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What is a Healthy Environment?

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

The term "healthy environment" is a huge one, encompassing many different meanings. To complicate the matter, environments that are healthy for one population aren’t always healthy for another. This makes it hard to agree upon what is needed in order to create a healthy environment, and to determine what has priority in this environment, such as humans, other animals, insects or plants. Usually, when people use this term, they refer to a human environment that would pose few risks for disease or health hazards.

Dictionaries may speak of environment as the sum total of all surrounding living conditions. This would mean all physical things, all growing things, all structures, all objects, and all chemicals. There’s also a sharing aspect to this. People are not only surrounded by their environment but constantly contribute to it with every behavior, including breathing. A person cannot have a smoke, clean a rug, take out the trash, do the dishes, or drive a car without having some effect on the environment.

Eco-friendly bottles are better for the environment than plastic water bottles.
Eco-friendly bottles are better for the environment than plastic water bottles.

In a sense, part of achieving a healthy environment is to determine how to live in total surrounding conditions with minimal or improving effects upon it. Obviously smoking improves nothing, threatening the physical health of the smoker and anyone who inhales the smoke. Cleaning the rug may be a bit more complicated. Will rug chemicals have cumulative effects on the health of an environment or will getting rid of dust mites be healthier for asthma sufferers in the home? There’s a growing market for a variety of products that are judged environmentally friendly, but many of these are still sold in plastic bottles, and the manufacture of these can give out chemicals that reduce environmental health.

Parents who smoke may expose their children to dangerous secondhand smoke.
Parents who smoke may expose their children to dangerous secondhand smoke.

The issue of a healthy environment goes deeper than this and it’s often pointed out that people forget the structures in which they live and which surround them. Houses, buildings and highways are taken for granted. In creating a healthy environment, though, these cannot simply be ignored while people try to change behavior. Years of research have pointed out problems with things like lead paint in homes or with asbestos, but there are other features in structures that may prove as problematic. For instance, where a structure is built can have a total effect on environment. Schools built near highways could be subject to much higher levels of pollution that contribute to poor human health and higher development of disease.

Minimizing the build-up of trash is important to maintain a healthy environment.
Minimizing the build-up of trash is important to maintain a healthy environment.

It’s common to think that simply urban environments are the problem. Studies of farm workers in many parts of the world show this not to be the case. Those who live in areas where pesticides are used frequently may have greater risk of respiratory diseases and development of cancer.

Large structures anywhere tend to affect environment adversely, and they may rely on consumption of fossil fuels, which create greater pollution. They may also, while sheltering people, decimate populations of animals that protect people. There is often much fuss when a protected species is found near a planned building site, and some feel this is overrated. Yet, when that protected species has some positive effect on the human population (the consumption of disease-bearing mosquitoes, for example), effects of removing it could be devastating and hurt people.

The fuel burned by cars is a major source of air pollution.
The fuel burned by cars is a major source of air pollution.

Given the complication of trying to create a healthy environment, it would seem almost futile to try. Many argue that this isn’t the case. Studying the environment helps people understand which issues may be causing the greatest problems. Certainly, understanding that lead paint could harm kids, or that DDT was creating high risk of disease were important findings which have helped eliminate these environmental hazards in certain parts of the world.

What constitutes a healthy environment may change for someone who suffers from asthma.
What constitutes a healthy environment may change for someone who suffers from asthma.

Many people devote their lives to finding ways to create a healthy environment for all residents of the planet, and they may focus in different areas. They can examine human behaviors that risk things like lung cancer, diabetes, or perpetuation of abuse. Others study the effects of chemicals, gases, changes in climate, or changes to the total environment. Thus the answer of how to create a healthy environment is not likely to come from a single source, but instead it comes to humans in bits and pieces, like a puzzle. Each human then has the responsibility of deciding how to fit those pieces together to create a healthier world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What defines a healthy environment?

Proper care of pets and animals can contribute to a healthy environment.
Proper care of pets and animals can contribute to a healthy environment.

