Definition of the Environment The environment consists of four overlapping components, which play a vital role in sustaining life on Earth. The four components are the Atmosphere, Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Biosphere each works hand in hand with each other, without one of these components this would upset the delicate balance of the environment. The atmosphere is a mixture of transparent and odorless gases, which is surrounding the earth in a layer, which is held in …showed first 75 words of 712 total…

…showed last 75 words of 712 total…been exploiting the mineral resources of the lithosphere by mining of raw materials. For example, the mining and subsequent combustion of fossil fuels represents a transfer of carbon from the lithosphere to the atmosphere. By this process, man has accelerated the natural rate of transfer of carbon dioxide from the lithosphere to the atmosphere. In turn, the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will lead to global warming by enhancing the greenhouse effect.