2: Humans and the Environment
- Page ID
- 185372
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How can humans live well within Earth's ecological limits?
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary field that uses science to understand environmental systems and solve environmental problems. This chapter introduces five key concepts—Planetary Boundaries, environmental ethics, environmental justice, sustainability, and environmental policy—that help explain how humans interact with the environment and respond to environmental challenges. Together, these concepts provide a foundation for understanding issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and use of ecosystem goods and services.
- 2.1: Planetary Boundaries- Earth's Safe Operating Space
- This page introduces the Planetary Boundaries framework, which identifies Earth's ecological limits and the environmental conditions that support a stable planet. It explores how human activities affect Earth systems and explains how the framework helps scientists evaluate sustainability and long-term human well-being.
- 2.2: Environmental Ethics and Worldviews
- This page explores how people use ethics to make decisions about environmental issues and how personal values shape beliefs about the relationship between humans and the natural world. It introduces environmental ethics, including the ideas of instrumental and intrinsic value, and examines how different worldviews extend moral consideration from individuals to other people, future generations, living organisms, ecosystems, and the biosphere. The page also explores moral extensionism and consider
- 2.3: Environmental Justice and Equity
- This page explores how environmental benefits and burdens are distributed among people, communities, and nations. It introduces the concepts of environmental equity, environmental racism, and environmental justice, and examines why some communities experience greater exposure to pollution and environmental hazards than others. The page also explores Indigenous environmental justice issues, emphasizing the importance of Tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and meaningful participation in envir
- 2.4: Sustainability and Sustainable Development
- This page introduces the concept of sustainability and explores how societies can meet present needs while supporting the well-being of future generations. It examines the origins of sustainable development, connections to Indigenous teachings about long-term responsibility, and the relationship between environmental health, social well-being, and economic prosperity. The page also considers challenges to achieving sustainability and explores emerging ideas such as restoration and regeneration a
- 2.5: Systems Thinking and Modeling Sustainability
- This page explores how different models represent the relationships among the economy, society, and the environment, and evaluates how these frameworks support sustainability within Earth's ecological limits.
- 2.6: Historical Foundations of Environmental Policy
- This page introduces the evolution of sustainability in environmental policy, tracing its origins through three historical phases: the 19th-century conservation movement, post-Industrial Revolution environmental risk management, and the incorporation of social and economic considerations. It underscores the importance of adaptive regulatory strategies for current environmental challenges and reviews significant legislation that influenced U.S. environmental policy.