Importance of Environment | And A Need for Its Conservation

The environment is the key to the existence of life on earth. But there is a drastic environmental change due to global warming, excessive pollution, industrialization, etc.

The natural environment is a gift of nature and we need to conserve it for the benefit of living in the future.

Importance of Environment for life

An environment is a sole factor for the existence of life on earth. Without it, there can be no life on earth. In our solar system, there are other big planets but have no life due to a lack of environment.

Hence, even scientists are working on only Mars to create life on it as it has some suitable environment.  This shows the importance of the environment for life & existence.

So below, we will see the importance of the environment for various roles in life.

For healthy living: To have a healthy life, one needs fresh air (free of pollution), a clean water supply and tidy surroundings. If air and water are polluted and surroundings are filthy, we are prone to fatal health disorders. So we need to safeguard the environment in terms of pollution and disposal of garbage.

Better breath: All living things breathe air for survival. The air mostly composes of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases. Of them, oxygen is the key for the body as it helps in the generation of energy from the food consumed with the help of mitochondria. So fresh air is an important component in the importance of the environment which has to be kept pollution-free.

Better water: Water comprises nearly 80% of total body mass. It is the medium for all the reactions and physiological processes in the body. If the very water is contaminated by filth or toxins or even disease-causing microbes like bacteria, then water is a great risk to drink.

Better rainfall: Rainfall is one of the steps of the water cycle on the earth. Without rainfall, there will be no water on the earth (other than seawater, which is unfit to drink). This rainfall depends on trees and green vegetation around to shower as the clouds need to be cooled to form droplets. The presence of plants, trees and greenery is essential in the environment for rainfall, fresh air and water.

Better soil: Soil is the other component of the environment. The soil is useful for the growth of plants, which are again a source of food for the animals around. This soil top layer is suitable for plant growth and seed germination. Further, it is a great natural resource for many medicines, metals, chemicals, etc. So we need to conserve soil for a better environment.

Better plants: Plants and trees are also key to the importance of the environment. Plants, which include trees, shrubs, bushes and even small grass, help in purifying the air as they generate oxygen and take up carbon dioxide. Thus they keep oxygen levels in the air at optimum and also decrease the global warming component of air, i.e., carbon dioxide.

Importance of Environment for humans

For food: Food materials are obtained from plants, animals and natural sources. We obtain carbohydrates, fats, proteins from plants. From animals, we obtain meat (protein), milk, eggs (birds), honey (bees).

For shelter: The required building material, including furniture, is obtained from the environment around.

For clothing: The clothing requirements like cotton fibers, wool, jute are provided from plants and animals.

For furniture: Though we have plastic and artificially made furniture, nothing can replace furniture from an environment like wood, porcelain, china clay, etc.

For medicine: We obtain many medicines from nature like from medicinal plants, animals (cod liver oil), etc. These medicines are compatible with humans with minimal or no side effects than artificial drugs.

Importance of environment for Health.

Stress-free: A healthy environment is good for a stress-free life. A person sitting in an office or closed room is prone to more stress than the one working in an open environment like farms, seashores, etc. Hence we see many educational institutes and research institutes are built amidst the environment away from the noisy city. In a healthy environment, there is less pollution of all sorts (air, sound, etc.), so it is good for health due to abundant fresh air and low toxins and irritants.

Pleasant living: To those who wish to live a pleasant life, it is better to build a home in places of environmental bliss like seashore or in between farms, etc. One experiences peace of mind, low disturbance in mood in such places.

Prevent the spread of diseases: There is very much chance for the spread of diseases in closed environments where there are many people confined to small spaces. Many epidemic diseases spread fast in such places.

Considering the importance of the environment regarding the above points, everyone has to take a precaution to minimize waste by careful use of power, automobiles and other pollution generating agents.