Concept of Environment - The Word "Environment" is difficult to define. Its normal meaning relates to surroundings. The Concept is relative to whatever object it is which surrounded. Therefore it includes anything.
Einstein Once Remarked -
The Environment is everything that is not me.
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 in Section 2(a) defines environment as follows:
Environment includes water, air, and land and the interrelationship which exists among water, air and land and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism and property.
According to International Court of Justice
Environment is not an abstraction but represents the living space, the quality of life and the very health of human beings, including generations unborn
C.C. Park in his book Ecology and Environmental Management
Environment refers to the sum total of conditions which surround man at a given point in space and time.
Generally speaking Environment is equated with nature wherein physical components of the planet earth viz land, air, water etc support and affect life in the biosphere
Environment is viewed in different ways with different angles by different groups of people but it may be safely argued that environment is an inseparable whole, is constituted by interacting systems of physical biological and cultural elements which are interlinked individually as well as collectively in myriad ways.
Physical elements (Space, land-forms, water bodies, climate, soil, rocks and minerals determine the variable character of human habitat, its opportunities as well as limitations.
Biological elements (plants, animals, micro-organisms and man) constitutes the biosphere, Cultural Elements (Economic, social and political) are essentially man made features which go in to the making of cultural milieu.