Vikidia currently has 4,596 articles. Improve it!

Join Vikidia: create your account now and improve it!

Environment

From Vikidia, the encyclopedia for 8 to 13-year-old children that everybody can make better
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Black Creek
An example of the environment
OIC kalbarri NP nature's window.jpg

Environment is the sum total of what is around something or someone.[1] It includes living things and natural forces. The environment of living things provides conditions for development and growth, as well as of danger and damage. Living things do not simply exist in their environment. They constantly interact with it. Organisms change in response to conditions in their environment. The environment consists of the interactions among plants, animals, soil, water, temperature, light, and other living and non-living things.

The word environment is used to talk about many things. People in different fields of knowledge (like history, geography or biology) use the word differently. An electromagnetic environment is the various radio waves that equipment such as radio and radar can meet. Galactic environment refers to conditions between the stars.[2]

Natural environment[edit | edit source]

In biology and ecology the environment is all of the natural materials and living things, including sunlight. This is also called the natural environment.

Environment is rarely fully natural. Nearly all environments have been directly or indirectly influenced by humans at some point in time. Thus many landscape or forest are the product of the interaction between nature and humans.Yet they host real ecosystem.

Some people call themselves environmentalists. These people think that harmony with the environment is important and should be taken more seriously. They think we must protect the environment (to keep it safe.) They think people should not put so much pollution (waste) into the environment. The important things in the environment that we value are called natural resources. For example, fish, water, energy, and forests. Some are renewable natural resources because more grow naturally when we use them. Some are non-renewable natural resources that do not come back naturally, for example coal and natural gas.

People's environment[edit | edit source]

In psychology and medicine a person's environment is the people, physical things, places, and events that the person lives with. The environment affects the growth and development of the person. It affects the person's behavior. It affects the person's body, mind and heart.

Discussions on nature versus nurture are sometimes framed as heredity vs environment (and culture).

Environment is also the culture that a person lived in. A person's beliefs and actions are dependent on his environment. For example, Thomas Jefferson and Julius Caesar owned slaves. Modern people mostly think it's wrong to own slaves. But in Jefferson's and Caesar's different environments slavery was normal. So, their actions did not look as wrong in their societies.

Other pages[edit | edit source]

Other websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Environment can be described as the surroundings of an object.
  2. Galactic Environment American Scientist