The environment is a balanced set of elements that includes nature, life, man-made elements, society and culture , which exist in a given space and time. The environment consists of various components, such as physical, chemical and biological, as well as social and cultural. These components, tangible and intangible, are interrelated and form the characteristics and development of life in a given place.
Examples of these factors include animals, plants, humans, soil, air, water, climate, geology, cultural manifestations, social and economic relations, laborer’s occupation, urban planning, armed confrontations, among others.
See also Environment
Man is the living being who interferes the most with the environment , as he explores it, modifies it and uses its resources to achieve his overall well-being.
However, human activity negatively affects the environment, its natural resources are depleted, flora and fauna have become extinct, industrialization has increased the level of environmental pollution, population growth is continuous, and natural resources are being consumed excessively.
Conservation of the environment is necessary to prolong the life of the ecosystems , which in turn create it, and ensure the life of future generations.
Environmental pollution
Environmental pollution refers to the presence of elements that harm health, safety, general welfare and that threaten living conditions and natural features of ecosystems . In other words, environmental pollution causes great damage to air, water and soil, as well as flora and fauna.
Part of the origin of these pollutants may be natural, such as a volcanic eruption. However, the largest percentage is man-made, such as from industrial activities that generate chemical waste, plastics and CO2 emissions.
We can also mention the overconsumption of non-renewable natural resources or overpopulation and the occupation of new spaces previously inhabited only by animals. These and other situations have caused various social, political and economic problems that are difficult to solve.
Environmental protection
Caring for the environment concerns governments and large businesses, as well as all citizens, since many causes of pollution are directly caused by human action. Protecting the environment will allow us to live sustainably .
Examples include the greenhouse effect, depletion of the ozone layer, deforestation and the extinction of plant and animal species due to pollution of ecosystems.
The importance of caring for the environment becomes greater when people understand that planet Earth is our home and that all living things need its good condition to live.
This is achievable through people’s awareness, education and conscious use of natural resources. Environmental sustainability is only possible if we take care and use sensibly and rationally the elements that nature gives us and those that man is able to create.
Environmental Day
June 5 is celebrated as World Environment Day. It was established by the United Nations in 1972. The purpose of this day is to make people aware of the importance of the environment and to support activities aimed at raising awareness and protecting it by both citizens and political forces.
Some of the activities carried out are educational, as well as symbolic, such as planting trees or cleaning up polluted areas.
The environment is the totality of natural elements (animate and inanimate), including elements transformed as a result of human activity, in particular: the earth’s surface, minerals, water, air, plants and animals, and climate. Environmental protection is caring for the environment and taking measures to improve it.
Under the term environmental protection, we primarily understand activities such as:
- air protection;
- water protection;
- soil protection;
- protection from noise;
- waste reduction and processing;
- landscape management;
- rational use of energy sources;
Nature conservation includes activities that aim to preserve, sustainably use and restore the resources, creations and components of nature.
By nature and environmental protection, we primarily mean activities such as:
- legal protection of natural areas with special natural, historical and cultural values and species threatened with extinction – creation of national parks, landscape parks, nature reserves and other forms of protection of plants, animals and fungi;
- search for and introduction of modern environmentally friendly technologies;
- introduction of appropriate legal regulations,
- concluding international agreements;
- environmental monitoring;
- dissemination of knowledge – education campaigns, promotion;
