This full-color, introductory environmental science text is known for being concise and conceptual. The approach and reading level cover the basic concepts without overloading students with too much detail. The authors reinforce the text's central theme of "interrelationships" by providing a historical perspective, information on economic and political realities, discuss the role of different social experiences, and integrate this with the crucial science to describe the natural world and how we affect it. includes print student edition
This book had the potential to be interesting if it didn't expound on ideas that you've already put together with common sense. The paragraph (or two or three) that I remember the most explained how selective harvesting (of trees) lessens the total biodiversity (x) of a habitat. You mean x-1 is indeed less than x? Shocking. . . This book did, on the other hand, did have good chapters on human views of nature , conservation and ethics. A class could have good, thoughtful discussions based on some of those ideas.
This text is currently on its 16th edition, so why would you ever read the 3rd edition??? Perspective. I am a professor, and I teach a wide selection of courses within the Env Sci discipline. What I have done is pull chapters here and there from this text, and incorporate them as discussion points into my current material. I do not tell the students that the book is older than them at first, and for the most part, they are genuinely shocked. I also find that while many people will refer to Env Sci concepts as “common sense”, they do not appear to be things that people think about regularly. Further, it is the interconnected aspects that my learners struggle with the most. It’s common sense that things are connected, but how? They can’t comprehend the feedback loops. This text expounds on some of those aspects. I have also found the government operation and land use planning components to be very useful for learners these days.
This is a very good, comprehensive textbook on the natural science and social science of the environment. Very well illustrated and documented, I would strongly recommend this book for anyone wanting to get a handle on the complexities of the various disciplines related to environmental studies. It is a textbook, so there is a significant emphasis on basic terminology and typologies, so it works best as a study guide or reference book. The glossary, charts, tables, lists of suggested readings, and review questions are very useful.