculture: cultivating for subsistence rather than profit; multi-cropping.
• Control of soil health and seed diversity
• Colonial influence: punitive taxation, commercial crops for export and British industry, and devaluation of traditional sustainable practices.
• Bengal famine, The comparative impact of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial agriculture.
• The Origins of the Green Revolution (food scarcity - food import - the need for increasing production).
• Development of High Yielding Varieties (HYV); introduction of fertilizers and pesticides; mono-cropping,  the fundamental principles of the Green Revolution.
• Environmental, societal and economic implications -advantages and drawbacks (from the viewpoints of agro-biodiversity
• Soil health, the ecological impact of pesticides, energy use, input costs, benefits to small and medium farmers, community level, and household level food security).
• Land reform - necessity, benefits, failures, and achievements
• Elements of sustainable agriculture: mixed farming, mixed cropping, inter-cropping, crop rotation,
• Use of sustainable practices of water, soil, and pest management for enhancing soil fertility (organic fertilizers, bio-fertilizers, and green manure, to name a few) and pest control (biopesticides).
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and local food consumption
• Managing agricultural produce: storage; food preservation techniques, including low and high temperatures, drying, canning, and salt and sugar preservation.
• Food Transportation: Definition, food preservation, packaging, and grading of processed foods.
• Food adulteration and Food additives-definitions; types of food adulteration and their harmful effects.
• ISI (Indian Standard Institute); AGMARK (Agricultural Marketing); FPO (Fruit Product Order) - brief explanation only.

Food

• The twin problems of production and access, the global food situation, an integrated and sustainable approach to food security in the Third World, and food Safety.
• Definition of Food Security and the necessity for food security
• The obstacles to achieving food security, namely production, storage, and access.
• An integrated and sustainable approach to food security for the Third World, including working for environmental sustainability and social and economic sustainability via land reform
• Credit support for farmers, market support for farmers, inadequacies in the current marketing system, ways to improve the marketing system, increasing access to food, and ownership of seeds.
• Understanding that food security at the national level may not translate into food security at the household and community level or long-term environmental sustainability unless the factors above are addressed.
• Principal characteristics of the 2013 Food Security Law

6- Economics and Natural Resource Management 

• Resources; scarcity and growth; accounting for natural resources.
• Classification of natural resources according to origin (abiotic and biotic), renewability (renewable and non-renewable),
• Development (potential and actual), distribution (ubiquitous and localized), scarcity and growth, natural resource accounting.
• Classification of renewable and nonrenewable resources.

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Physical accounting

• Definition, basic principles, advantages, and disadvantages
• GNP versus other methods of calculating income. GDP, GNP – definitions, benefits, and drawbacks of using them as growth measurement tools.
• Economic status and welfare (net economic welfare, natural capital, ecological capital, etc.) A comprehensive overview of environmental economics' purpose.
• Classification and definition: Defensive Expenditure (its classification); natural/ ecological capital.
• Externalities: a cost-benefit examination (social, ecological). The definition, types (positive and negative), and effects of externalities.
• Cost Benefit Analysis - Definition, process overview, and benefits and drawbacks. EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) - explanation, illustrations, and benefits.
• Natural capital regeneration: Definition, Types of natural capital; classification of ecosystem services; causes of degradation (acid deposition, air pollution, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and carbon dioxide emissions);
• Ecological footprint, man's disproportionate use of natural resources, and the significance of preserving and regenerating natural capital.

7- International Relations and the Environment 

• Using Amazonia, Trade in WildLife, and Ozone Depletion as case studies, Transnational characteristics of environmental issues.
• Amazonia case study - causes of forest exploitation, causes of accelerated deforestation, effects of government policies, the ecological value of rainforests, and potential solutions to the problem.
• Case study of ivory trade in Africa, including reasons for the once-thriving trade, steps taken to curb the trade, and the effects of a ban on trade.
• Case study of ozone depletion - what is meant by the ozone layer and how is it depleted (Chapman's cycle), potential effects of ozone depletion,
• Common ozone-depleting substances (halons, carbon tetrachloride, CFCs, methyl chloroform, methyl bromide, and HCFCs) and their lifetime in the atmosphere
• Ozone hole; steps taken to control ozone depletion.
• The influence of international politics, national sovereignty, and national interests.

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International trade

• A theoretical perspective: free trade vs. protectionism; import barriers; domestic industry vs. free trade
• Transnational companies - a historical perspective (colonialism and its lasting impact today); trade between the first and the third world - characteristics - terms of trade
• India's international trade - characteristics - significant imports and exports - foreign exchange crises - the export imperative and its impact on the environment;
• The causation theory of international trade Globalization - trade regimes (WTO, GATT, IPR) and their effects on the developing world.
• The advantages and disadvantages of globalization, free trade, and protectionism are defined.
• Conflicts of interest between Transnational Corporations (TNCs) and the environment
• History of trade between third-world nations and developed nations (with specific reference to India) in terms of composition and terms of trade (export of primary goods and import of finished goods at higher cost tapping of primary goods leading to environment degradation- open cast mining, agriculture, aquaculture, etc.).
• Aquaculture in India case study to understand the impact of free trade
• Allocation of scarce resources and their environmental impact.
• Toxic waste trade – definition, origin, sustaining factors, impact on third world countries (for example, health and environmental impacts)
• Mitigation strategies (Bamako and Basel Conventions).
• The organization GATT and its transformation into the WTO.

Principles and functions of WTO

• Levelling the playing field for international trade through MFN (Most Favored Nation), NT (National Treatment), and reduction of import barriers - tariff and non-tariff barriers and trading to comparative advantage.
• Full forms and areas under WTO, GATT, TRIPS, TRIMS, and Agriculture Agreement. Importance & impact on India's trade, food security, economic well-being, and environmental sustainability.
• The definition of intellectual property rights and its categories, including copyrights, patents, trademarks, industrial design rights, geographical indicators, and trade secrets.

International aid

• Agencies; benefits; limitations; the need to reorient aid; aid versus self-sufficiency.
• International aid – benefits and drawbacks; Types of Aid: Advantages and Limitations of Tied and Untied Aid.

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Key Takeaways

The CUET Environmental Studies Syllabus is highly detailed and may feel overwhelming. Remember to: 

• Review the syllabus carefully and understand the topics in each unit thoroughly. 
• Learn the CUET exam pattern and university-wise subject requirements carefully. 
• Take help from subject matter experts for enhanced preparation. 
• Visit the official website to learn about the latest changes or modifications to the Environmental Studies CUET syllabus pdf.