essay on clean environment healthy environment

Why having a clean and healthy environment is a human right

It's a human right to live in a healthy, clean and sustainable environment. Image:  UNSPLASHAngela Benito

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Ty Greene

David sangokoya.

Listen to the article

• The WHO forecasts that climate change is expected to cause around 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050.
• After being first debated in the 1990s, the UN Human Rights Council declared that having a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right.
• Leading civil society voices told us why this is so crucial to ensure a healthy environment for all.

On 8 October 2021, the UN Human Rights Council declared that having a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right , with 43 votes in favor and 4 abstentions. The measure was first debated during the 1990s, and the new resolution follows decades of advocacy from various civil society groups.

The WHO forecasts that climate change is expected to cause around 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050, from factors such as malnutrition, malaria and heat stress, and that the direct costs will be between USD 2-4 billion per year by 2030. More than a quarter of the planet’s population rely on forests for their livelihood, while 1.2 billion people in tropical countries rely on nature for their basic needs.

Have you read?

Why local action is key in the fight against climate change, climate change: how wildfires are causing tree species to relocate.

Following the declaration, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said: “Bold action is now required to ensure this resolution on the right to a healthy environment serves as a springboard to push for transformative economic, social and environmental policies that will protect people and nature.”

We asked leading civil society voices what they think is needed from government, business and civil society to take action and mobilize efforts around ensuring and protecting a clean environment for all. Here’s what they said:

We need to reframe our relationship to nature

Gopal Patel, Co-Founder & Director, Bhumi Global

A reframing of our relationship with the natural world is needed in order to ensure we can provide everyone with a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. For too long we have artificially separated ourselves from nature. We’ve placed an artificial divide between ourselves and the natural world. Our politics, economic models and modern lifestyles reflect this.

This is not natural, and as we are seeing, not healthy or sustainable for the planet or for humanity. The human species is inextricably interconnected with nature. Throughout history, and in all parts of the world, nature is a common denominator. It is the basis of our civilizations, cultures and ways of life. A return to this way of thinking needs to be the basis of any meaningful action to restore the environment, address the climate crisis, and put nature on the path to recovery.

A social dialogue is needed

Kitso Phiri, Executive Secretary, Botswana Mine Workers Union

Realization of the right to a clean and hazardous free environment requires commitment to social dialogue by tripartite partners in reconciling economic and social interests. Although the laws generally make it mandatory for businesses to remedy environmental impacts caused by their economic activities, weak government regulatory mechanism makes enforcement an onerous exercise. These challenges are even more pronounced in the case of multinational enterprises. An equally weak civil society is disabled from monitoring the level of compliance with environmental obligations and provide meaningful contributions to environmental policy formulation and management.

Therefore, states should strengthen their environmental management policies and regulations; they should build capacities of civil society and government entities; provide additional funding for training and education of social partners; establish a tripartite social dialogue forums on environmental protection, inclusive of civil society.

A game-changer for people and the planet

Monica Iyer, Human Rights Officer, Environment and Climate Change Team, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

The Human Rights Council’s recognition that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right can be a game-changer for people and the planet.

But there is much more needed to make this right a reality for all. States must advance efforts to implement the right working hand-in-hand with civil society, businesses and other stakeholders. They must take urgent environmental action, backed by adequate finance, and support a just transition to a sustainable, human rights-based economy. Businesses should integrate environmental considerations in human rights due diligence processes, fully accounting for how the environmental effects of their activities can also affect human rights.

Those with power and access in fora where environmental policy is being developed, like COP26, should elevate the voices and leadership of affected individuals and communities, who are frequently excluded despite often having the most at stake and the best understanding of effective solutions. They should also promote and accept accountability for the harms caused by environmental damage.

The lives of women and vulnerable communities depend on clean air and clean water for all

Kahea Pacheco, Co-Director, Women’s Earth Alliance

An estimated 240 acres of natural habitat is destroyed every hour. Women and girls bear the brunt of this environmental degradation. While ~30% of humanity does not have access to safe drinking water, UNICEF acknowledges the 200 million hours that women and girls spend collecting water daily as a “colossal waste of their valuable time.” Evidence shows women's participation and decision making in management of local forests significantly improves forest conditions and conservation. And, leadership by Indigenous women, who have sustainably stewarded our natural world for generations, is crucial to preserving life without perpetuating the undue burden on already vulnerable communities.

Economic recovery and environmental action can go hand in hand

Jennifer Morris, Chief Executive Officer, The Nature Conservancy

The connection between human wellbeing and nature is indisputable. Governments, businesses and civil society must collaborate on every level to protect the ‘best’ of what is left on Earth and at sea, and improve areas of food production, energy siting, fishing and infrastructure planning. There is a clear path to funding this transformation by reducing ineffective subsidies and supply chain practices, producing new sources of funding and investing in a manner that pays dividends for nature.

In fact, we can close nearly half the biodiversity funding gap with no new funding, by reducing the flow of capital to harmful behaviors and shifting it toward activities that benefit nature. If done thoughtfully, economic recovery and environmental action can go hand in hand, leading to healthier, more prosperous lives.

This is a clarion call for public engagement and accountability

Amali Tower, Founder & Executive Director, Climate Refugees

The pandemic has made clear how shared our environment truly is, and also how unequal. Rich, high emitting countries that have benefited from the forces that created climate change are insulating themselves from those effects, in similar ways to the pandemic. This is a moral issue, but also one of justice. The most urgent changes needed are from these governments – crucially, the G20 countries – to reduce their emissions, which accounts for a staggering 80% of global emissions, and to fully transition to green economies. These countries need to grant, not loan, urgent climate adaptation finance that developing countries have long awaited so as to develop sustainably and build resiliency to the disproportionate impacts of climate change on their populations, many of whom are on the move. They also require parallel loss and damage climate finance to avert and minimize effects, and as compensation for the irreversible damage, forced migration and displacement.

Governments must also ratify and update their laws to uphold the right to a healthy environment to its full extent, including holding businesses, particularly extractive industries compliant. Environmental pollution and climate change have shown to be effective issues in empowering people to action, and climate related litigation has proven effective in Germany and the Netherlands , and in individual rights, where in France, pollution was a factor in determining a migrant’s residency rights . Civil society must seize this opportunity as a clarion call to mobilize public engagement and hold governments to account, where the greatest hope is in the resilient Global South and youth, pointing the way forward.

The right to a healthy environment offers hope to those most impacted

Katharina Rall, Senior Researcher, Environment & Human Rights, Human Rights Watch

The adoption of the resolution recognizing the right to a healthy environment could offer some hope to many communities around the world already hard-hit by environmental degradation and climate change. To make the enjoyment of the right a reality for those most impacted, governments should recognize the right at the national level and develop strong environmental protection laws and policies to safeguard the rights of at risk populations. This includes requiring businesses to comply with environmental and human rights standards, for example through mandatory climate change due diligence regulations, and ensuring broad participation in environmental decision making by civil society groups and impacted populations – including protecting environmental defenders under threat or attack.

Businesses should comply with existing laws and ensure that their operations, including their global value chains , do not negatively affect the environment or violate the rights of nearby communities, including through rigorous environmental and human rights due diligence. They should stop efforts to silence environmental advocates, for example through baseless nuisance lawsuits—known as strategic lawsuits against public participation , or SLAPPs—and align their business models with international environmental and human rights standards.

• News & Events
• Eastern and Southern Africa
• Eastern Europe and Central Asia
• Mediterranean
• Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
• North America
• South America
• West and Central Africa
• IUCN Academy
• IUCN Contributions for Nature
• IUCN Library
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species TM
• IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas
• IUCN World Heritage Outlook
• IUCN Leaders Forum
• Protected Planet
• Union Portal (login required)
• IUCN Engage (login required)
• Commission portal (login required)

Data, analysis, convening and action.

• Open Project Portal
• SCIENCE-LED APPROACH
• INFORMING POLICY
• SUPPORTING CONSERVATION ACTION
• GEF AND GCF IMPLEMENTATION
• IUCN CONVENING
• IUCN ACADEMY

The world’s largest and most diverse environmental network.

CORE COMPONENTS

• Expert Commissions
• Secretariat and Director General
• IUCN Council

• IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS
• REGIONAL CONSERVATION FORA
• CONTRIBUTIONS FOR NATURE
• IUCN ENGAGE (LOGIN REQUIRED)

IUCN tools, publications and other resources.

