ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Lesson 1: Nature and Scope of Environmental Science — Reviewer
1. What is Environmental Science?
• Environmental Science is the scientific study of the interactions between humans and the
environment.
• It is an interdisciplinary field that integrates physical sciences, biological sciences, and
social sciences to study the environment and solve environmental problems.
• It combines knowledge from many disciplines to understand environmental problems and develop
sustainable solutions.
2. Why Study Environmental Science?
As future professionals, understanding the environment helps us:
• Protect natural resources
• Prevent environmental degradation
• Improve public health
• Develop sustainable technologies
• Make informed decisions
• Promote responsible citizenship
3. The Interdisciplinary Nature of Environmental Science
Environmental Science is interdisciplinary because no single field can solve environmental
problems — many disciplines work together.
Discipline Contribution
Biology Living organisms
Chemistry Water and air quality
Physics Energy and climate
Geology Rocks, minerals, earthquakes
Meteorology Weather and climate
Economics Resource management
Sociology Human behavior
Political Science Environmental policies
Engineering Pollution control technologies
Geography Land use and mapping
4. Example: River Pollution — Who Helps?
Problem: River pollution
• Biologist → studies fish mortality
• Chemist → measures water pollutants
• Engineer → designs wastewater treatment
• Economist → computes economic losses
• Government → creates regulations
• Community → changes practices
5. Environmental Science vs. Environmental Studies vs. Environmentalism
Environmental Science Environmental Studies Environmentalism
Scientific Interdisciplinary Social movement
Uses experiments Includes humanities Focuses on advocacy
Objective Broader perspective Promotes conservation
Example questions each field would ask:
• Environmental Science: "What chemical caused fish deaths?"
• Environmental Studies: "What social and economic factors contributed?"
• Environmentalism: "How can citizens prevent pollution?"
6. Scope of Environmental Science
1. Ecology
Study of relationships between organisms and their environment.
Example:
• Food chains
• Habitats
• Population interactions
2. Natural Resources
Includes:
• Water
• Forests
• Minerals
• Wildlife
• Soil
Key question: How should these resources be used sustainably?
3. Pollution
• Air pollution
• Water pollution
• Soil pollution
• Noise pollution
• Thermal pollution
• Radioactive pollution
4. Climate Change
Studies include:
• Greenhouse gases
• Global warming
• Extreme weather
• Sea-level rise
5. Biodiversity
• Why are species becoming extinct?
• How can ecosystems be protected?
6. Environmental Health
Key question: How does pollution affect human health?
Examples:
• Lead poisoning
• Contaminated drinking water
• Respiratory diseases
7. Waste Management
Topics include:
• Reduce
• Reuse
• Recycle
• Circular economy
• Composting
8. Sustainability
• Meeting today's needs without compromising future generations.
• This concept guides modern environmental decision-making.
7. Major Environmental Problems Today
Global
• Climate change
• Biodiversity loss
• Ocean pollution
• Deforestation
• Desertification
Philippines
• Plastic waste
• Overfishing
• Flooding
• Illegal logging
• Mining
• Air pollution
• Coral reef destruction
• Water contamination
8. Loss of Biodiversity
Conversion of natural habitats into agricultural land can result in the loss of biodiversity, as it
disrupts the ecosystems that support various plant and animal species.