ENVIRONMENT THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE STORIES

• Main Authors: Withgot, Jay (Author), Brennan, Scott R. (Author)
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Pearson Benjamin Cummings 2008
• Edition: Third edition
• Subjects: Environmental sciences
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.
• Physical Description: xxvii, 681 pages colour illustrations, colour maps 29 cm 1 CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.)
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index
• ISBN: 9780805395730

We live in extraordinary times. Human impact on our en vironment has never been so intensive or so far-reaching. The future of our society and the future of Earth's systems depend more critically than ever on the way we interact with the world around us. Fundamental aspects of cli mate, atmospheric composition, nutrient cycling, and bi ological diversity are being altered at dizzying speeds. Yet thanks to environmental science, we now understand bet ter than ever how our planet's systems function and how we influence these systems. Environmental science helps us to characterize the problems we create, and it also illu minates the tremendous opportunities we have before us for effecting positive change. The field of environmental science captures the very essence of this unique moment in history. This interdisci plinary pursuit stands at the vanguard of the current need to synthesize academic disciplines and to incorporate their contributions into a big-picture understanding of the world and our place within it.We wrote this book because we feel that the vital importance of environmental science in today's world makes it imperative to engage, educate, and inspire a broad audience of today's students-the citizens and leaders of tomorrow. We have therefore tried to imple ment the very best in modern teaching approaches and to clarify how the scientific process can inform human efforts. We also have aimed to maintain a balanced approach and to encourage critical thinking as we flesh out the social debate over many environmental issues. Finally, in assessing the challenges that our society and our planet face, we focus on providing hope and solutions.