Page 2 - OUR ENVIRONMENT AND POLLUTION

 Plants and animals constitute the living components, while the air, land and
water constitute the non-living components of our environment.
 We depend on these components for our everyday needs in different ways.
 For example,

1. Trees keep the environment clean by releasing oxygen in the air. They
provide us fruits and vegetables. They also provide other useful things,

such as wood, fibre and medicines.
2. Animals provide us milk, milk products, eggs and meat. Some animals like
camels, horses and elephants are also used for transportation and
agriculture. Some birds keep the environment clean by eating the flesh of
dead animals.
3. Some insects and worms live under the soil and help to decompose plant
and animal wastes. This keeps the environment clean.

4. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for all the living organisms. However, it
cannot be used directly from air. Some bacteria living in the soil convert
the nitrogen present in the air into usable forms that can be absorbed by
plants. This nitrogen is passed onto animals when they consume plants.
5. Water, sunlight and air are the three important elements of our life. They
are essential for the survival of living organisms.

 Over the years, continuous use of various natural resources, increasing
population and burning of fuels have caused an irreversible damage to the
environment.

 Some of the activities that are affecting the environment are:

1. Forests are being cut on a large scale to make houses, factories, furniture
etc. This had affected the wildlife largely. Many animal species have
become endangered because of the destruction of their habitat.
2. Use of chemical fertilisers has increased to increase the yield of the crop.

However, excessive use of chemical fertilisers reduces the quality of soil.
3. Use of fuel has increased for transportation and other activities, which
contaminates the air.

These and many such activities are causing adverse effects on the
environment.