Get involved

The Right to a Healthy Environment

By Yann Aguila - On October 8, 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as an important human right. While this right is already recognized in more than 150 national jurisdictions, its international recognition paves the way for its effective integration in international law and stronger implementation domestically.

Photo: Pixabay

I.  The Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment: State of Affairs.

The right to a healthy environment has developed gradually since the 1970s when it was first alluded to by the 1972 Stockholm Declaration. Its first Principle states: “ Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being ”.

The Stockholm Declaration was a catalyst for the recognition of the right to a healthy environment at the national and regional levels. Today, according to UN Special Rapporteur David Boyd, the right to a healthy environment “ is included in regional human rights treaties and environmental treaties binding more than 120 States. It enjoys constitutional protection in more than 100 States and is incorporated into the environmental legislation of more than 100 States. In total, 155 States have already established legal recognition of the right to a healthy and sustainable environment .” [1] At the national level, Portugal was the first country to enshrine this right in its constitution, in 1976. [2]  Since then, the right to a healthy environment has rapidly spread to other constitutions, in a fashion unseen for any other “new” human right.

Alongside these national instruments, States developed an important regional legal corpus affirming the right to a healthy environment. For instance, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981) provides that “[a] ll peoples shall have the right to a general satisfactory environment favourable to their development .” It is worth noting that the African Charter differs from other texts in that it confers this right not to individuals but to a group. Similarly, Article 38 of the Arab Charter of Human Rights (2004) protects the right of each person “ to a healthy environment ”. In Latin America, the Protocol of San Salvador to the American Convention on Human Rights (1998) recognizes the right of everyone to “ live in a healthy environment ”, and the Escazú Agreement (2018) further seeks to contribute “ to the protection of the right of every person of present and future generations to live in a healthy environment ”.

In the European region, the recognition of this right is less explicit. The Aarhus Convention (1998), which is equivalent to the Escazú Agreement, affirms in its first article “ the right of every person of present and future generations to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being ”. Nevertheless, the European Convention on Human Rights (1950), does not enshrine the right to a healthy environment per se . Environmental issues are dealt indirectly through the European Court of Human Rights’ innovative and dynamic interpretation of the Convention, affording limited protection through already recognized human rights. For instance, the Court has extended the right to life, guaranteed by article 2, to include the right to be protected against risk resulting from hazardous industrial activities. [3] Similarly, the right to private and family life enshrined in article 8 was considered to comprise a right to be protected against serious damage to the environment. [4] In September 2021, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe proposed to go further: it recommended the adoption of an additional protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights that would enshrine, among others, the right to a healthy environment.

The international recognition of the right to a healthy environment is much less advanced, as up until now States have shown reluctance to adopt a binding legal instrument recognizing such a right. Thus, the right to a healthy environment is essentially devoid of legal force in international environmental law. Apart from the aforementioned Stockholm Declaration, the Rio Declaration (1992) affirmed with less ambit that “[h] uman beings are at the center of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature ”. This somewhat coy terminology hints towards a resistance among States to recognize this right in the Rio Declaration.

In the face of such reluctance, several initiatives have sought to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in international treaties. For instance, the IUCN's Draft International Covenant on Environment and Development (1995) provides in its article 14 that States “undertake to achieve progressively the full realization of the right of all persons to live in an ecologically sound environment”. More recently, the draft Global Pact for the Environment (2017) proposed the recognition of the right to a healthy environment in its first article [5] .

II.  The Human Rights Council’s Resolution 48/13 of October 8, 2021

On October 8, 2021, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution recognizing that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right. This decision is a major step forward. Although not legally binding, its near-unanimous adoption shows consensus on the formulation, content, and importance of this human right.

• 1.  The Way Towards this Resolution

In September 2020, a Core Group of States on Human Rights and the Environment (Costa Rica, Morocco, Slovenia, Switzerland and the Maldives) started informal discussions on the possible international recognition of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. In March 2021, 69 States, among which figured previously reluctant States such as Germany, endorsed a statement unequivocally calling for the recognition of this right.

The Core Group’s initiative gathered thundering support. More than a thousand NGOs rallied behind their clarion call, including renowned organizations such Birdlife International, Greenpeace, and Amnesty International, or specialized organizations like the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Pact Coalition. Fifteen UN Agencies also issued a letter endorsing the right’s recognition. This prodigious mobilization owes much to the tremendous leadership of UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment David R. Boyd and his predecessor John Knox.

On October 8, 2021, and after a year of sustained advocacy, the Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 48/13 by a vote of 43 in favor, none against, and 4 abstentions (China, India, Japan, Russia). In spite of these abstentions and the absence of the United States from the Council, the adoption of this resolution reveals near-unanimous support from the international community for the right to a healthy environment.

• 2.  A Forward-Thinking Text

The Resolution’s first article recognizes “ the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right that is important for the enjoyment of human rights ”. As further detailed below, this formulation encompasses the different expressions used to refer to this right. It further notes that it is not an isolated right, but that it is rather “ related to other rights that are in accordance with existing international law ”. The text also encourages States to take action by building capacities and enacting policies enabling the enjoyment of this human right.

Besides the letter of the text, the adoption of this resolution outlines that a consensus is building up in favor of environmental rights. While it does not legally bind States, the symbol it represents could propel the reluctant governments to recognize the right to a healthy environment in their domestic legislation. Moreover, the momentum behind the right may lead to its reinforced implementation in countries where it is already recognized. Finally, it could build up speed for the recognition of the right in an international and legally binding text.

The text of the resolution makes it clear that it is not a final step, but a springboard for more ambitious measures. It invites the UN General Assembly to consider the matter, where States are considering tabling a similar resolution.

III.  Overview and definition of the concept

Depending on the legal instrument, the right to a healthy environment is referred to by various formulations.

International texts predominantly refer to a right ‘to a healthy environment’ or a right ‘to live’ in a healthy environment. Notwithstanding, the adjective ‘healthy’ has competition. In this respect, some may promote the protection of an “ ecologically sound ” environment (draft IUCN Covenant), “(permitting) a life of dignity and well-being ” (Stockholm Declaration), “ adequate to his or her health and well-being ” (Aarhus Convention) and “ respecting biodiversity ”. The 2007 Malé Declaration on the Human Dimension of Climate Change chose to formulate it as “ the right to an environment capable of supporting human society and the full enjoyment of human rights ”.

Similarly, about two thirds of national constitutions that recognize the right refer to a ‘healthy environment’. [6] Alternative expressions may be used, such as the rights to a ‘clean’, ‘safe’, ‘favorable’, ‘wholesome’, or ‘ecologically balanced’ environment. The different denominations may refer to different forms of protection. For instance, the right to a “safe” environment will focus on the protection of the environment as a non-harming environment for human beings. This is particularly noteworthy as, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 24% of all global deaths are linked to the environment. [7]  On another level, the right to a “healthy" environment refers lost often to the protection of nature’s health as an ecosystem. 

Yet, despite the variety of denominations, the core content of the right to a healthy environment is generally common to all these national, regional, or international texts. The fundamental interconnection between the protection of the environment and the effective preservation of human rights is at the center of each of these formulations.

Part of that is because the right to a healthy environment’s character as a “claim right”. Claim rights, unlike liberty-rights, imply a positive obligation of third parties towards the right-holder. This particularity was recently reaffirmed by several jurisdictions. For instance, both the Urgenda decision [8] and the recent ruling of the German Federal Constitutional Court [9] link the rights of individuals to an obligation of the State. The State is indeed a very frequent debtor of the right to a healthy environment. However, it is not impossible for other entities, such as private companies to bear obligations under the right to a healthy environment.

The right-holder being mostly the individual, the right to a healthy environment has drawn criticism for its anthropocentric character. It is certain that the idea that humans have a right to a healthy environment is strongly influenced by the  western  conception of human rights that places humans at the center of the world. This conception ought to be balanced with an eco-centric perspective, which puts nature at the core. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (1981) takes a step in this direction by recognizing the right of all “ peoples ” to a satisfactory environment. Some jurisdictions have gone even further in that direction by recognizing rights to nature. The Supreme Court of Colombia thus recognized that the Colombian Amazon can be a subject of rights. [10] In New Zealand, sites of particular importance to the Māori people, such as the Whanganui River, the Te Urewera Forest, or Mount Taranaki, were also granted legal personhood.

