Balancing Ecosystems

Fundamentals of Environmental Science

Environmental science is a subject that covers many areas and involves many disciplines. Science and technology directly affect each other and environmental problems. They also help solve these problems. Environmental sustainability can be achieved with environmental science. Humans have made changes that directly affect environmental sustainability. Human values are critical to achieving sustainability. Environmental science is all encompassing touching on every person’s life and affected by just about every one of those lives.

Environmental science is a field of study that encompasses many different disciplines. These include but are not limited to politics, agriculture, engineering, geology, law, ethics, economics, sociology, demography, geography, cultural anthropology, biology, natural resource management, chemistry and physics. One example of how these disciplines are used is with atmospheric science which studies weather, climate, greenhouse gasses and other pollutants found in the atmosphere. Another method is with environmental chemistry which studies chemicals in the air, soil and water. Environmental scientists study the natural world developing a general idea of how things work in nature. This knowledge is used to create solutions for environmental problems, both natural and manmade. There are many fields of study and practice in environmental science.

Science, technology and environmental problems are influenced by each other. One common tool used in the industry is the scientific method. The five primary steps are; 1. Recognize a question or unexplained phenomenon. 2. Create a hypothesis. 3. Create and perform an experiment testing the hypothesis. 4. Analyze the data and reach a conclusion. 5. Share the results with the scientific community. When working on an environmental problem, scientists have to address more than just the problem. They must engage the public and elected officials to determine what...