1

Unit 1: Introduction to Environmental Science

Chapter 1 Section 1: Understanding our Environment

2

Environmental Science

• Environment (def): Circumstances and conditions that

surround an organism or group of organisms.

Including social and cultural conditions that affect an individual or community.

3

Environmental Science

• Environmental Science is the systematic study of our environment and our place in it. Highly Interdisciplinary Inclusive Holistic Mission-Oriented

Goals of Environmental Science

• To understand and solve environmental problems.

• Environmental scientists study two main types of interactions between humans and their environment:

1) How our actions alter our environment.

2) The use of natural resources.

4

5

Environmental Science

Many Fields of Study

6

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary science, which means that it involves many fields of study:

Ecology is the study of interactions of living organisms with one another and with their environment.

Scientists as Citizens, Citizens as Scientists

• Governments, businesses, and cities recognize that studying our environment is vital to maintaining a healthy and productive society.

• Thus, environmental scientists are often asked to share their research with the world

• Often, nonscientists’ observations are the first step toward addressing an environmental problem.

7

8

What is Environmental Science

• “For an increasing number of environmental issues the difficulty is not to identify remedies. Remedies are well understood; the problem is to make these remedies socially, economically and politically acceptable.”

Barbara Ward Economist

9

Remember

• What is our proper place in nature?

• What ought we do and what can we do to protect the irreplacable habitat that produced us and supports us?

10

Criteria for Environmental Literacy

• Awareness and appreciation of natural and built environments.

• Knowledge of natural systems and ecological concepts.

• Understanding of current environmental issues.

• The ability to use analytical and problem-solving skills on environmental issues.