Environment

Environment constitutes of land, air, plants, water, animals and all forms of living organisms. This is also referred as natural environment and it includes both living and non living things.

The atmosphere is responsible for the temperature differences on the earth. The atmosphere which is the constituent part of the environment is a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and water vapor. This mixture along with dust particles protects the earth from the Sun’s ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet rays are broken down by diffraction that takes place when the meet the dust particles in the atmosphere.

The next component of the environment, water occurs in three forms, one percent in the freshwater found in ground water sources, river and lakes, two percent of the earth’s water is in the form of solidified water as ice. Rest of the water is found in the oceans and seas which forms the salt water sources.

The third basic component is the soil or the land. Land supports or serves as a base for all forms of living and non living things.

All living organisms need all the above three basic components of environment for their existence. That is why when ever there is an imbalance in the environment, life on earth is threatened. All the components of environment, all forms of living organisms and non living things for a harmony of existence and they form the ecological cycle and no component is dispensable in this cycle.

The earth’s environment has been undergoing gradual change due to both natural and man made reasons. Human beings through their inventions have started modifying the environmental parameters in the name of civilization, technology, development and growth. Human beings started manipulating nature and the environment basically to ensure continued existence. Other living organisms do not have the advantage of controlling or changing the environment and they are left to the mercy of nature.

In the process human beings have started exploiting the resources of the earth and started depleting the resources without applying suitable or any replenishing efforts.

Deforestation could be one classical example of human exploitation of the environment. Human beings started cutting down trees for wood construction purpose and to be used as fuel. They also cleared whole lot of natural vegetation in the name of planted vegetation or agriculture. These activities had negative impact on the environment and disturb the rain cycles. Without enough rain vegetation got further destroyed aggravating the situation.

Thus we can see that there exists a close relationship between human existence and the environment and any thoughtless destruction of nature will have a boomerang effect on our own existence.

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