Environments

Environments refer to the external conditions, surroundings, or contexts in which organisms, systems, or activities operate. The term is used across disciplines to describe natural settings such as ecosystems, human-made spaces, and abstract or virtual spaces. Environments influence behavior, feasibility, and outcomes, and can be characterized by factors such as climate, geography, resources, and social or technological conditions.

Natural environments include ecosystems—forests, wetlands, oceans—defined by interactions among living organisms and physical components like air, water, and soil. Abiotic factors (temperature, pH, radiation) and biotic factors (plants, animals, microbes) shape niches and biodiversity. Humans influence natural environments through land use, pollution, climate change, and conservation efforts, which aim to maintain ecosystem services such as food, clean water, pollination, and cultural value.

Built environments are human-modified spaces designed for living, work, and transportation, including buildings, neighborhoods, and infrastructure. Urban planning, architecture, and civil engineering shape health, safety, energy use, and resilience to hazards. Sustainable design seeks to minimize environmental footprint, optimize resource efficiency, and improve accessibility and well-being within these spaces.

In computing, environments describe the software and hardware context in which applications run. This includes runtime environments, development environments, and virtual or containerized spaces. Environment management, such as setting environment variables, dependency versions, and isolation through containers or virtual machines, supports reproducibility, security, and portability across platforms and deployments.

Overall, environments are dynamic and context-dependent. Understanding their components, interactions, and impacts supports science, planning, and responsible stewardship across natural, built, and digital domains.