Page 87 - SST Class 05

Unit V : Environment and Natural Disasters

14 Our Environment

Environment and I

The natural world in which people, animals and
plants live is called environment. Our existence
fully depends on it. We are alive only because of
it. Our health and quality of life depend on it. So,
it is important that we care for the environment.
We have to do it in our own interest.

The environment provides us such conditions that life can exist on our earth. There is

available on the earth air and water in just right quantities, and these are optimally
supported by sunlight. Thus, our environment is the unique gift of nature to us.
It is an irony that despite being aware of the significance of environment for us, we
continue to harm it. We do it in many ways :

u We cut down trees to meet many of our needs of land and wood.

u We burn and finish natural resources like coal, mineral oil and other things.
u We destroy wildlife and natural environment.

u We use chemicals and pesticides in farming, which not only cause ill-health but also

harm the water and soil.
As a matter of fact, we need natural resources to meet our needs. The problem starts
when we start to do it greedily. This is what we people have exactly been doing. This

greed has led to an environmental crisis, which can be seen in two forms :
u Many of our natural resources are limited in quantity. When we use a natural

resource like coal or mineral oil, it is gone forever. So, there is need to conserve them.
u Secondly, human activities cause a lot of pollution; for example, coal emits smoke
and dust leading to large scale pollution.

Today, pollution has become a very massive problem. It is growing with every passing
,
day. Pollution can be classified into four main types : air pollution water pollution ,
noise pollution and soil pollution . Let us know about them briefly.

Our Environment 87