The term environment has a broad no of meanings. Simply saying everything that effect us during our lifetime is collectively known as environment. What we do has a direct effect on our environment and in return it has a reverse effect. So when we do any thing we have to remember that the after effect will hit us back. The way we built it the way it will be. So environmental researchers said we are the “Architect of our Environment”.
Physical environment directly or indirectly effect man’s behavior. For an example when it is hot and humid outside we feel more irritated and angry. Such kind of direct impact of environment is called as Environmental Psychology and it shows how slight changes in environment has an direct impact on man. With physical environment man has to cope up with social environment some times refer to as cultural environment. It includes all aspects dealing with other people. Kurt Lewin,a German psychologist differentiate between physical and social environment.Lewin has Introduced the concept of “Life Space” to explain this relationship. He mathematically introduces an equation B=f(L)=f(P & E).That is behavior of an individual at a particular time is function of life space, which contains both the person P and environment E.
Environment has both nourishing as well as destructive effect.Throught out past, man has been threatened by natural disasters such as flood,earthquake.These are neither man made nor man has control over it.Leaving behind these natural calamities man is the biggest destructor of its own environment directly or indirectly. In recent times technological innovations and advances has brought new potential threats to man and its environment.Hiroshima,Bhopal gas disaster, Chernobyl and recent times green house effect are living examples of it. But man has a control over it. Imagine that billions of people living in our planet in some way or other effect the environment and the cumulative effect is tremendous (Global Warming) and irreversible. man has manageable effect on control over his environment. A more accurate statement would be man has a measurable effect on his environment. Man is destroying his own space. There are always arguments over the man and his responsibility towards environment. One says that man has responsibility to maintain his environment. The other says that environment is for man to use as he wants. Both arguments can cite religious and scientific sources to justify themselves. But we are the ultimate decision maker. We have to take an decision which is not only good for us but also for them who share the space with us, because that’s what ultimately built up our environment. Circumstances will eventually forces these decisions into action through resource limitations and help threats, but the transition will be easier if people start sooner rather than later. Indeed, the transition has already started through recycling programs and other environmentally related legislation. This motivation is so ingrained in western thought that it is almost instinct. This instinct is what must be changed in order to save our world. This instinct is a fear that must be challenged. We mustn’t forget that survival of our environment. The human race was produced in and supported by environment. Both mythology and science believe on this fact. Mythology says BRHMA created the earth first and gave BISHNU the responsibility of Caretaker. The theory of evolution says that man appeared because of the evolution of environment. Both of them suggest that cooperation with environment is the basis of survival. Evolution also shows that people who learned how to facilitate the environment were the first ones to exhibit civilized behavior.
Technology and scientific devlopement is not a problem, they are not evil. it is man’s obsession with them that is evil and self destructive. We must decide to use them in cooperation with environment. Our arrogant nature is gradually destroying our environment and indirectly destroying us. There is proof everywhere around us. Look at the pollution and poverty of the major cities. Look at the depletion of the world’s forests. Look at the condition of the ozone layer. Look at the famines and the accompanying economic depressions of the early twentieth century, the most prosperous century in the history of mankind. Man’s arrogant financial and technological solutions to his problems are the equivalent of putting band aids on a cancer.
Now the man started feeling the heat of the environmental changes. Steps had taken in past also. The first worldwide meeting of heads of state in response to the concerns for the environment took place at the Earth Summit, formally known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. This conference reflects world-wide concern about the quality of our environment. International Environment Education Programme is the outcome of the 1992 conference and efforts are being made globally to educate people at all
levels of society about the environmental concerns. The environment in which we live and work affects our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The relationship of man and environment is, however, bi-directional. That is, human beings are affected by the environment and they also affect the environment. The study of environmental psychology emphasizes this interaction. Now man seems to be little bit concern. Steps are being taken by both governmental and non-governmental organizations. Social and Environmental activists are coming forward and creating awareness among general public. Both fear of the future and pressure of the present are provoking man to be aware. If man is not still aware then so predicted “DOOMS DAY” is not far enough. Man has to think both for his physical and social environmental issues. Then only can whole environmental issues can be solved. It is said that man is a social animal. So to being a social animal man has to take care of its social environment. Again the four constitute of world Air, Fire, Water and Earth are the physical environmental of man. So a proper balance should be maintained among all these. That’s the secrete of existence man.
All the above aspects of environment depict the important constituents of the study of interaction between environment and the human beings. It is very important to understand that human beings are part of the environment and degrading environment will result in extinction of human beings and other forms of life. Therefore, it is the prime responsibility of human beings to maintain the environment in trim condition, its destruction means destruction of human life. We are slowly waking up from the blindness of our arrogance. We must stop stretching and yawning from this awakening or we will have nothing to wake up to.