IV.  What are the implications of such a recognition?

From a legal point of view, the right to a healthy environment has procedural and substantial implications. Taking as a reference the implementation of the right to a healthy environment by national jurisdictions, a majority of States have enacted legislation identifying procedural and substantive elements enabling for the effective implementation of this right.

On the one hand, recognizing a right to a healthy environment often implies upholding procedural rights such as the rights to receive information, to participate in decision-making about environmental matters, and to obtain access to the justice system. For instance, the Philippines have enacted specific rules regarding environmental litigation to facilitate the protection of the right to a healthy environment. [11]   

Alongside procedural rights, the right to a healthy environment also contains a substantive component. By definition, the right to a healthy environment, regardless of its precise formulation, protects the elements of the natural environment that enable a dignified life. It englobes the preservation of basic human rights such as the right to life, clean water, food, etc. For instance, the French Environmental Code recognizes the “ right of all to breathe air which is not harmful to their health ”. [12] In the same vein, the South African Constitution states that “[e] veryone has a right: (a) To an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being ”. [13]

Moreover, this substantive component has allowed national and regional courts to impose duties on States to effectively implement the right to a healthy environment. In its landmark decision of 2020, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held that Argentina had violated the right of the Lhaka Honhat indigenous groups to a healthy environment due to the lack of effective measures to stop activities harmful to them. Thus, Courts have recognized that States can have an obligation to prevent violations of the right to a healthy environment.

Nonetheless, the implementation of this right remains patchy due to sizeable challenges. At the international level, it is recognized only in regional conventions and in soft law instruments. In other words, it is yet to be recognized in a global and legally binding convention akin to the 1966 human rights international covenants. Such a convention would encounter significant difficulties as major world powers, such as the USA and China, are still reluctant to recognize this right for the moment.

At the national level, a recognition of the right to a healthy environment should entail the enactment of “implementation laws”. Yet, States that recognize this right constitutionally or through regional treaties do not always implement it legislatively. Without effective integration in national laws and procedures, the right to a healthy environment is barred from realizing its full potential. To this day, many States fail to uphold their obligations in a way that effectively respects, protects, and fulfills the right to a healthy environment.

Controlling the implementation of this right is not an easy ordeal either. So far, no official international mechanism monitors its application. One could argue that this gap could be filled by an implementation control mechanism at the international level. This mechanism could, minimally, take the shape of a compliance committee but whose referral should be open not only to States but also to citizens and NGOs on the model of the Aarhus Convention. Better still, an international jurisdictional organ could have as its object to ensure the respect by States of the right to a healthy environment.

In the absence of such international mechanisms, the line of first defense remains the national judge. Internal judges ought to be the first guarantors of the respect of the right to a healthy environment by taking into account the extra-territorial impact of a State's activities, including outside its borders. In other words, the national judge must ensure that the State respects not the right of its citizens to a healthy environment, but also that of all the inhabitants of the planet.

Notwithstanding, the evidence extracted from decades of implementation is encouraging. The recognition of the right to a healthy environment usually leads governments to bolster their environmental laws and policies and to provide for greater public participation. [14] A wide array of studies have indeed concluded that the inclusion of constitutional environmental rights is positively related to a better environmental performance. [15]

In conclusion, the adoption of Human Rights Council resolution is a resounding first step that could have far-reaching implications for human rights and the environment. If carried before the General Assembly, this resolution may well be the catalyst for an even more global international recognition, and perhaps even an international covenant on the right to a healthy environment.

[1] Boyd, D., Chapter 2: The Right to a Healthy and Sustainable Environment in Aguila, Y. and Viñuales, J.E., 2019. A Global Pact for the Environment-Legal Foundations.  University of Cambridge .

[2] Report of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, 19 July 2018.

[3] ECHR, Öneryildiz v. Turkey, Application n° 48939/99, judgement of November 30th, 2004.

[4] ECHR, Lopez Ostra v. Spain, Application n° 16798/90, judgement of December 9th, 1994.

[5] The text of the draft Pact is available online on the Pact website: https://globalpactenvironment.org  

[6] Id. Boyd D., in Aguila, Y. and Viñuales, J.E., 2019.

[7] Preventing disease through healthy environments: a global assessment of the burden of disease from environmental risks , WHO Report, 13 September 2018.

[8] Urgenda Foundation v. State of the Netherlands , Supreme Court of the Netherlands (December 20, 2020)

[9] BVerfG , Order of the First Senate of 24 March 2021 - 1 BvR 2656/18

[10] Supreme Court of Columbia, Future Generations v. Ministry of the Environment (April 5, 2018)

[11] Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases , Republic of the Philippines Supreme Court Manila, April 13, 2010.

[12] French Environmental Code, art. L220-1.

[13] Constitution of South Africa (1996), sec. 24

[14] D.R. Boyd. 2012.  The Environmental Rights Revolution: A Global Study of Constitutions, Human Rights, and the  Environment. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.

[15] See per instance, C. Jeffords and L. Minkler. 2016. “Do Constitutions Matter? The Effects of Constitutional Environmental Rights Provisions on Environmental Performance,” Kyklos 69(2): 295-334. or C. Jeffords. 2016. “On the Temporal Effects of Static Constitutional Environmental Rights provisions on Access to Improved Sanitation Facilities and Water Sources,” Journal of Human Rights and the Environment 7(1): 74-110.

About the Author

He chairs the Environment Commission of the Think Tank « Le Club des juristes », at the origin of the Global Pact for the Environment initiative.

He is the author or co-editor of numerous books and articles, such as «  A Global Pact for the Environment: Legal Foundations » , «  Droit public français et européen  » or «  Principios de Derecho Ambiental y Agenda 2030  »

Related content

The BIODEV2030 project, launched in early 2020 supports the country's development ambition, while…

IUCN welcomes with relief and gratitude the negotiated decisions on fishing subsidies made…

This report is the first step in identifying and targeting priority interventions and solutions…

Sign up for an IUCN newsletter

Essay on Cleanliness of Environment for Kids

Kids nowadays are growing up in a world where they are constantly exposed to germs. They go to school, play outside and come into contact with people and things that can cause infections. The best way to protect themselves from getting sick is by being clean. Here is an essay on how you can help your kids stay clean and healthy by teaching them the importance of keeping their environment clean. When we think about the environment, the first thing that comes to mind is the pollution humans create. In reality, the cleanliness of our surroundings is just as important as our environmental responsibility . Read BYJU’S essay on cleanliness of the environment to learn the significance of keeping the environment clean.

The health of people and other living beings depends on a healthy environment. Clean air and water are essential for human health, while plants need clean soil to grow healthy. Keeping our surroundings clean can help protect our health and the environment. There is a famous saying, “ Cleanliness is Godliness ”, and we must follow some basic hygiene steps to maintain the same. Encourage your kids to participate in environmental education programmes. These programmes teach kids about the importance of conserving resources and keeping our planet clean. In addition, we have briefly explained the top five ways to keep our environment clean in this short essay on cleanliness of the environment.

Table of Contents

How to encourage good hygiene in kids, top 5 ways to keep the environment clean, importance of cleanliness.

Cleanliness is one of the most important things to maintain in our environment. It is not only good for the environment but also for all living beings. We need to encourage good hygiene in our kids if we want them to be responsible stewards of their surroundings. We have provided some ways to maintain the cleanliness of the environment here in BYJU’S essay on cleanliness of environment in English.

Set a good example yourself and keep your home clean. This will help your kids see that it is vital to take care of their environment. Help your kids learn about the importance of taking care of their bodies. Talk about how dirty our hands and feet can be, and show them how easy it is to clean them up.

There is no denying that maintaining a clean environment is something that we need to always keep in mind. It improves the overall look and feel of our surroundings, and it also helps protect the health of ourselves and the animals that reside in our ecosystem. This cleanliness of environment essay will discuss the top five ways to clean up our environment that positively impact both the quality of life and the environment itself.

• There are many ways that you can help keep the environment clean. The first way to keep the environment clean is by maintaining a healthy ecosystem and reducing the usage of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
• Keeping the environment clean is essential for everyone. Children are the future of the world, and they need to learn how to care for the environment.
• Using less energy can save a lot of money in the long run. For example, if we use electricity to power our lights instead of a light bulb, we can save a lot of money.
• Recycling can also save money. If we recycle materials, such as paper, plastic, and metals, we will save a lot of money in the long run.
• Finally, using public transportation is one of the best ways to conserve energy and protect the environment. Public transit uses less fuel than driving in cars. It also reduces traffic congestion and air pollution.

