Our Environment What is the environment? The environment is everything around us. All our surroundings including the air, soil, water, plants, and animals make up the environment. Earth Prepared By Dheeraj Verma, KV Kandukur Page 1 Biomes and Ecosystems Plants and animals need a healthy environment to survive. An ecosystem is an area where living organisms interact in a specific way with the local environment to survive. When ecosystems are damaged by man, then some living organisms may not be able to survive. A biome is a large group of similar ecosystems like the desert, savanna, and rainforest. Prepared By Dheeraj Verma, KV Kandukur Page 2 What is environmental science? Environmental science studies the environment and how the earth works. Environmental scientists often study how humans have impacted the Earth's environment and how we can reduce the impact that humans have on the environment. Environmental scientists study things like the atmosphere, the oceans, geology, habitats, and ecology. Prepared By Dheeraj Verma, KV Kandukur Page 3 Environmental Issues Human activities have created many environmental issues from land, water, and air pollution. Part of environmental science is to determine how the environment has been impacted and then to work on ways to help the environment recover. Prepared By Dheeraj Verma, KV Kandukur Page 4 Nutrient Cycles The Earth's environment is constantly recycling nutrients so they can be used by different parts of the environment. These cycles are important for the existence of living organisms. Some important cycles include the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, the oxygen cycle, and the food chain. Prepared By Dheeraj Verma, KV Kandukur Page 5 Renewable Energy One important aspect of helping the environment to recover is renewable energy. Renewable energy uses energy sources that cannot be "used up." Rather than burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, renewable energy uses energy sources like the wind and the Sun. Prepared By Dheeraj Verma, KV Kandukur Page 6