The environment means surroundings in which people, animals and plants develop and exist. The branch of biology investigating (ktorá skúma) relationships between living beings and their environment is called ecology. Civilization has brought people many advantages but on the other hand its products also pollute and damage the environment in which we live.
The most serious ecological problems of today are :
• the pollution of air, water and soil
• the destruction of ecosystems
• disappearance of many species of animals and plants
• the weather changes, acid rains, the warming up of the Earth’s surface
• the destruction of tropical rain forests and the breaking of the ozone layer