Module 1 Science and Environment

Environmental science
is the field of science that studies the interactions of the physical, chemical, and
biological components of the environment and also the relationships and effects of these components
with the organisms in the environment. It includes both applied and theoretical aspects of human
impact on the world.
An area of study related to environmental science is environmental studies which incorporate more of
the social sciences for understanding human relationships, perceptions, and policies towards the
environment.
Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural history and medicine during the
Enlightenment period. Some of the pioneers in this field are:
Theodore Roosevelt – the first conservationist president, he established the National Forest and Parks
System (1901 – 1909)
Aldo Leopold – considered as the Father of Wildlife Conservation in America, known for his “concept of
the land” ethics
John Muir – known as the “Father of National Parks”, he founded the Sierra Club, the oldest, largest and
most influential grassroots environmental organization in the US
Rachel Carson – wrote the famous book Silent Spring warning the public about the dangers of misusing
pesticides, which led to advanced the global environmental movement
Environmental science is interdisciplinary in nature in that it incorporates ideas and information from
various disciplines such as ecology, physics, sociology, history, political science, economics, and ethics.
But then we can classify these disciplines into 3 large groups: (1) natural sciences, (2) social sciences, and
(3) humanities.
Environmental Science VS Ecology
However, there is one discipline which is often mistaken for environmental science, and that is ecology.
Although ecology and environmental science both belong to the natural sciences, they are actually
different from each other. Generally speaking, environmental science is a broader field that
incorporates many elements of earth and life sciences and seek solutions to environmental problems,
whereas ecology is usually more focused on how organisms interact with each other and their
surroundings, and often on a very specific population of living things.
Ecology is more on the logic of confirmation and therefore is mechanistic in approach while
environmental science is more on the logic of case studies; based on, concerned with, or verifiable by
observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic and Is therefore empirical in approach.
Ecology could be considered a subset of environmental science, which also could involve purely
chemical or public health issues ecologists would be unlikely to study.
In practice, there is considerable overlap between the work of ecologists and other environmental
scientists.
With the various environmental problems that we have at present, one must develop a deeper
understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.
And for this to be achieved, environmental education is a must. Environmental education is a process
that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem-solving, and take action to
improve the environment. It is in here that the importance of environmental science as a subject comes
in. Environmental science as a field has three goals (1) to learn how the natural world works, (2) to
understand how we as humans interact with the environment, and (3) to determine how we affect
the environment. In this way, we can achieve sustainability.
Laws of Ecology
In order to understand the ecological impact of many environmental problems and help solve these
problems, it is useful to look at what Barry Commoner and others have referred to as the four informal
laws of ecology:
1. Everything is connected to everything else.
2. Everything must go somewhere.
3. Nature knows best.
4. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
And since environmental science is a broad field that incorporates many elements of the earth, we can
thus divide the study of environmental science into subsystems which are interrelated with each other.
We call these four subsystems as “spheres”. Particularly, "atmosphere" (air). "hydrosphere" (water),
"lithosphere" (land), and "biosphere" (living things).

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Environmental science

Environmental Science VS Ecology

1. Everything is connected to everything else.

2. Everything must go somewhere.

3. Nature knows best.

4. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

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