chapter 1Review
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Throughout this chapter, we have outlined principles, techniques, and methods that will allow us to approach environmental science from an interdisciplinary perspective as we evaluate the current condition of Earth and the ways that human beings have influenced it. We identified that we can use environmental indicators to show the status of specific environmental conditions in the past, at present, and, potentially, into the future. These indicators and other environmental metrics must be measured using the same scientific process used in other fields of science. Environmental science does contain some unique challenges because there is no undisturbed baseline—
Module 1 Environmental Science
Define the field of environmental science and discuss its importance.
Environmental science is the study of the interactions among human-
Identify ways in which humans have altered and continue to alter our environment.
The impact of humans on natural systems has been significant since early humans hunted some large animal species to extinction. However, technology and population growth have dramatically increased both the rate and the scale of human-
Module 2 Environmental Indicators and Sustainability
Identify key environmental indicators and their trends over time.
Five important global-
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Define sustainability and explain how it can be measured using the ecological footprint.
Sustainability is the use of Earth’s resources to meet our current needs without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The ecological footprint is the land area required to support a person’s (or a country’s) lifestyle. We can use that information to say something about how sustainable that lifestyle would be if it were adopted globally.
Module 3 Scientific Method
Explain the scientific method and its application to the study of environmental problems.
The scientific method is a process of observation, hypothesis generation, data collection, analysis of results, and dissemination of findings. Repetition of measurements or experiments is critical if one is to determine the validity of findings. Hypotheses are tested and often modified before being accepted.
Describe some of the unique challenges and limitations of environmental science.
We lack an undisturbed “control planet” with which to compare conditions on Earth today. Assessments and choices are often subjective because there is no single measure of environmental quality Environmental systems are so complex that they are poorly understood, and human preferences and policies may affect them as much as do natural laws.