Pollution is a problem any time it enters the environment. Across the world, pollution comes from several sources, including automobiles and factories. Pollution also comes from natural sources, such as rain, sea salt, volcanoes etc. Here are two reasons why it is vital to keep our environment clean:

• Good for our health : Pollution can cause respiratory problems, heart disease, and even cancer. By keeping our environment clean, we can reduce the risk of these illnesses. It protects our resources. Polluting our environment harms natural resources such as water and air. We can save environment and these resources for future generations by cleaning up our act.
• It preserves our heritage : When improperly disposed waste ends up in rivers and oceans, it can harm fish populations and contaminate marine habitats. By keeping our environment clean, we can prevent pollution and preserve all the species in aquatic habitats as well as other living beings on Earth.

It is now commonly acknowledged that the health of our environment is linked to our own. We must take measures to clean up our act and preserve the natural resources we depend on. However, many people continue to put their convenience above all else, leading to an increasingly polluted world. We need to reduce the cause and make a difference. We can create a cleaner, healthier future for ourselves and for generations to come by doing so. For more kids learning activities, like essays , worksheets and stories , visit BYJU’S website.

Frequently Asked Questions on Essay on Cleanliness of Environment

What are some ways to clean the environment.

There are many ways to clean the environment. Some of the ways are recycling, composting and using green energy. Each of these methods has its pros and cons, so it is important to choose the one that best suits our needs.

What is the importance of a clean environment?

A clean environment is vital because it can help improve health and well-being because it reduces the exposure people have to harmful chemicals. It can also reduce the risk of accidents because it makes it easier to see and avoid obstacles. Finally, a clean environment is less likely to produce harmful emissions that can impact the environment and human health.

Related Links

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Environment Essay

Essay on Understanding and Nurturing Our Environment

The environment is everything that surrounds us – the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil beneath our feet, and the diverse flora and fauna that inhabit our planet. It's not just a backdrop to our lives; it's the very essence of our existence. In this essay, we'll explore the importance of our environment, the challenges it faces, and what we can do to ensure a sustainable and thriving world for generations to come.

Our environment is a complex and interconnected web of life. Every living organism, from the tiniest microbe to the largest mammal, plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems. This delicate balance ensures the survival of species, including humans. For instance, bees pollinate plants, which produce the oxygen we breathe. Nature is a masterpiece that has evolved over millions of years, and we are just one small part of this intricate tapestry.

Importance of Environment  

The environment is crucial for keeping living things healthy.

It helps balance ecosystems.

The environment provides everything necessary for humans, like food, shelter, and air.

It's also a source of natural beauty that is essential for our physical and mental health.

The Threats to Our Environment:

Unfortunately, our actions have disrupted this delicate balance. The rapid industrialization, deforestation, pollution, and over-exploitation of natural resources have led to severe environmental degradation. Climate change, driven by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, is altering weather patterns, causing extreme events like floods, droughts, and storms. The loss of biodiversity is another alarming concern – species are disappearing at an unprecedented rate due to habitat destruction and pollution.

Impact of Human Activities on the Environment

Human activities like pollution, deforestation, and waste disposal are causing environmental problems like acid rain, climate change, and global warming. The environment has living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components. Biotic components include plants, animals, and microorganisms, while abiotic components include things like temperature, light, and soil.

In the living environment, there are producers (like plants), consumers (like animals), and decomposers (like bacteria). Producers use sunlight to make energy, forming the base of the food web. Consumers get their energy by eating other organisms, creating a chain of energy transfer. Decomposers break down waste and dead organisms, recycling nutrients in the soil.

The non-living environment includes climatic factors (like rain and temperature) and edaphic factors (like soil and minerals). Climatic factors affect the water cycle, while edaphic factors provide nutrients and a place for organisms to grow.

The environment includes everything from the air we breathe to the ecosystems we live in. It's crucial to keep it clean for a healthy life. All components of the environment are affected by its condition, so a clean environment is essential for a healthy ecosystem.

Sustainable Practices:

Adopting sustainable practices is a key step towards mitigating environmental degradation. This includes reducing our carbon footprint by using renewable energy, practicing responsible consumption, and minimizing waste. Conservation of natural resources, such as water and forests, is essential. Supporting local and global initiatives that aim to protect the environment, like reforestation projects and wildlife conservation efforts, can make a significant impact.

Education and Awareness:

Creating a sustainable future requires a collective effort, and education is a powerful tool in this regard. Raising awareness about environmental issues, the consequences of our actions, and the importance of conservation is crucial. Education empowers individuals to make informed choices and encourages sustainable practices at both personal and community levels.

Why is a Clean Environment Necessary?

To have a happy and thriving community and country, we really need a clean and safe environment. It's like the basic necessity for life on Earth. Let me break down why having a clean environment is so crucial.

First off, any living thing—whether it's plants, animals, or people—can't survive in a dirty environment. We all need a good and healthy place to live. When things get polluted, it messes up the balance of nature and can even cause diseases. If we keep using up our natural resources too quickly, life on Earth becomes a real struggle.

So, what's causing all this environmental trouble? Well, one big reason is that there are just so many people around, and we're using up a lot of stuff like land, food, water, air, and even fossil fuels and minerals. Cutting down a bunch of trees (we call it deforestation) is also a big problem because it messes up the whole ecosystem.

Then there's pollution—air, water, and soil pollution. It's like throwing a wrench into the gears of nature, making everything go wonky. And you've probably heard about things like the ozone layer getting thinner, global warming, weird weather, and glaciers melting. These are all signs that our environment is in trouble.

But don't worry, we can do things to make it better:

Plant more trees—they're like nature's superheroes, helping balance everything out.

Follow the 3 R's: Reuse stuff, reduce waste, and recycle. It's like giving our planet a high-five.

Ditch the plastic bags—they're not great for our landscapes.

Think about how many people there are and try to slow down the population growth.

By doing these things, we're basically giving our planet a little TLC (tender loving care), and that's how we can keep our environment clean and healthy for everyone.

Policy and Regulation:

Governments and institutions play a vital role in shaping environmental policies and regulations. Strong and enforceable laws are essential to curb activities that harm the environment. This includes regulations on emissions, waste disposal, and protection of natural habitats. International cooperation is also crucial to address global environmental challenges, as issues like climate change know no borders.

The Role of Technology:

Technology can be a double-edged sword in environmental conservation. While some technological advancements contribute to environmental degradation, others offer solutions. Innovative technologies in renewable energy, waste management, and sustainable agriculture can significantly reduce our impact on the environment. Embracing and investing in eco-friendly technologies is a step towards a greener and more sustainable future.

Conclusion:

Our environment is not just a collection of trees, rivers, and animals; it's the foundation of our existence. Understanding the interconnectedness of all living things and recognizing our responsibility as stewards of the Earth is essential. By adopting sustainable practices, fostering education and awareness, implementing effective policies, and embracing eco-friendly technologies, we can work towards healing our planet. The choices we make today will determine the world we leave for future generations – a world that can either flourish in its natural beauty or struggle under the weight of environmental degradation. It's our collective responsibility to ensure that it's the former.

FAQs on Environment Essay

1. What is the Environment?

The environment constitutes the entire ecosystem that includes plants, animals and microorganisms, sunlight, air, rain, temperature, humidity, and other climatic factors. It is basically the surroundings where we live. The environment regulates the life of all living beings on Earth.

2. What are the Three Kinds of Environments?

Biotic Environment: It includes all biotic factors or living forms like plants, animals, and microorganisms.

Abiotic Environment: It includes non-living factors like temperature, light, rainfall, soil, minerals, etc. It comprises the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.

Built Environment: It includes buildings, streets, houses, industries, etc. 

3. What are the Major Factors that Lead to the Degradation of the Environment?

The factors that lead to the degradation of the environment are:

The rapid increase in the population.

Growth of industrialization and urbanization.

Deforestation is making the soil infertile (soil that provides nutrients and home to millions of organisms).

Over-consumption of natural resources.

Ozone depletion, global warming, and the greenhouse effect.

4. How do we Save Our Environment?

We must save our environment by maintaining a balanced and healthy ecosystem. We should plant more trees. We should reduce our consumption and reuse and recycle stuff. We should check on the increase in population. We should scarcely use our natural and precious resources. Industries and factories should take precautionary measures before dumping their wastes into the water bodies.

