The Natural Environment

Environment refers to those factors outside human control. Natural resources refer to those resources that are within the control of humans and/or other organisms such as plants and animals. Humans have influenced the environment by burning fossil fuels for heat, mining and drilling for oil and gas. Man has also altered the environment by introducing dangerous man made chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers and radioactive materials.

In the natural environment, the natural world or environment encompasses everything living and non living things occurring naturally. The word is often used to describe the Earth or parts of the Earth System. The environmental issues faced by society and the world are caused by human activities, both technological and non technological. The scope of the environmental issues has grown because society has become a complex entity with people, organizations, governments and the Earth System interacting with each other and with the environment.

A non-renewable resources are those resources that are non-renewable. They cannot be renewed and will eventually be exhausted. One non-renewable resource is the use of energy which is not replenishable. For example, gasoline which can only be used up to a certain amount before it has to be pumped back, and coal which can never be renewed, although scientists say that coal can be recycled.

Man has influenced the environment in many ways. One way is through his activities and devices such as vehicles, buildings and tools. Human activities have destroyed natural resources especially the living things such as air, water, land and the climate. Another way is through the physical environment whereby humans have altered the physical environment by creating cities and farms and other human settlements. These settlements have increased the population of the living things making it difficult for them to survive.

In this fast changing world, it is important to be aware of the environment variables and adapt to them. There are many things that you can do yourself to protect the environment. This includes designing energy efficient windows that can save you money and energy. When designing your home windows, make sure that you have chosen windows that are energy efficient.

The natural environment includes air, water, land and the biotic elements such as plants and animals. Air includes particles from the outside environment and dust. Water includes the water vapor and rain. Air includes particles from the inside the environment and dust. Land includes vegetation and the soil. The biotic elements include microorganisms and animals.