Environment is everything that is around us. It can be living or
nonliving 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 galactic
environment refers to conditions between the stars .[1]
In psychology and medicine a person's environment is the people,
physical things, places, and epornvents that the person lives with.
The environment affects the growth and development of the person.
It affects the person's behavior, body, mind and heart.
Discussions on nature versus nurture are sometimes framed as
heredity vs environment.
Natural environment
Main article: Natural environment
In biology and ecology, the environment is all of the natural
materials and living things, including sunlight . If those things are
natural, it is a natural environment. Some people call themselves
environmentalists. They think we must protect the natural
environment, to keep it safe. Things in the natural environment that
we value are called natural resources. For example; fish, sunlight,
and forests . These are renewable resources because they come
back naturally when we use them. Non-renewable resources are
important things in the environment that are limited for example,
ores and fossil fuels . Some things in the natural environment can kill
people, such as lightning.
Everything is surrounded by other things, so everything is the
environment of something. This includes the biotic and abiotic
factors that influence each other. Living elements: animals, plants,
etc. are biotic elements, abiotic elements include air, water, sunlight
etc. Studying the environment means studying the relationships
among these various things.
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 .
Historical environment
A person's environment is the events and culture that the person
lived in. A person's beliefs and actions depend on his environment.
For example, Thomas Jefferson and Julius Caesar owned slaves .
Modern people mostly think it is wrong to own slaves. But in
Jefferson's and Caesar's environments slavery was normal. So, their
actions did not look as wrong in their societies.