5. How can we protect Mother Earth?

Ways to save Mother Earth include planting more and more trees, using renewable sources of energy, reducing the wastage of water, saving electricity, reducing the use of plastic, conservation of non-renewable resources, conserving the different flora and faunas, taking steps to reduce pollution, etc.

6. What are some ways that humans impact their environment?

Humans have influenced the physical environment in many ways like overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have generated climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. These negative impacts can affect human behavior and can prompt mass migrations or battles over clean water.  

7. Why is the environment of social importance?

Human beings are social animals by nature. They spend a good amount of time in social environments. Their responsibility towards the environment is certainly important because these social environments might support human beings in both personal development goals as well as career development goals.

UN General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right

Facebook Twitter Print Email

With 161 votes in favour, and eight abstentions*, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution on Thursday, declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, a universal human right.

The resolution, based on a similar text adopted last year by the Human Rights Council , calls upon States, international organisations, and business enterprises to scale up efforts to ensure a healthy environment for all. 

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, welcomed the 'historic' decision and said the landmark development demonstrates that Member States can come together in the collective fight against the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

“The resolution will help reduce environmental injustices, close protection gaps and empower people, especially those that are in vulnerable situations, including environmental human rights defenders, children, youth, women and indigenous peoples”, he said in a statement released by his Spokesperson’s Office.

He added that the decision will also help States accelerate the implementation of their environmental and human rights obligations and commitments.

“The international community has given universal recognition to this right and brought us closer to making it a reality for all”, he said.

Guterres underscored that however, the adoption of the resolution 'is only the beginning' and urged nations to make this newly recognised right ‘a reality for everyone, everywhere’.

Urgent action needed

In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also hailed the Assembly’s decision and  echoed the Secretary-General's call  for urgent action to implement it.

BREAKING The UN General Assembly adopts a resolution that declares access to a clean and healthy environment a universal #HumanRight In favour: 161Abstentions: 8Against: 0The decision is expected to be a catalyst for #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/r7xva47g6m UN News UN_News_Centre

“Today is a historic moment, but simply affirming our right to a healthy environment is not enough. The General Assembly resolution is very clear: States must implement their international commitments and scale up their efforts to realize it. We will all suffer much worse effects from environmental crises, if we do not work together to collectively avert them now,” she said.

Ms. Bachelet explained that environmental action based on human rights obligations provides vital guardrails for economic policies and business models.

“It emphasizes the underpinning of legal obligations to act, rather than simply of discretionary policy.  It is also more effective, legitimate and sustainable,” she added.

A resolution for the whole planet

The text, originally presented by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland last June, and now co-sponsored by over 100 countries, notes that the right to a healthy environment is related to existing international law and affirms that its promotion requires the full implementation of multilateral environmental agreements.

It also recognises that the impact of climate change, the unsustainable management and use of natural resources, the pollution of air, land and water, the unsound management of chemicals and waste, and the resulting loss in biodiversity interfere with the enjoyment of this right - and that environmental damage has negative implications, both direct and indirect, for the effective enjoyment of all human rights.

According to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, Mr. David Boyd, the Assembly’s decision will change the very nature of international human rights law.

“Governments have made promises to clean up the environment and address the climate emergency for decades but having a right to a healthy environment changes people’s perspective from ‘begging’ to demanding governments to act”, he recently told UN News .

A victory five decades in the making

In 1972, the  United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm , which ended with its own historic declaration, was the first one to place environmental issues at the forefront of international concerns and marked the start of a dialogue between industrialized and developing countries on the link between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water and the ocean, and the well-being of people around the world.

UN Member States back then, declared that people have a fundamental right to "an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being," calling for concrete action and the recognition of this right.

Last October, after decades of work by nations at the front lines of climate change , such as the Maldives archipelago , as well as more than 1,000 civil society organisations, the Human Rights Council finally recognised this right and called for the UN General Assembly to do the same.

“From a foothold in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, the right has been integrated into constitutions, national laws and regional agreements. Today’s decision elevates the right to where it belongs: universal recognition”, UN Environment chief, Inger Andersen, explained in a statement published this Thursday.

The recognition of the right to a healthy environment by these UN bodies, although not legally binding— meaning countries don’t have a legal obligation to comply— is expected to be a catalyst for action and to empower ordinary people to hold their governments accountable.

“So, the recognition of this right is a victory we should celebrate. My thanks to Member States and to the thousands of civil society organizations and indigenous peoples’ groups, and tens of thousands of young people who advocated relentlessly for this right. But now we must build on this victory and implement the right”, Ms. Andersen added.

Triple crisis response

As mentioned by the UN Secretary-General, the newly recognised right will be crucial to tackling the triple planetary crisis.

This refers to the three main interlinked environmental threats that humanity currently faces: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss - all mentioned in the text of the resolution.

Each of these issues has its own causes and effects and they need to be resolved if we are to have a viable future on Earth.

The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent, through increased intensity and severity of droughts, water scarcity, wildfires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity.

Meanwhile, according to the World Health Organization ( WHO ), air pollution is the largest cause of disease and premature death in the world, with more than seven million people dying prematurely each year due to pollution.

Finally, the decline or disappearance of biological diversity - which includes animals, plants and ecosystems - impacts food supplies, access to clean water and life as we know it.

* States who abstained: China, Russian Federation, Belarus, Cambodia, Iran, Syria, Kyrgyzstan and Ethiopia.

• environment
• human rights

Importance of Cleanliness Essay

500 words essay on importance of cleanliness.

Each one of us enjoys living in a clean environment. We all have the ability to maintain cleanliness as it is not a tough task. Cleanliness is a habitual process that we must do on a daily basis. For instance, personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness are equally important to lead a happy life. The importance of cleanliness essay will explain this in further detail.

Importance of Cleanliness

Cleanliness is a very essential component of human life in both physical and spiritual terms. Spiritual cleanliness refers to following the beliefs and rituals of your religion. On the other hand, the physical one is essential for the well-being of and existence of humanity.

It is essential to lead a healthy and well life. In fact, health and cleanliness are related to each other. To get good health, one must practice hygiene. It is essential to practice maintaining good health and prevent diseases .

Moreover, equally important is the cleanliness of our environment. When you maintain cleanliness, you can prevent disease and lead a healthy life. Health professionals advocate hygienic practices to prolong the lives of individuals.

Moreover, when the environment is clean, safety is enabled. For instance, we must ensure no spilling of water to prevent people from falling. Similarly, clearing bushes around homes will offer safety from harmful insects and animals.

Further, we must not only clean the environment but organize the environment carefully. In other words, put away harmful objects to prevent accidents. Similarly, in the food industry, cleanliness is of the utmost importance.

It ensures the well-being of the consumers. Most importantly, cleanliness enables the extension of a lifespan of an object. When you keep the metallic objects free from dust and rust, they will have a longer shelf life.

Thus, we see how cleanliness is important in every sphere of life. Whether it is living or inanimate objects, everything requires cleanliness. Moreover, it is also a moral virtue that makes people admirable.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How to Maintain Cleanliness

There are many ways through which one can maintain cleanliness and keep themselves and the environment happy. A major way of maintaining cleanliness is brushing and bathing regularly.

Similarly, it is also important to wash hand as often as possible, mostly before and after meals. With the onset of the coronavirus, it has become even more important to wash our hands repeatedly.

Further, we must keep our nails trimmed and eat healthy food. Moving on to environmental cleanliness, we must clean the mess in our surroundings regularly. Try your best to avoid plastic bags and littering around by throwing garbage carelessly.

It is essential to effectively dispose of waste and wastewater . Most importantly, adopt reusing and recycling techniques to monitor pollution levels. Thus, we must practice all this and more to ensure cleanliness.

Conclusion of Importance of Cleanliness Essay

We must all do our bit to maintain cleanliness in our life. There are many initiatives launched by the government to practice cleanliness but it won’t work unless all of us do. It helps in inculcating good habits in citizens of the country. Along with practising it ourselves, we must also stop others from disturbing cleanliness.

FAQ of Importance of Cleanliness Essay

Question 1: What is the importance of cleanliness?

Answer 1: Maintaining cleanliness is a vital part of healthy living as it helps to improve our personality by staying clean externally and internally. It is everybody’s responsibility and one should keep themselves and their surroundings clean and hygienic.

