Everything around you that you see, hear, smell or taste is part of your environment. This includes your families and friends, houses, cars and streets. But when we talk today about the environment, we think first of plants and animals, soil, water and air. These things make up the natural environment that we have to protect – sometimes against ourselves – so that people will still be able to live on the earth in years to come. (In politics, people often speak here of "sustainability”, meaning that we mustn’t use or destroy more of nature than can regenerate.)
Most things in nature are connected together. That is why we also talk about a natural cycle. For example, if the poison that a farmer uses to fight pests is put on fields, rabbits may become sick. If this sick rabbit is then shot by a hunter and eaten, people can also become ill. If the poison seeps into the soil and gets into water, fish and animals that drink the water can suffer from illnesses. And if too much waste gas or too many exhaust fumes from chimneys and cars are emitted into the air, it can cause a lot of problems: people start having breathing problems, and trees can die if they are contaminated with too many harmful substances. Environmental protection includes all the measures that go towards preserving the natural environment for people and protecting soil, air, water, plants and animals. Since 1994, environmental protection has been enshrined in the German constitution (Grundgesetz) as a goal of the state.