what is an environment?

Since the environment is a theme that relates to all human activities and the impact of the complex activities on the environment, therefore, presenting a comprehensive definition that will remain constant and acceptable to everyone is very difficult. Experts and academicians of the environment, thus far presented various definitions for the environment since the environment attracted the attention of humans. In the beginning, we will present some popular and relatively comprehensive, and expert definitions of the environment and will then present a definition in the view of Afghanistan Islamic Republic Environment Law. 

1. Environment refers to all the elements of the environments where life exists.
2. Environment is the set of external physical factors and living factors that are related to each other and impact grow, development, and behavior of each other.
3.  Anything that is living and covers the life activities which are in reaction to each other is called environment.
4. Environment is the space of living things which includes living and non-living things and is located around each other and impacts each other one or another way.

If we look at the four definitions that were presented by the environmental experts and academicians, living agents, humans and the environment and the impact of physical-chemical changes are common elements in these definitions.  This can be inferred that the environment is a set of actions and reactions of living and non-living things that impact each other in particular conditions and in a specific time and place, and an important part of these actions are concerned with the circumstances and actions of humans on earth.

Now we will look at the definition of the environment in the “Environment Law” of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The Environment Law of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was published in an official gazette on January 26, 2007, in which article 4, clause 10 defines the environment as follow: 

“Environment means natural resources, interactions between the component of natural resources and between those components and humans or animals, and physical, aesthetic and cultural qualities that may affect the health and well-being of humans”. 

Historical background of the environment

Parts of the definition, fully explain that the environment is a theme that relates to the impact of life and the approaches of use of natural resources of the earth by humans. In an overview, we can say that humans have paid attention to the environment since long ago. In fact, humans had been paying attention to the environment which led humans to explore the natural resources of the earth, thus far, humans began agriculture and using natural resources available on the earth. After the past agriculture period or in other words in the industrial era, the use of natural resources by humans increased with the passage of time. This means that after industrial life began, the earth and the environment have seen more negative impacts of human interventions and industrial activities compared to the previous eras.

As Alvin Toffler, in his famous book “The Third Wave) says: “In the early decade of the 1960s, the industrial revolution, social life, family structure, employment conditions and the environment around humans saw serious changes.”

Even though the history of a consociate of humans with the environment has been way before the decade of the 1960s and the industrial revolutions as German Zoologist Ernst Haeckel coined the term ecology in 1869. This term is excerpted from the Greek word of Oikos which means household and logy means study. But the debate of the environment in its current form began after the decade of the 1960s after the negative impact of the greenhouse gas and release of carbon dioxide and depletion in the ozone layers and attracted the attention of the world.  Since the end of this decade, several international conferences have been held for the protection of the environment and several resolutions have been issued in this regard. 

Vienna conference in 1985 is considered the first of such conferences about the environment after the concern of the giant industrial countries expressed concerns over the depletion of ozone layers. The Vienna Convention and subsequent protocols including the 1987 Montreal Protocol and the London amendments of 1990 asked the industrial countries of the world to reduce greenhouse gases. In addition, the summit on the environment and development of the United Nations was held in 1992, this summit was named after the earth. The 2002 World Summit also emphasized human behaviors towards the earth and proper use of natural resources.