Question 2: What are the effects of cleanliness?

Answer 2: Cleanliness has many positive effects on everyone. It directly impacts the ability to learn and has a significant effect on the mind of students. When there is a dirty environment, it may increases levels of stress. Moreover, cleanliness keeps one happy.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essay Examples >
• Essays Topics >
• Essay on Environment

Healthy Environment Essay

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Environment , Children , Alcoholism , Health , Water , Life , Pollution , Policy

Published: 12/23/2019

ORDER PAPER LIKE THIS

This paper attempts to examine all the arguments that have been conducted regarding environmental policy. It reflects on the question whether pollution and cleanliness could co-exist and what policy is best suited to promote a healthier and cleaner environment. Lastly, the main points of the debate are summed to emphasize on the learning that has taken place.

Dear Larry,

POLLUTION AND CLEANLINESS CANNOT CO-EXIST Larry, after having series of discussions and countless debates with you regarding what leads us towards a healthier and a happier society, I could only find the answer within us; each and every individual is the answer to the survival that would follow with a healthy environment. It may be possible to have a polluted environment as well as healthier one as long as the polluted environment does not take over the healthy completely as to deprive the world wholly from cleanliness in every way. The rapidity with which we are cutting trees for our manufacturing purposes, the increase in vehicles, the pace with which rural areas are seemingly nowhere to be found these days, we are simply inviting trouble in our lives, as we are actually pushing away the nature from us. Have you ever calculated how if we keep killing (I would call this murder because even if the effect takes over indirectly, it does kill people) 4 billion trees each year, without planting any tree in its place, in less than 20 years, we would be panting for oxygen just like after a heavy run and the worst part is that we would only be taking in carbon monoxide by then. The vehicle increase and urbanization has allowed the worst of the gases to come out in the open. Drinking water from properly filtered tanks would not show me any benefits at the moment. However, in the long run, the clean water that has been squenching my thirst for years would finally take effect when I would stay active. You might be given the benefit of doubt about your habit as a child. Generally, if we get ourselves used to a certain habit as kids, we find ourselves immune to it. Nevertheless, all effects take worse forms during the last phase of life so keep hoping that the creek water keeps you healthy or start drinking clean water to wash away all toxins that may be piling up all these years. If pollution does no harm, then why does every child that is born today, is infected with jaundice? If a cleaner environment makes not much difference like the polluted one, then why are more people getting prone to asthma due to the vehicle emission? During the years 1989-2000, higher infant mortality rates were predicted when gynecologists understood the relation between air pollution and the infant development. In a study that was conducted in America, it was found in the year 2000 that the major cause of child asthma is exposure to bad air.

POLICY ON ENVIRONMENTAL WELFARE

If I were to design a policy on public safety and healthy environment, my goals would have been simple. I would put a full stop on tree cutting. Is health more important than the luxurious mahogany furniture to serve our comforts? If we are not living any longer, even the finely-made timber bed would not give us any comfort. My policy would put a ban on trees. If we are to cut trees, then we must ‘grow others too’. The rapidity of decline among trees is due to no replacement. We are not replacing the current trees with others. If lives are to be saved, then trees are to be grown. They are not merely shades, they are live saviors. The UV rays that have increased skin cancers are simply reaching us because of the trees that have been removed.

I would continue to assert the benefits of a healthier environment. It was a great experience to debate about the importance and to be familiarized with your ideas Larry. I came to discover my own points and even got a chance to reflect on my ideas deeply. To sum up the main points of our argument, we stressed on how environmental damage is disastrous, the need for a cleaner society, we also saw how the polluted world and a clean one cannot co-exist in any way and then we debated our policies on the environment.

Council, N. r. (2005, June 8). About Us: An NRDC organization. Retrieved July 10, 2012, from An NRDC website: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/fasthma.asp Material, H. (2005). Health Promotion International. Oxford Journal, 20, 101-103. Ritz, B. (2008). Air pollution impacts on Infants and children. California: UCLA departments of epidemiology.

Cite this page

Share with friends using:

Removal Request

Finished papers: 845

This paper is created by writer with

ID 278499186

If you want your paper to be:

Well-researched, fact-checked, and accurate

Original, fresh, based on current data

Eloquently written and immaculately formatted

275 words = 1 page double-spaced

Get your papers done by pros!

Other Pages

Gender discrimination argumentative essays, labor party research papers, tick research papers, metabolite research papers, popsicle research papers, gehrig research papers, laceration research papers, shallows research papers, grenade research papers, the effects of task completed more than once in regards to students cheating and research paper sample, example of essay on reply post to name nursing philosophies compared, the normative model essay example, time money value slp essay examples, the millennuim and the thousand years of revelation 20 1 6 research paper example, essay on back to school personal, leadership teambuilding and communication essay sample, south korea transportation safety research paper, example of essay on unjust laws and racism, obama care and it 039 s negative effects on the us research paper, young public leaders struggle in maintaining strict ethical standards because they essays examples, good example of research paper on truman doctrines, free essay about short response 5, free research paper on main options, essay on women rights, scn llp investment research paper sample, us food regulation research paper examples, techniques for providing potable and fresh water to arid regions report examples, renick essays, lovato essays, axelrod essays, filial essays, episodic essays, john stuart essays, urban agriculture essays, food security essays, farr essays, nicholas essays, acta essays, alter essays, downstream essays, costco wholesale essays, bjs wholesale club essays.

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline

Essay on Environment for Students and Children

Table of Contents

Essay on Environment: The environment means the things that surround us. It is everything that makes up our surroundings and affects our ability to live on the earth. The air, water, land, plants, animals, solid wastes and other things that are surrounding us constitute our environment. Man and environment are closely intertwined and interact with each other. Man cannot exist without environment and environment cannot exist without man.

Fill Out the Form for Expert Academic Guidance!

Please indicate your interest Live Classes Books Test Series Self Learning

Verify OTP Code (required)

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Fill complete details

Target Exam ---

Ancient humans lived closer to the natural environment and therefore they lived healthier and longer. But today we are surrounded by the artificial environment that we have created for ourselves – buildings, air conditioned rooms, streets, shopping complexes, vehicles emitting poisonous gases, dust etc.

It would hardly require a second thought to conclude that this self made artificial environment of ours is a harmful creation. Not only we are breathing pollution but also doing considerable damage to nature, in our expedition to grow materialistically, further aggravating the situation. The more we move away from our natural environment, the more we move away from health and longevity. In the following essays we will discuss in details, the meaning and significance of environment and how it could be protected.

Long and Short Essay on Environment in English

A clean environment is very necessary to live a peaceful and healthy life.

But our environment is getting dirty day by day because of some negligence of human beings.

It is an issue which everyone must know about especially our kids.

Use following Environment Essay for your kids and children to help them in completing their school project or essay writing competition.

Following Essay on Environment are written using very simple word and easy to understand English Language so that your children can easy understand it.

Environment Essay in 100 words

An environment is the natural surroundings which help life to grow, nourish and destroy on this planet called earth. Natural environment plays a great role in the existence of life on earth and it helps human beings, animals and other living things to grow and develop naturally. But due to some bad and selfish activities of the human beings, our environment is getting affected. It is the most important topic that everyone must know how to protect our environment to keep it safe forever as well as ensure the nature’s balance on this planet to continue the existence of life.

Environment Essay 150 words

As we all are well familiar with the environment, it is everything which surrounds us naturally and affects our daily lives on the earth. Everything comes under an environment, the air which we breathe every moment, the water which we use for our daily routine, plants, animals and other living things, etc around us. An environment is called healthy environment when natural cycle goes side by side without any disturbance. Any type of disturbance in the nature’s balance affects the environment totally which ruins the human lives.

Now, in the era of advance living standard of the human being, our environment is getting affected to a great extent by the means of air pollution, noise pollution, deforestation, water pollution, soil pollution, acid rain and other dangerous disasters created by the human beings through technological advancement. We all must take an oath together to protect our natural environment to keep it safe as usual forever.

Environment Essay 200 words

Environment means all the natural surroundings such as land, air, water, plants, animals, solid material, wastes, sunlight, forests and other things. Healthy environment maintains the nature’s balance as well as helps in growing, nourishing and developing all the living things on the earth. However, now a day, some manmade technological advancement spoiling the environment in many ways which ultimately disturbs the balance or equilibrium of nature. We are keeping our lives in danger as well as existence of life in future on this planet.

