Features

Three unifying themes of science, sustainability, and stewardship help students conceptualize the task of forging a sustainable future.
Essays explore the three themes at appropriate points within chapters and provide a memorable perspective on the topic. Themes are recapped and discussed at the end of each chapter to help students connect the chapter topics to the themes. A final capstone chapter revisits these themes.
Timely coverage of topical concerns include the Fukishima earthquake as a major environmental disaster; hydrofracking in the northeastern United States, the “environmentalist’s paradox;” and the “Smart Grid.”
Unique chapter on ecosystem capital (Chapter 7: The Use and Restoration of Ecosystems) explores how ecosystems provide valuable goods and services to society.
Making a Difference sections appear at the end of each chapter and give students practical suggestions for promoting sustainable practices and protecting the earth for future generations.
An early discussion of Economics and Policy (in Chapter 2) gives students a basic foundation in the social sciences before studying specific issues.
Chapter organization provides cohesive units on Ecology (Part 2, Chapters 3—7) and Human Population and Essential Resources (Part 3, Chapters 8—13).
MasteringEnvironmentalScience™helps students arrive better prepared for lectures and helps professors gain unique insight into their students’ performance. Highlights include Video Field Trips (see below), 3-D BioFlix® animations and exercises, GraphIt! activities, Current Events articles from the New York Times, ABC News Videos, and reading quizzes–all provide professors with a wealth of assignable, automatically-graded interactive activities that give students personalized feedback.
Video Field Trips give students fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of what happens with commonly-used resources before and after they are consumed. These short videos are included on the Instructor Resource DVD for classroom presentations and within MasteringEnvironmentalScience for automatically graded student assignments. These exclusive videos explore: Carbon neutrality on campus
Prescribed fires
Solar energy
Electronic waste
Energy–coal-fired power plant
Water–waste water treatment facility
Food–sustainable agriculture
Waste–Landfill and recycling center
Waterr–water utility factory

This book is printed on FSC certified paper to set the gold standard in use of environmentally responsible publishing, following guidelines from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for reducing energy usage, reducing impact on forests, and limiting the release of toxic chemicals into the environment

Table of Contents

I. FRAMEWORK FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
1. Science and the Environment
2. Economics, Politics, and Public Policy

II. ECOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT
3. Basic Needs of Living Things
4. Populations and Communities
5. Ecosystems: Energy, Patterns, and Disturbance
6. Wild Species and Biodiversity
7. The Value, Use, and Restoration of Ecosystems

III. THE HUMAN POPULATION AND ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
8. The Human Population
9. Population and Development
10. Water: Hydrologic Cycle and Human Use
11. Soil: Foundation for Land Ecosystems
12. The Production and Distribution of Food
13. Pests and Pest Control

IV. HARNESSING ENERGY FOR HUMAN SOCIETIES
14. Energy from Fossil Fuels
15. Nuclear Power
16. Renewable Energy

V. POLLUTION AND PREVENTION
17. Environmental Hazards and Human Health
18. Global Climate Change
19. Atmospheric Pollution
20. Water Pollution and Its Prevention
21. Municipal Solid Waste: Disposal and Recovery
22. Hazardous Chemicals: Pollution and Prevention

VI. STEWARDSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
23. Sustainable Communities and Lifestyles

Appendix A
Environmental Organizations

Appendix B
Units of Measure

Appendix C
Some Basic Chemical concepts

Glossary
Index