What is the Environment?

The environment refers to the entire living and non living things existing on or around a planet. The word is most commonly used to describe the Earth or parts of the Earth. It covers everything that exists on or near the surface of the earth including air, water, land, ice, rocks, trees and ice caps, oceans and lakes, and vegetation. This describes the entire natural world and how everything on it is related to one another. The environment plays a very important role in human society since people need all the living things on earth for survival.

For a long time, the environment included only the earth with all other solar systems and other celestial bodies like stars and galaxies. With the discovery of the planet Planets, comets and meteorites, the environment has now included not only the earth but the moon, planets outside the earth, stars, and other heavenly bodies as well. On the other hand, since the modern era, the environment has also included humans as major contributors to environmental pollution.

Basically, the environment is a term used to describe the entire living and nonliving world on earth. A human being is an essential part of the environment. Therefore, the way humans live their lives directly affects the environment. The use of non-renewable resources such as petroleum, coal, wood, gas, and other solid wastes pollutes the atmosphere. Thus, people have to be aware of the importance of caring for the environment by avoiding all non-renewable resources.