Environment Abbreviations

What is Environment?

The environment involves all living and non-living things that exist on Earth or in some region of it and that affect other existing ecosystems and the life of human beings.

The environment can have several concepts, which are identified by the components that are part of it. Discover the most important ones:

Composition of the environment

For the United Nations (UN) the environment is the set of physical, chemical, biological and social elements that can cause direct or indirect effects on living beings and human activities.

The environment is the set of ecological units that function as a natural system. Thus, the environment is composed of all vegetation, animals, microorganisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere. Natural resources such as water and air and physical climate phenomena such as energy, radiation, electrical discharge and magnetism are also part of the environment.

The environment is made up of four different spheres: atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

The atmosphere is the layer of air that surrounds the planet, formed by gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen. The lithosphere is the outermost layer of the planet, formed by the soil and a rocky surface, also called the Earth’s crust.

The hydrosphere includes all the waters of the planet (rivers, seas, lakes, oceans, etc.) and the biosphere is the layer referring to life and encompasses all forms of life that exist on Earth.

Environment and ecology

In ecology, the environment is the ecosystem in which the life of an organism develops, that is, there are different types of ecosystem in which organisms live.

In the environment there are several external factors that have an influence on the life of organisms. Thus, ecology is an area that has as its object of study the existing relationships between organisms and the environment that surrounds them.

How to preserve the environment?

The preservation of the environment depends a lot on the awareness and participation of all individuals in a society. Citizenship for the preservation of the environment must include activities and notions that contribute to the conservation of the environment.

In this way it is important to educate and educate citizens of various ages, through awareness building in schools and elsewhere.

In addition to environmental education, sustainability is one of the most important factors to ensure the preservation of the environment.

Environmental preservation through sustainability

Environmental and ecological sustainability is the maintenance of the environment of planet Earth, it is maintaining the quality of life and keeping the environment in harmony with people’s existence.

The very concept of sustainability is for the long term, it means taking care of and preserving the entire system so that future generations can also take advantage of it.

Sustainability refers to the various measures and strategies that can be adopted by society so that the environment is preserved and considered sustainable. This means that forms of action must be found that allow the coexistence of people with the preservation of the environment so that natural resources do not run out.

Examples of how to preserve the environment

There are some measures of sustainability and preservation of the environment:

avoid all types of pollution in the waters of rivers, seas, oceans and lakes,
separating organic waste from recyclable waste and the different types of recyclable waste,
conscious consumption of resources such as water and electricity,
avoid ecological disasters, such as fires, oil spills in the waters, deforestation and death of animals,
reduce pollution and the emission of polluting gases,
use reusable and renewable energies, such as solar, wind (wind) and hydroelectric (water),
reduce the consumption of food and industrialized products,
use alternative and less polluting means of transport, such as cycling and public transport,
construction of sustainable houses, which are prepared for the use of alternative and renewable energies.

In addition to these measures, which can be adopted by the whole society, environmental education is part of the awareness of sustainability. Education on environmental protection must be provided to citizens and children to ensure the preservation of the environment for future generations.

It is important that environmental sustainability is increasingly a priority for politicians and society in general, so that environmental conservation can be achieved.

The importance of recycling for the environment

Recycling is a process of great importance for the preservation of the environment. By recycling and reducing waste, it is possible to reduce air, water and soil pollution.

The recycling process encompasses the separation of waste into categories so that waste can be reused, giving rise to new products. Materials such as plastic, paper, glass, cardboard, wood and metals in general can be used in recycling.

Organic waste residues (household waste) can be used for the composting process, which transforms them into fertilizer that can be used in the planting of vegetables, legumes and fruits.

One of the effective ways to help with recycling is to participate in selective collection systems. Selective collection collects organic and non-organic waste, which must be separated in homes, businesses and industries.

After the garbage is collected, it is sent to the appropriate places for reuse according to the types of materials separated.

One of the biggest challenges related to recycling is to educate citizens so that they understand that every effort, however small, has a positive impact on preserving the environment.

The environment and environmental public policies

Public policies related to the environment and its preservation are the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment (Federal Government), the State and Municipal Environment Departments.

These bodies are responsible for taking practical measures in relation to the provisions of the National Environmental Policy and other laws dealing with the matter. They supervise polluting activities, mineral extraction and other activities that may harm the conservation of ecosystems and ecological reserve areas in the country.

To achieve these objectives, there are programs linked to the preservation and recovery of the environment, the assessment of water quality and the supervision of the use of natural resources.

These bodies are also responsible for promoting educational actions in relation to environmental education, ecology concepts and increasing the sustainability of cities.

National Environmental Policy

In Brazil there is the PNMA – National Environmental Policy (law nº 6.938/81). This policy defines the environment as a set of conditions, laws, influences and physical, chemical and biological interactions that allow the existence of life in its most different forms (article 3, item I).

The objective of the PNMA is to define criteria and action mechanisms that must be taken by governments to guarantee the preservation of the environment.

Examples of objectives provided for by law are:

monitoring the use and consumption of natural resources,
control of the emission of pollution in the environment,
control the conscious use of land, water and air,
incentive to study and research in the environmental area,
ecosystem protection,
protection, preservation and recovery of threatened areas.

The PNMA also defines what actions should be implemented by governments to ensure the preservation of the environment, based on the assessment of environmental impacts that have occurred and the definition of priorities for action.

Some of the measures adopted by the National Environmental Policy are: provision that the agent causing pollution must repair and indemnify the damage caused to the environment, creation of a data register on the quality of the environment and the creation of spaces for protection and environmental reserve.

World Environment Week

World Environment Week is celebrated every year in the first week of June, along with the celebrations of World Environment Day (June 5th). The date exists since the publication of Decree 86.028 in 1981.

The objective of holding the World Environment Week is to make the population aware of the importance of the participation of all citizens in the preservation of the environment.

List of Acronyms Related to Environment