Environment
Definition
The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
Description
The environment is the interactive medium we reside in, and it is important not only to know how we interact with it, but how all the components of the environment are interconnected.
Environment means anything that surrounds us. It can be living (biotic) or non-living (abiotic) things. It includes physical, chemical and other natural forces. Living things live in their environment. They constantly interact with it and adapt themselves to conditions in their environment. In the environment there are different interactions between animals, plants, soil, water, and other living and non-living things. > Since everything is part of the environment of something else, the word environment is used to talk about many things. People in different fields of knowledge use the word environment differently. Electromagnetic environment is radio waves and other electromagnetic radiation and magnetic fields. The environment of galaxy refers to conditions of interstellar medium. > In psychology and medicine, a person's environment is the people, physical things and places that the person lives with. The environment affects the growth and development of the person. It affects the person's behaviour, body, mind and heart. > Discussions on nature versus nurture are sometimes framed as heredity vs. environment. > The living conditions of living organisms in an environment are affected by the weather or climate changes in the environment.
Composition
Categories of Environment
- Natural Environment
- Natural environment means all living and non-living things occurring naturally, meaning not because of humans. The universe is natural, but often the term “natural environment” only means nature on Earth.
- Two aspects are usually included:
- Ecological units which are natural systems without much human interference. These include all vegetation, microorganisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere, and natural events.
- Universal natural resources and physical phenomena which lack clear-cut boundaries. These include climate, air, water, energy, radiation, electric charge, and magnetism.
- Build Environment
- “The term built environment refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks or green space to neighbourhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply or energy networks.”
Why do we need to comprehend Environment?
The environment is the universe and all that resides in it. We as humans, live in this medium, consume its resources and interact with all its parts. All the parts interact with each other in various ways, some of these parts grant us a positive outcome, some of these parts give us a negative outcome. By comprehending how the universe and all of its parts are formed, we can better utilise these parts, both for us individually, and for all other life forms in this universe.
Why do we need to comprehend Environment?
Natural resources are what we humans treasure the most, and knowing how to use them efficiently and effectively can mean that we do not need to harvest and collect more resources.
An example of this is in the design and life cycle of products. If a product is made well, it will last for a long time. If the design of the product included maintainability, then its usability can be extended, even if some material is needed to maintain it. Then, when the product can no longer be maintained, even after considerations made in the design process, then the product will inevitably need to be recycled back into its pure chemical elements. If the product was made with pure chemical elements, then this process is easy, if the product is made of complicated compound ingredients, with strong covalent bonds, then this product may need to be incinerated to extract its raw materials.
By comprehending the environment in all its aspects, we can not only use materials efficiently, but also interact with the environment in a way that is less destructive and disruptive to the other life forms living on this planet.