A healthy environment is characterized by clean air and water, rich biodiversity, sustainable ecosystems, and minimal pollution. It supports the well-being of all living organisms and maintains a balance that allows for natural processes to occur without significant human-induced disruptions. A healthy environment also provides essential resources like food and materials, and it helps regulate the climate.

Why is biodiversity important for a healthy environment?

Disease-bearing mosquitoes might run rampant in an unhealthy environment.
Disease-bearing mosquitoes might run rampant in an unhealthy environment.

Biodiversity is crucial because it ensures ecosystem resilience, allowing for adaptation to changes and stresses. According to the United Nations, ecosystems with higher biodiversity are more productive and can better withstand environmental disturbances. Diverse biological communities also provide a wider range of services to humans, such as pollination of crops, disease regulation, and cultural benefits.

How does pollution affect environmental health?

Chronic headaches may result from an unhealthy environment.
Chronic headaches may result from an unhealthy environment.

Pollution adversely affects environmental health by contaminating air, water, and soil, which can lead to health issues in humans and wildlife. For instance, air pollution contributes to respiratory diseases and can alter the climate, while water pollution can harm aquatic life and reduce the availability of clean drinking water. Soil pollution can degrade habitats and reduce agricultural productivity.

What role do humans play in maintaining a healthy environment?

Children are more likely to develop problems from living in an unhealthy environment than adults.
Children are more likely to develop problems from living in an unhealthy environment than adults.

Humans have a significant role in preserving a healthy environment through sustainable practices. This includes reducing waste, recycling, using renewable energy sources, and protecting natural habitats. Responsible consumption and supporting policies that mitigate environmental damage are also key. Human actions can either restore or further degrade environmental health, making our choices critical.

Can economic development coexist with a healthy environment?

Yes, economic development can coexist with a healthy environment through sustainable development. This approach balances economic growth with environmental protection and social equity. Implementing green technologies, eco-friendly infrastructure, and sustainable resource management are ways to achieve this. The World Bank emphasizes that sustainable development is essential for long-term prosperity and environmental health.

What are the consequences of not maintaining a healthy environment?

Not maintaining a healthy environment can lead to severe consequences, including loss of biodiversity, climate change, health problems, and resource scarcity. These issues can result in economic losses, social conflict, and reduced quality of life. The World Health Organization reports that environmental risks contribute to 24% of all global deaths, highlighting the critical need for environmental health.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent AllThingsNature contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen

Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent AllThingsNature contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon64187

Environment groups who want to kill babies but save the trees. Groups like you are the problem.

anon50588

what are the bad things in an environment like pollution, littering and stuff like that.

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    • Eco-friendly bottles are better for the environment than plastic water bottles.
      By: monticellllo
      Eco-friendly bottles are better for the environment than plastic water bottles.
    • Parents who smoke may expose their children to dangerous secondhand smoke.
      By: Photographee.eu
      Parents who smoke may expose their children to dangerous secondhand smoke.
    • Minimizing the build-up of trash is important to maintain a healthy environment.
      By: Petr Nad
      Minimizing the build-up of trash is important to maintain a healthy environment.
    • The fuel burned by cars is a major source of air pollution.
      By: oliman1st
      The fuel burned by cars is a major source of air pollution.
    • What constitutes a healthy environment may change for someone who suffers from asthma.
      By: Antonioguillem
      What constitutes a healthy environment may change for someone who suffers from asthma.
    • Proper care of pets and animals can contribute to a healthy environment.
      By: Larisa Kursina
      Proper care of pets and animals can contribute to a healthy environment.
    • Disease-bearing mosquitoes might run rampant in an unhealthy environment.
      By: demarfa
      Disease-bearing mosquitoes might run rampant in an unhealthy environment.
    • Chronic headaches may result from an unhealthy environment.
      By: 9nong
      Chronic headaches may result from an unhealthy environment.
    • Children are more likely to develop problems from living in an unhealthy environment than adults.
      By: lenets_tan
      Children are more likely to develop problems from living in an unhealthy environment than adults.