If we do anything in wrong way out of the discipline of nature, it disturbs the whole environment means atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Besides natural environment, a man made environment is also exists which deals with the technology, work environment, aesthetics, transportation, housing, utilities, urbanization, etc. Man made environment affects the natural environment to a great extent which we all must be together to save it.

The components of the natural environment are used as a resource however it is also exploited by the human being in order to fulfill some basic physical needs and purpose of life. We should not challenge our natural resources and stop putting so much pollution or waste to the environment. We should value our natural resources and use them by staying under the natural discipline.

Environment Essay 250 words

An environment includes all the natural resources which surround us to help in number of ways. It provides us better medium to grow and develop. It gives us all things which we need to live our life on this planet. However, our environment also need some help from all of us to get maintained as usual, to nourish our lives forever and to never ruin our lives. The elements of our environment are declining day by day because of the man made technological disaster.

We need to maintain the originality of our environment to continue the life on the earth, the only place where life is possible till now in the whole universe. World Environment Day is a campaign being celebrated for years every year on 5 th of June in order to spread the public awareness all over the world towards the environment safety and cleanliness. We must participate in the campaign celebration to know the theme of celebration, to know ways of saving our environment and to get aware about all the bad habits which declining the environment day by day.

We can save our environment in very easy manner with the little step taken by every person on the earth. We should reduce the amount of waste, throwing wastes properly to its place only, stop using poly bags, reuse some old things in new ways, repair and use broken things instead of throwing it away, see how much it would take to repair them, use rechargeable batteries or renewable alkaline batteries, make use of fluorescent light, rain water conservation, reduce water wastage, energy conservation, minimum use of electricity, etc.

Environment Essay 5 (300 words)

An environment is gifted by the nature to nourish the life on the earth. Everything which we use to continue our lives comes under the environment such as water, air, sunlight, land, plants, animals, forests and other natural things. Our environment plays a very significant role in making possible the existence of healthy life on the earth. However, our environment is getting worse day by day because of the manmade technological advancement in the modern era. Thus, environmental pollution has become the biggest problem we are facing today.

Environmental pollution is affecting our daily lives negatively in various aspects of life such as socially, physically, economically, emotionally and intellectually. Contamination of the environment brings lots of diseases which human being may suffer whole life. It is not a problem of community or city, it is a worldwide problem which cannot be solved by the effort of one. If it is not addressed properly, it may end the existence of life a day. Each and every common citizen should involve in the environmental safety programme launched by the government.

We should correct our mistakes and selfishness towards our environment to make healthy and safe from the pollution. It is hard to believe but true that only a little positive movements by everyone may bring a huge change in the declining environment. Air and water pollution is leading our health on danger by causing various diseases and disorders. Nothing can be said healthy now a day, as what we eat is already affected by the bad effects of artificial fertilizers which reduces and weakens our body immunity to fight disease causing microorganisms. That’s why, anyone of us can be diseased anytime even after being healthy and happy.

So, it is a major worldwide issue which should be solved by the continuous efforts of everyone. We should participate in the World Environment Day campaign to actively participate in the environment safety event.

Environment Essay 400 words

All the natural things which makes life possible on the earth includes under an environment like water, air, sunlight, land, fire, forests, animals, plants, etc. It is considered that earth is the only planet in the universe having required environment for the life existence. Without environment we cannot guess life here so we should keep our environment safe and clean to ensure the life possibility in future. It is the responsibility of each and every individual living on the earth worldwide. Everyone should come forth and join the campaign for environment safety.

There are various cycles which happen regularly between environment and living things to maintain the nature’s balance. However, by any means if such cycles gets disturbed, nature’s balance also gets disturbed which ultimately affects the human lives. Our environment helps us and other forms of existence to grow, develop and flourish on the earth for thousands of years. As human beings are considered as the most intelligent creature made by the nature on the earth, they have lots of eagerness to know things in the universe which lead them towards the technological advancement.

Such technological advancement in everyone’s life put the life possibilities on the earth in danger day by day as our environment is destroying gradually. It seems that one day it becomes so harmful for life as the natural air, soil and water are getting polluted. Even it has started showing its bad effects on the health of human being, animal, plants and other living things. Artificially prepared fertilizers by using harmful chemicals are spoiling the soil which indirectly getting collected into our body through the food we eat daily. Harmful smokes created from the industrial companies on daily basis are polluting the natural air which affects our health to a great extent as we breathe it every moment.

In such busy, crowded and advanced life we must take care of such types of small bad habits on daily basis. It is true that only a small effort by the end of everyone can bring a major positive change towards our declining environment. We should not use the natural resources in wrong ways for just our selfishness and fulfil our destructive wishes. We should grow and develop science and technologies for the betterment of our lives but always be sure that it would not ruin our environment in future in anyways. We should be sure that new technologies would never disturb the ecological balance.

All the environment essay given above are written by the professional content writer under various words limit to help students. All the essay on environment are written very simply so that students of classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc can easily learn and successfully use in exam or essay writing competition. We have provided environment essays under the category of environmental issues. You can get essay on other environmental issues under same category such as.

Essay on Environment FAQs

What is the environment short essay.

A short essay about the environment explains its importance and how it affects our lives.

What is environment in 10 lines?

The environment is everything around us, including air, water, animals, plants, and the Earth itself. It supports life and needs protection.

What is environment 5 points?

The environment includes our surroundings, air, water, ecosystems, and the planet. It's essential for our well-being and must be conserved.

What is called environment?

The environment refers to the natural world around us, comprising everything in our surroundings, from the air we breathe to the land and creatures we share our planet with.

Related content

Talk to our academic expert!

Language --- English Hindi Marathi Tamil Telugu Malayalam

Get access to free Mock Test and Master Class

Register to Get Free Mock Test and Study Material

Offer Ends in 5:00

Essay on Importance Of Caring For Environment

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance Of Caring For Environment in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance Of Caring For Environment

Why the environment matters.

The environment is our home. It gives us air, water, food, and everything we need to live. Keeping it clean and safe is important for our health and for animals and plants too. If we don’t take care of it, the air can become dirty, the water poisoned, and the land filled with trash.

Our Role in Protecting Nature

Every person can help the environment. Simple acts like recycling, saving water, and planting trees make a big difference. When we protect nature, we make sure that we have a beautiful world to live in, now and in the future.

What Happens if We Don’t Care

If we ignore the environment, many bad things can happen. Animals could die out, forests might disappear, and the weather can get very extreme. This would make life hard for everyone. So, it’s really important to act now to keep our planet healthy.

250 Words Essay on Importance Of Caring For Environment

Our environment is like our home. Just like we keep our houses clean, we need to keep our environment clean too. When we take care of the environment, we make sure the air is fresh, the water is clean, and the land is free from too much trash. This is important because we need clean air to breathe, water to drink, and safe places to live and play.

Animals and Plants Need a Healthy Environment

Animals and plants live in the environment just like we do. They need a clean place to live, just as we do. If we don’t take care of the environment, many animals and plants might get sick or even disappear forever. This is sad because every animal and plant is special and has its own important job in nature.

What Happens If We Don’t Care

If we don’t look after the environment, bad things can happen. The air can become dirty, making it hard for us to breathe. Our rivers and oceans can get filled with trash, hurting the fish and other creatures that live there. Also, if we use too many resources, like cutting down too many trees, there might not be enough left for future kids.

How We Can Help

We can do simple things to help the environment. Turning off lights when we leave a room saves energy. Walking or biking instead of asking for a car ride reduces pollution. Recycling things like paper and plastic means less trash hurting the Earth. When we do these things, we show that we care about our planet.

Caring for the environment is very important. It keeps our world safe and clean for us, animals, and plants. It’s up to us to make sure our Earth stays a happy and healthy place for everyone.

500 Words Essay on Importance Of Caring For Environment

The world we live in is full of wonderful things: tall mountains, deep oceans, and forests full of animals and plants. But did you know that taking care of our planet is important for us and all living things? Just like we keep our rooms clean, we need to keep our environment clean too.

Our Health Depends on a Clean Environment

Breathing fresh air, drinking clean water, and eating healthy food all come from our environment. If we pollute the air with smoke or the water with chemicals, it can make us sick. Plants and animals also need a clean place to live. If we take care of the Earth, it takes care of us by giving us what we need to stay healthy.

