Stefan's Law states that the energy radiated per unit area per unit time by a black body is proportional to the absolute temperature raised to the fourth power. Even when surrounded by a higher temperature environment, a black body will still radiate energy, resulting in a net heat gain. The law focuses on the emissivity of the radiating object rather than the surroundings because it describes the object's ability to emit radiation. The amount of radiation received by another object is influenced by the "view factor," which accounts for the geometry of the objects involved. Understanding these principles is crucial for grasping thermodynamic interactions in various environments.
