Our Environment - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 289

7

Our Environment

A Set of Natural and
Man-made Features

'Nature, natural, and the group of words derived from them, or allied to them in
etymology, have at all times filled a great place in the thoughts and taken a strong
hold on the feelings of mankind. That they should have done so is not surprising,
when we consider what words, in their primitive and most obvious signification,
represent; but it is unfortunate that a set of terms which play so great a part
in a moral and metaphysical speculation, should have acquired many meanings
different from the primary one, yet sufficiently allied to it to admit confusion. The
words have thus become entangled in so many foreign associations, mostly of
a very powerful and tenacious character, that they have come to excite, and to
be the symbols of, feelings which their original meaning will by no means justify;
and which have made them one of the most copious sources of false taste, false
philosophy, false morality, and even bad law'

Mill's essay, 'Nature', is one of the few undoubted classics of environmental philosophy
(Mill 1963-77). The beautifully written quote illustrates the challenges when discussing
nature, environment, and impacts. First, what is the meaning of nature or, respectively,
environment? Second, is an unbiased discussion of the environment possible?
When discussing the meaning of environment the legislated definition of environment
in the host country becomes important. Most jurisdictions now define the term broadly to
include not only physical/chemical and biological but also social, cultural, and economic
aspects, and by implication refer to the environment of people. The general characteris-
tics of the physical/chemical (air, water, and land), biological (fauna and flora), and human
environment (social and economic systems) are discussed in this chapter, together with
a discussion of judging and evaluating the state of the environment once baseline data
become available.
By the time Mill wrote his essay, environment was already an overworked word. Webster's
9th Collegiate Dictionary defines environment as 'the complex of physical, chemical,
and biotic factors (such as climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism

When discussing the meaning
of environment the legislated
defi nition of environment in the
host country becomes important.