Environmental science aims to understand how the environment functions and the ways humans impact it. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws from biology, earth science, physics, engineering, chemistry, and social sciences to study how the environment has changed over time with the agricultural revolution, industrial revolution, and currently with population growth, wasteful resource use, poverty, and environmental ignorance leading to problems with clean water, food supplies, energy resources, climate change, air quality, biodiversity loss, and marine resources.

2. Our Environment Through TimeHunter-GatherersThe Agricultural RevolutionThe Industrial RevolutionImproving Quality of LifeBasic Causes of Environmental ProblemsPopulation GrowthWasteful Resource UsePovertyEnvironmental IgnoranceEnvironmental ProblemsClean WaterFood SuppliesEnergy ResourcesClimate ChangeAir QualityBiodiversity LossMarine ResourcesSummary