1: Framing Our Study of Environmental Science
- Page ID
- 81300
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After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Describe what the environment is, and some of its major components.
- Identify the shared characteristics of the natural sciences
- Understand the process of scientific inquiry
- Compare inductive reasoning with deductive reasoning
- Describe the goals of basic science and applied science
- Define environmental science
- Understand why it is important to study environmental science
- Explain the concept of sustainability and its social, political, and cultural challenges
- Evaluate the main points of environmental ethics
- Describe the concept of environmental justice
- Differentiate between developed and developing countries
- 1.1: The Earth, Humans, and the Environment
- Environmental science is the dynamic, interdisciplinary study of the interaction of living and non-living parts of the environment, with special focus on the impact of humans on the environment. The study of environmental science includes circumstances, objects, or conditions by which an organism or community is surrounded and the complex ways in which they interact.
- 1.2: Environmental Laws and Regulations
- Although environmental laws are generally considered a 20th century phenomenon, attempts have been made to legislate environmental controls throughout history.
- 1.3: The Process of Science
- Like other natural sciences, environmental science is a science that gathers knowledge about the natural world. The methods of science include careful observation, record keeping, logical and mathematical reasoning, experimentation, and submitting conclusions to the scrutiny of others. Science also requires considerable imagination and creativity.
- 1.4: Pseudoscience and Other Misuses of Science
- Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice that is presented as scientific but does not adhere to the standards and methods of science. True science is based on repeated evidence-gathering and testing of falsifiable hypotheses.
- 1.5: Environment and Sustainability
- This section introduces the concept of sustainability, which refers to the sociopolitical, scientific, and cultural challenges of living within the means of the earth without significantly impairing its function.
- 1.6: Environmental Ethics
- The ways in which humans interact with the land and its natural resources are determined by ethical attitudes and behaviors.
- 1.7: Environmental Justice and Indigenous Struggles
- Environmental Justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. It will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work.
Thumbnail image - “Environmental Protection” by ejaugsburg is in the Public Domain, CC0