Protecting Our Friends in Nature

Imagine a world without colorful birds, playful dolphins, or buzzing bees. It would be very quiet and less fun. Many of these animals and plants are in danger because their homes are being destroyed or polluted. By caring for the environment, we make sure they have a safe place to live. This way, we can enjoy their beauty and they can continue to help the Earth by doing things like growing flowers or cleaning the air.

Keeping the Earth Beautiful for Everyone

Parks, beaches, and forests are places where we can play and relax. If we leave trash everywhere or harm plants and trees, these places won’t be nice to visit. By keeping them clean, we make sure that everyone can enjoy them, even people who will be born many years from now.

Using Resources Wisely

The Earth gives us many things like water, wood, and oil. But if we use too much, there might not be enough left for other people or for us when we get older. By saving these resources and using them carefully, we make sure there’s enough for the future. For example, turning off the lights when we leave a room saves electricity, and recycling paper means we don’t have to cut down as many trees.

There are many easy things we can do to help the environment. Walking or riding a bike instead of asking for a car ride reduces air pollution. Turning off the tap while brushing teeth saves water. And throwing trash in the bin keeps our neighborhoods clean.

Taking care of the environment is important for our health, for the animals and plants, for beautiful places, and for using Earth’s gifts wisely. Even small actions can make a big difference. So let’s all do our part to keep the Earth a happy and healthy home for everyone.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Importance Of Body Language
• Essay on Importance Of Being A Good Listener
• Essay on Importance Of Balanced Diet And Exercise

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

High Court to Weigh Whether EPA Must Define ‘Too Much’ Pollution

By Bobby Magill

The US Supreme Court will consider San Francisco’s challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to tell cities not to pollute water bodies “too much” without setting a specific limitation.

San Francisco says its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits for discharges into the Pacific Ocean don’t tell the city what it needs to do to control pollution from sewage overflows. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit last July upheld EPA’s authority to issue generic limits, or “general narrative prohibitions,” on discharges under the Clean Water Act.

The city said that if the Supreme Court doesn’t require the EPA to set specific pollution limits, the EPA can enforce NPDES permits without defining what constitutes too much pollution. The high court granted certiorari Tuesday.

The federal government began an enforcement proceeding against San Francisco on May 1 when it sued the city for “repeated and widespread failures” to operate its stormwater system and sewage treatment plants in compliance with the Clean Water Act, leaving the public vulnerable to untreated human waste and sewage exposure on the beach.

Between October 2022 and March 2023, the city released 4 billion gallons of sewage, some of it untreated, into the Pacific due to sewer system overflows caused in part by improper maintenance, according to the lawsuit.

The case, US v. City and County of San Francisco , in US District Court for the Northern District of California, is asking the court to order the city to halt its sewage overflows; comply with its NPDES permits; and pay a variety of civil penalties, including fines of up to $37,500 per day for violations between 2009 and 2015 and up to $66,712 per day for each violation thereafter.

The city says it’s committed to complying with the Clean Water Act and has spent billions of dollars on pollution control infrastructure.

“We simply want to know the requirements that apply to us, and we want EPA to follow the rules that it set up to determine those requirements,” said Jen Kwart, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Office of the City Attorney.

“The EPA is trying to tell permit holders they can’t cause ‘too much’ pollution, but it isn’t telling us what ‘too much’ is,” Kwart said. “We’re asking for clear requirements to protect water quality so we can follow them.”

Water systems nationwide want specific effluent discharge requirements so they won’t be punished for complying with vague terms of a permit that can be interpreted differently depending on the reader, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, or NACWA, said in an amicus brief .

The brief was cosigned by attorneys for the City of New York, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, and the cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View, Calif.

NACWA said that Congress designed the NPDES program to require permit writers to use water quality standards as the basis for determining specific enforceable effluent limits.

“The Ninth Circuit’s decision allows permit writers to treat the water quality standards themselves as independently enforceable ‘limitations’ without clarifying what is actually expected of an individual discharger to comply,” NACWA said in the brief. “This interpretation ignores the statute’s clear distinction between effluent limitations and water quality standards, as well as the CWA’s overall design and history.”

The case is City and County of San Francisco v. EPA , U.S., No. 23-753, Certiorari Granted 5/28/24.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bobby Magill at [email protected]

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Zachary Sherwood at [email protected] ; JoVona Taylor at [email protected] ; Maya Earls at [email protected]

Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:

Learn about bloomberg law.

AI-powered legal analytics, workflow tools and premium legal & business news.

Already a subscriber?

Log in to keep reading or access research tools.

Pa. DEP is understaffed and can't fulfill mission to protect our health and environment

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has been chronically understaffed for years. The department is currently unable to fulfill its basic mission to protect public health and the environment. Additional positions proposed in Governor Shapiro's commonwealth budget do not adequately address the department's needs. When the Pennsylvania General Assembly and governor finalize the commonwealth budget in the upcoming weeks, they must provide more staffing for DEP.

In 2002, DEP's authorized complement was 3,211 positions. That was before Pennsylvania's shale gas boom and the added regulatory responsibilities it placed on DEP. Today, DEP's staffing is down 661 positions to about 2,550. I have come to believe that the systemic reduction of DEP staffing over time has been part of an intentional effort by conservatives in Pennsylvania's General Assembly to prevent full enforcement of Pennsylvania's environmental laws and regulations.

DEP understaffing runs throughout the department. I recently sat down with groupings of high-level personnel in five different DEP programs and here's what I found:

Oil and Gas Program

DEP's oil and gas program has regulatory authority over more than 120,000 active wells in Pennsylvania. It also has responsibility for plugging an estimated 200,000 orphaned or abandoned oil and gas wells. In 2022 DEP indicated that full complement for Pennsylvania's Oil and Gas program was 226 positions . Today they are down to about 171 positions and the program's workload increases every year. It's not surprising that conventional gas wells are routinely illegally abandoned, drillers are not reporting their production data as required by law and drilling brine containing toxic chemicals continues to be illegally spread on public roadways .

Clean Water Program

In early 2024, DEP released a draft report showing about one-third of Pennsylvania's streams — 28,820 miles — have impaired water quality making them unsafe for aquatic life, recreation, fish consumption or drinking water supply. The DEP Clean Water Program staff recently told me they could use 20 more stream biologists to add to the 20 stream biologists they currently have. The program only has staffing to inspect streams once every 30 years. Inspections should be done about every five years.

Bureau of Air Quality

DEP's air program is down about 99 positions since 2008. Program heads told me they have about 28 positions in the pipeline waiting to be filled but don't have the money to fill them. According to DEP: "…fewer department staff to conduct inspections, respond to complaints, and pursue enforcement actions will result in less oversight of regulated industry [and]… reduced protection of the environment and public health ."

Chesapeake Bay Program

About half the land area of Pennsylvania drains into the Chesapeake Bay. Pennsylvania's poor progress in reducing its agricultural runoff — particularly nitrogen and sediment — has contributed to the bay's D+ grade by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation . A Watershed Implementation Plan prepared by the DEP in 2022 estimated that it needed about 100 more positions. For the upcoming budget the Chesapeake Bay program asked for 12 more positions. These additional positions were not included in the governor's budget proposal.

More: Pennsylvania is failing the Chesapeake Bay — here's how that affects you

Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program

DEP's Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program (HSCA) is responsible for remediating contaminated sites where hazardous substances, such as PFAS, have been released. HSCA Program heads expect PFAS sites to grow significantly. The program requested five or six more positions in the upcoming budget, but these additional positions were not included in the governor's budget proposal. They indicate that they need $30 million dollars to cover costs this year.

The governor's budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 proposed 71 new positions for DEP. Forty of these positions were designed to speed up the permitting process. Speeding up permitting turnaround time just allows potential polluters to get about their business faster. Almost none of these proposed positions addresses the chronic attrition of basic DEP program people. The DEP needs more boots on the ground to engage in inspection activity and more compliance personnel to enforce environmental laws and regulation. DEP is not doing its job well now.

The issue is not a lack of money to pay for additional personnel. Currently the commonwealth is projected to have a $14 billion budget surplus. The issue is whether the governor and the Democrats in the House and Senate have the political will to prioritize environmental protection at the budget negotiation table in the upcoming weeks.

State Rep. Greg Vitali, of Delaware County, D-166th Dist., is majority chairman of the Pennsylvania House Environmental Resource and Energy Committee.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Pa. DEP is understaffed and can't fulfill mission to protect our health and environment