Environment

The environment means surroundings in which people, animals and plants develop and exist. The branch of biology investigating relationships between living beings and their environment is called ecology. It is a relatively new science which reflects the concern about the balance of nature. Ecologists and environmentalists are well aware of the bad state of the environment and of the necessity of its protection. 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 Earths surface, the destruction of tropical rain forests and the breaking of the ozone layer. Most of this damage, which proceeds faster and faster, has not been caused by natural catastrophes, but by the man himself. The technical progress, which enables him a more comfortable life, leads on the other hand to the degradation of the quality of the environment he lives in. The growing number of cars on roads and highways contribute much to the air pollution. Factories produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, lead poisons, radioactive particles, dangerous compounds of sulphur and nitrogen. They get into the air and some of them create in combination with water sulphuric acids, which fall in form of acid rain or snow. The acid kills trees, makes the soil infertile, pollutes the rivers and makes life disappear from them. Factories directly increase water pollution because many of them are built near rivers into which they put their chemical waste. Farmers use amounts of pesticides and fertilizers which pollute the soil and most of them may have the worst effects on human health, too. The building of dams causes flooding of large areas of nature and the disappearance of many typical animals, birds and plants of the region. Amounts of industrial and city waste are placed near the sea, lakes and rivers. They pollute soil, water and air, and spoil the natural scenery. If the destruction of the environment continues, the life on this planet will be endangered. But in recent years many environmental organizations have been founded, some of them on international basis. They try to give their warnings through the mass media and public campaigns. Many of their activities have been successful and the wide public attention made the governments pass various useful laws aimed at the improvement of the environment. E.g. the use of DDT was banned by law all over the world, catalytic converters and unleaded petrol in cars are compulsory in many countries, the use of phosphates in soaps is forbidden, most industrial countries have agreed to stop using ozone-destroying chemicals in aerosol sprays. All over the world there are clean air acts, water pollution acts and endangered species acts. Governments of all countries have ministries or departments concerned with environmental problems. The concern for the environment and the environmental activity should be a part of the peoples lives. Therefore there is a great need for the environmental education. Children of all ages should be taught about the mans relationship to nature. Last year I wrote an ecological work about the canistherapy. It is a new form of psychotherapy, which uses the affection of a mans health by a dog. I describe this therapy, how it is divided, by whom it can be used, which dispositions the dog should have, how its results are. I made also an interview with a woman, who studied special psychology and has experiences with canistherapy. She told me, how a session looks like and how the situation in Slovakia with canistherapy is.