Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
or an ecological community and ultimately determines its form and survival', a set of natu-
ral and man-made features which exist in a given place and point of time. While it means
the totality of things that in any way affect an organism, we associate with the word 'envi-
ronment' the environment of people. In it purest sense environment comprises all living
and non-living things that occur naturally on Earth. Natural sciences and physical geog-
raphy (the 'hard' sciences) differentiate four environmental spheres, namely atmosphere
('air'), hydrosphere ('water'), lithosphere ('land'), and biosphere ('fauna and flora'), in an
intricately interlocked natural system. On this natural system we have erected our own
human environment, modifying, altering, or destroying natural conditions that existed
before human impact was expressed (sometimes coined 'built environment' as compared
to natural environment). The influence of human activities on nature became very appar-
ent in the middle of the last century, and has since been studied by many researchers. Some
of the dominant study themes include environmental degradation and natural resource
use, natural hazards and impact assessment, and the effects of urbanization and land use.
Apart from human influences on the natural environment, are all the complex aspects of
human society and human systems, typically covered in social sciences and human geog-
raphy (the 'soft' sciences). Hence our environment is also defined by demographics, by
man-made systems and structures and by cultural and heritage resources, in this text con-
veniently grouped into social and economic systems, or the social and economic spheres.
In brief, environment is often thought of as consisting of the physical/chemical and
the biological environment, jointly referred to as natural environment, and the human or
man-made environment comprising the social and economic spheres, closely interlinked
as illustrated in Figure 7.1. The link to the three circles of sustainability - economic, social
and ecological systems - is immediately apparent. The environmental assessment of a new
mining project as understood in this text, will cover all six environmental spheres, the
overlapping areas of the three circles of sustainability. Each mining project will influence
all these spheres, and all of them will influence the mine.
Environment is often thought
of as consisting of the physical/
chemical and the biological
environment, jointly referred
to as natural environment,
and the human or man-made
environment comprising the
social and economic spheres.
FIGURE 7.1
Environmental Components Illustrated
Economic Sphere
The production, distribution
and consumption of goods
and services to satisfy individuals
and society's needs and wants
Environment is often thought of as
consisting of the physical/chemical
and the biological environment, jointly
referred to as natural environment,
and the human environment compris-
ing the social and economic spheres,
closely interlinked.
The light blanket of gases,
its boundaries not easily defined,
with 80% of its mass within less
than 16 km of Earth's surface.
Atmosphere
Social Sphere
The human aspects
on Earth, both inter-
subjective and objective
or structural aspects
of society
Ecological
Sphere
The upper reaches of
Earth's crust, including
the ores exploited by human.
Lithosphere
The waters of the Earth, existing in
various stores including atmosphere,
oceans, rivers, lakes, glaciers,
soils, and groundwater.
Hydrosphere
Biosphere
All living things, plant and animals,
characterized by life in profusion,
diversity and ingenious complexity
 
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