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The figures below illustrate some of the major concepts of the first five chapters of Enger and Smith, Eighth Ed., which form the introductory materials to the course.
Chapter 1 - Our Natural Environment, Society, and Culture make up the human environment, but the listed concerns below influence our attitudes, and are involved in our perceptions of the Environment.
While the biological field of ecology involves other sciences and mathematics, and forms the basis for environmental science, numerous other fields of study are involved in seeking solutions and making decisions to solve environmental problems.
The relationships between the per capita income in populations and the conditions of the environment created by civilization (or lack thereof in those instances where annual income is around $100), are often inversely proportional. However, while higher incomes produce a safer environment in relation to safe drinking water, sanitation, and less air pollution (in terms of particulate matter and sulfur dioxide, the amount of municipal wastes (garbage) and carbon dioxide both increase. Therefore, a higher standards of living may make the environment safer in some ways, but it also leads to additional problems (from Cunningham & Saigo).
Chapter 2 - Solutions to environmental problems are never simple; they ultimately involve government at all levels, and are dependent on political action as well as scientific knowledge. Since the environment has no political boundaries, global awareness is necessary, and individual attitudes and education are a necessary part of the solution to any problem. Many conflicting interests often become involved in environmental decisions.
As natural resources become more scarce, they must be managed in a sustainable manner. The diagram below illustrates the changes in attitudes and objectives of General Motors Corp. from the 1940s to today. Similar diagrams could be made for other corporations.
Chapter 3 - Decisions must be made based upon weighing the economic costs and risks of any project or product against the benefits to be gained, and then comparing that to the environmental and health costs, risks, and benefits.
As can be seen from the diagram below, the environment is extremely complex, and ecosystems (the functional units of nature) are usually studied by teams of many different kinds of scientists. The numerous interactions between all factors requires that computers be used for analysis of collected data. The ecological niche includes an organism's "job" in its environment, i.e., not only specifically where it lives, but what it does.
The scientific portion of environmental studies follows the scientific method, which is outlined in two ways below. Another step in this method could be added at the bottom: publishing (and sharing) the results, which is how most scientists consult prior knowledge.
While this flow diagram uses different terminology, the basic process is the same: we make observations, think about the situation and ask questions, formulate a hypothesis, consult prior knowledge (a literature search), test the hypothesis through one or more experiments, collect and analyze data, interpret the data (usually through statistical analysis), and draw conclusions. Then we communicate with other scientists through meetings and/or publications.
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