Page 117 - SST Class 07

of this natural environment like other plants and They learnt to grow crops, domesticate animals
animals. The natural processes like photosynthe-
sis, soil formation, weather and climate are also a
part of our natural environment. Through these
processes recycling of the earth’s waste material
takes place. In the absence of these processes,
the earth would have been a big graveyard of
dead plants, animals and their remains. No one
can imagine the conditions on the surface of the
earth in the absence of these natural processes.
Man-made Environment
Human environment is the man-made environ-
ment. It has been modified by humans according
to their needs. Before technology evolved,
human beings would adapt themselves to the
natural environment. They led a simple life and
fulfilled their requirements from the nature
around them. With time, their needs grew and
became more varied. Human learnt new ways to
change their environment according to their
needs.
Natural Environment
Man-made Environment
Social Science-7 117
and build houses. They invented the wheel,
barter system, trade and commerce. Transporta-
tion became faster. Large-scale production was
possible through Industrial revolution. Communi-
cation became easier and speedy across the
world. They have formed an artificial ecosystem.
A perfect balance is necessary between the natural
and man-made environment. If we use the sources
provided by environment wisely, we can establish
a healthy balance. We should use our resources
wisely and learn to conserve them. Natural
resources like wood, minerals, water, air are
precious and essential for survival. If we do not
use them wisely, we may run out of them one day.
We should think about our future generations.
OUR ENVIRONMENT IN DANGER
The environment in its totality is characterised by
many balances. For example, the air around us is
constituted of various gases as described under
the atmosphere earlier. It is the proportion of
these gases in air that make it fit for breathing by
living things. This proportion of gases in air is
also described as balances of gases in air. Similar
balances exist in the water we drink, the soils in
which plants grow and various other processes
taking place on the earth. There is also balance
between continents and oceans found on the
surface of the earth. The balance in our environ-
ment is the order of nature. Al Gore, former US
Democratic Presidential candidate, in 2000,
appropriately described this balance in our
environment as the “Earth in the Balance” in his
book of the same name. In this book, he has
warned that the future of our environment is in
grave danger. The human actions have specially
caused this imbalance in our environment. These
human actions are like rapid population growth,
pollution, hunting of wild animals, felling of trees
resulting in deforestation and disappearance of
many plant and animal species and the like.