What is Environmental Science? – These are some of the numerous topics that are explored in the field of environmental science. Environmental science is the scientific field that studies the interactions between physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment and the relationships and effects with organisms in the background. Its container has three main objectives: learning how nature works, understanding how humans interact with the environment, and determining how we affect it. The third objective of determining human impacts on the environment also includes finding ways to address these environmental effects.
What is Environmental Science?
Environmental science is the study of the interactions between the atmosphere and humans. These interactions include physical, biological, and social sciences. It focuses on understanding the Earth’s natural systems, the impacts of human activities on these systems, and the development of sustainable solutions to environmental problems.
Environmental science is also classified as an interdisciplinary field because it integrates information and ideas from various disciplines. For example, biology, chemistry, and geology are included in environmental sciences within the natural sciences. Most people think of environmental science in terms of these natural sciences, but it is such a complex and vast field that it includes areas of the social sciences and humanities.
Integrated social science areas include geography, economics, and political science. Philosophy and ethics are the two humanities fields included in the ecological sciences. By combining aspects of the natural, social, and human sciences, environmental science can cover more concepts and examine problems and issues from many angles.
Importance Of Environmental Science
Right now, the world around us remains moving at a high rate. Some changes are good, but many are bad for our planet. It is a valuable resource for learning more about these changes and their impact on the world in which we live.
Let’s look at a significant change and how it relates to environmental science. The critical difference is the dramatic increase in people on earth. For most of human history, the population was less than one million, but the current population has increased to more than seven billion. It equates to seven thousand times more people!
With this increase in the human population, the pressure has also increased on the natural resources and ecosystem services we depend on for survival. Natural resources include many substances and energy sources we extract and use from the environment. Natural resources can remain divided into renewable and non-renewable resources. Renewable natural resources are substances that can grow back over time, such as sunlight, wind, soil, and wood. On the other hand, non-renewable natural resources are finally available substances that will be depleted. Non-renewable resources include crude minerals and oils.
Where Do Environmental Scientists Work?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates environmental scientists had around 87,100 jobs in 2020, and they should expect job openings to grow by 8%. These ecological scientists have worked in various settings, some of which are listed below.
- Different school levels, from elementary school to university.
- Independent research laboratories
- Local, state, and federal government
- Environmental remediation company
- Oil and fossil companies
- Pharmaceutical research company
- Independent contractors (usually one of the above)
In addition, environmental scientists can find work in other areas by becoming journalists, serving in the Peace Corps, serving in the military, or working as consultants for their small businesses. Be sure to evaluate the many possible careers in environmental science.
