Environment: a key concept for science development and decision making

The word environment is part of the vocabulary of scientists, politicians and the general society, but its meaning varies depending on the context it is used. The term environment is used in such vague ways that confusion arises about what we must preserve to ensure the welfare of future generations, as well as about what the study object of environmental sciences is. Nevertheless, because of the elevated relevance of this concept in moder societies, this review attempts to integrate its different meanings into a single one, useful for environmental sciences and policy making. For this, we examine the etymological origin and history of the term environment in different contexts and explore the role of humans as agents that disturb it, also analyzing whether our activities are a natural consequence of our evolution. This analysis led us to propose an operational concept of environment, defining it as a biophysical volume of the nature that was altered by human activities, but whose abiotic and biotic components can be partially or fully recovered by means of new human interventions.