The meaning and definition of environment
Section 2(a) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: water, air, land and their links with living beings and property
In one minute
Environment means everything that surrounds a living being and affects its life. The law gives it a fixed meaning in section 2(a) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
That meaning covers water, air and land, and the links between them and all living beings and property. Every pollution case starts from this definition, so exams often begin with it.
Exam focus
- Frequency: Occasionally asked
- Usually asked as: Both (long answer and short answer)
Legal provision
The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 is a Central Act. The text below is checked against the Bare Act page on this site.
- Section 2(a): "environment" includes water, air and land and the inter-relationship which exists among and between water, air and land, and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism and property.
- Section 2(b): an "environmental pollutant" is any solid, liquid or gaseous substance present in such concentration as may be, or tend to be, injurious to environment.
- Section 2(c): "environmental pollution" is the presence in the environment of any environmental pollutant.
- Section 3(1): the Central Government can take all measures it thinks necessary to protect and improve the quality of the environment and to prevent, control and abate pollution.
Meaning and definition
In everyday speech, environment means the surroundings of a person or a living being. The word comes from the French environner, which means to encircle. It includes living things such as plants and animals, and non-living things such as air, water and soil.
The law needs a firmer meaning, so section 2(a) of the Act supplies one. The key feature is that the definition names the inter-relationship and not only the physical parts. Water, air and land are one connected system with people, other living creatures, plants, micro-organisms and property.
- Environment (section 2(a))
- Water, air and landThe physical parts, and the links among them.
- Living beingsHuman beings, other living creatures, plants and micro-organism.
- PropertyBuildings, monuments and other things people own.
Detailed explanation
Step 1: the three physical parts
Section 2(a) first lists water, air and land. Each is also the subject of its own law, such as the Water Act, 1974 and the Air Act, 1981. The Act of 1986 sits above them as an umbrella law.
Example. A tannery near Ranipet in Tamil Nadu releases untreated liquid waste. The waste harms the river (water), the soil of nearby farms (land) and the smell and fumes (air). All three are parts of the environment.
Step 2: the inter-relationship
The definition does not stop at the three parts. It also covers the "inter-relationship which exists among and between" them and living beings. Harm to one part therefore counts as harm to the whole.
Example. Dumping chemicals on dry land looks like land pollution only. The rain washes the chemicals into a canal and then into groundwater. Because the parts are linked, the Act treats the harm as environmental pollution, not as a land problem alone.
Step 3: living beings and property
The definition lists human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism and property. People are therefore a part of the environment and not outsiders to it. Property is included, so damage to buildings or monuments from pollution is within the Act.
Example. Acid smoke from a factory corrodes the marble of an old temple in Hyderabad. The temple is property, and the harm to it is environmental harm.
Step 4: why the definition is wide
The Act was passed in 1986 to protect and improve the environment as a whole. A narrow meaning would leave gaps that polluters could use. The word "includes" shows that the list is not closed, so a purposive reading is natural.
Step 5: how the definition links to pollution
The definition feeds the next two sections. An environmental pollutant (a substance in such concentration that it harms or tends to harm the environment) is defined by reference to the environment. Environmental pollution is the presence of such a pollutant in it. The Central Government's powers in section 3 are powers to protect this same environment.
Don't confuse: environment and its neighbours
| Point | Environment | Ecology | Ecosystem |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | The surroundings themselves, as defined in section 2(a) | The science that studies how organisms relate to their surroundings | One working unit of living and non-living things |
| Statutory meaning | Defined in section 2(a) of the 1986 Act | Not defined in the Act | Not defined in the Act |
Inside the concept. Smoke from a brick kiln in Warangal spreads over a village. The smoke, the air, the crops and the villagers' health together make up the environment that is harmed.
Just outside it. A student measures how the fish count in a pond changes after a fertiliser spill. That study is ecology. It is not the legal definition of environment.
Common mistakes
- Writing that environment means only nature. Section 2(a) includes human beings and property.
- Forgetting the inter-relationship. It is the feature that makes the definition wide.
- Quoting "micro-organisms" as the Act's word. The Bare Act text says "micro-organism".
- Treating environment, ecology and ecosystem as one word with three spellings.
Apply it
Problem
A cement plant near a historic fort releases dust. The dust settles on the fort walls, on nearby crops and in the lungs of villagers. The owner argues that only air is polluted, so the 1986 Act does not apply.
Issue. Does the harm fall within "environment" in section 2(a)?
Rule. Environment includes water, air and land, their inter-relationship, and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism and property.
Application. The dust affects air, land (crops), people and property (the fort). The definition names each of them.
Conclusion. The harm is to the environment, and the Act applies.
Leading case laws
- M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (Taj Trapezium Case) (1997)
Facts. Industrial emissions in the Taj Trapezium Zone were damaging the Taj Mahal.
Principle. The Supreme Court ordered the coke- and coal-using industries to switch to natural gas or relocate.
Why it matters. The definition lists property. This case shows air pollution harming a monument handled as an environmental matter.
How to write this answer in the exam
5-mark answer
- Everyday meaning: surroundings.
- Section 2(a) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, quoted.
- The three physical parts and the inter-relationship.
- Living beings and property.
10-mark answer
- Everyday meaning and the origin of the word.
- The definition in section 2(a), quoted in full.
- Each part: water, air, land, inter-relationship, living beings, property.
- Why the definition is wide.
- Link to sections 2(b), 2(c) and 3.
- Difference from ecology and ecosystem.
- One case or example.
Key points to remember
- Source: section 2(a), Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- Parts: water, air, land, their inter-relationship, living beings, property.
- The Act's word is "micro-organism".
- The definition begins with "includes", so it is not a closed list.
- Environmental pollution is the presence of an environmental pollutant in the environment (section 2(c)).
- Ecology and ecosystem are not defined in the Act.
Quick self-test
1. Which section defines environment in the 1986 Act?
Section 2(a).
2. Does the definition cover property?
Yes. Property is listed with human beings, other living creatures, plants and micro-organism.
3. Why does the word "inter-relationship" matter?
It treats water, air, land and living beings as one connected whole, so harm to one part is harm to the environment.