What is environment?

            We tend to take our life for granted and think that the survival of living beings on earth depend; exclusively on the availability of fresh air, food and drinking water. However, our life depends on so many other factors too. The environment around us preserves life as a mother’s womb protects the child within!

            Environment is formed by whatever surroundings we live in. In the case of Earth, all the physical surroundings present on our planet are called environment. In other words, environment is the setting in which human life, as well as countless other life forms, comfortably exists.

            The environment includes both living and non-living things. The part of the environment where life exists is called the biosphere. All the living beings including human beings and plants are part of the biosphere.

            The non-living part of the environment has three main parts: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere. The atmosphere is the air, which comprises of various gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon. Hydrosphere, as the name suggests, consists of water bodies. All oceans and other bodies of water on earth such as rivers and lakes make up the hydrosphere. The lithosphere denotes the outer layer of Earth.

            Our existence and survival depends entirely on atmosphere. All animals, plants, and other living beings rely on the non-living aspects of the environment to survive.

Picture Credit : Google