Chapter 1 Environmental Science and Sustainability What's The Big Idea

What does sustainability mean?
Sustainability means managing natural resources in ways that don't diminish or degrade the Earth's ability to provide them in the future.

Two examples of sustainable practices
  1. Using less-polluting forms of energy like solar power.
  2. Harvesting fish at levels which allow for stable populations in the future.

What are the objectives for this chapter?
The objectives for this chapter are:

  1. Describe the range of ways in which humans affect the environment.
  2. Explain the meaning of sustainability and ways it relates to human development and environmental justice.
  3. Summarize how the scientific method works.
  4. Describe the various methods of observation and testing involved in scientific inquiry.
  5. Identify ways in which values influence our individual and collective responses to environmental issues.
Quote by Henry David Thoreau

What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on?

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