March 29, 2024
Updated May 12, 2025
18 minute read
Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary academic field that combines aspects of biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and other sciences to study the environment and the impact of human activities upon it. It's a field dedicated to understanding the complex interactions within our natural world and developing solutions to pressing environmental challenges. Environmental scientists play a crucial role in protecting human health and safeguarding the planet for future generations by identifying, analyzing, and addressing existing and potential environmental problems.
5ekus2|
Find a path to becoming a Environmental Scientist. Learn more at:
OpenCourser.com/career/5ekus2/environmental
Featured in The Course Notes
This career is mentioned in our blog,
The Course Notes. Read
two articles that feature
Environmental Scientist:
To read more articles from OpenCourser, visit:
OpenCourser.com/notes
Reading list
We haven't picked any books for this reading list yet.
Is the second in a series of books on the Planetary Boundaries. This book provides a detailed analysis of each of the nine Planetary Boundaries and discusses the challenges and opportunities for staying within the safe operating space for humanity. The book is written by a team of leading scientists and provides a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the Planetary Boundaries and how to use them to guide sustainable development.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the urban education system, covering a wide range of topics, including the history of urban education, the challenges of urban educational inequality, and the impacts of education on the environment. Noguera and Orfield are leading urban education experts and their book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the urban education system.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the urban environment, covering a wide range of topics, including the history of cities, urban planning, environmental issues, and social and economic challenges. Gandy leading urban theorist and his book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the urban environment.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the urban food system, covering a wide range of topics, including the history of urban food, the challenges of urban food security, and the impacts of food on the environment. Clapp and McMichael are leading urban food experts and their book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the urban food system.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the urban transportation system, covering a wide range of topics, including the history of urban transportation, the challenges of urban traffic congestion, and the impacts of transportation on the environment. Levinson and Vargas-Silva are leading urban transportation experts and their book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the urban transportation system.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the urban climate, covering a wide range of topics, including the history of urban climatology, the urban heat island effect, and the impacts of climate change on cities. Oke leading urban climatologist and his book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the urban climate.
Provides a detailed exploration of each of the nine Planetary Boundaries and discusses the challenges and opportunities for staying within the safe operating space for humanity. The book is written by two of the lead scientists who developed the Planetary Boundaries concept.
Provides a framework for assessing progress towards achieving the Planetary Boundaries. The framework is based on the latest scientific research and is designed to help policymakers and other decision-makers track progress and identify areas where action is needed.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the Planetary Boundaries concept and its implications for human development. The book is written by a team of leading scientists and policymakers and provides a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the Planetary Boundaries and how to use them to guide sustainable development.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the urban economy, covering a wide range of topics, including the history of urban economics, the challenges of urban economic development, and the impacts of the economy on the environment. Florida leading urban economist and his book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the urban economy.
This book, originally published in 1972, was one of the first to warn of the environmental limits to economic growth. It has been updated several times, and the latest edition includes a new chapter on the Planetary Boundaries concept.
Provides an economic framework for understanding the Planetary Boundaries. The framework is based on the concept of natural capital and provides a way to assess the costs and benefits of different economic activities in terms of their impact on the environment.
Combines the latest science with policy options and provides a non-technical and accessible overview of the science of global warming and its implications for our future.
The latest report from the IPCC, which provides a comprehensive assessment of the science of climate change.
Examines the relationship between cities and the environment, focusing on the challenges of sustainability. Steinberg leading environmental historian and his book valuable resource for anyone who wants to understand the environmental challenges facing cities.
Examines the political ecology of cities, focusing on the relationship between power, inequality, and the environment. Robbins and Davidov are leading urban political ecologists and their book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the political and environmental challenges facing cities.
Collection of essays that examine the environmental justice movement. Bryant leading environmental justice scholar and his book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the environmental justice movement and its impact on cities.
Assesses the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems, and the options for adapting to these impacts.
A stark warning about the potential consequences of global warming, based on the latest scientific research.
A comprehensive overview of the evidence for climate change, and the causes of this change.
This report provides a comprehensive overview of the health risks associated with climate change.
Examines the collapse of several past societies and argues that environmental factors played a major role in their downfall. Diamond provides some lessons that we can learn from these past collapses and offers some suggestions for how we can avoid a similar fate.
Tells the story of the five previous mass extinctions on Earth and argues that we are now in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, caused by human activity.
A detailed plan for reversing global warming, based on the latest research on climate solutions.
For more information about how these books relate to this course, visit:
OpenCourser.com/career/5ekus2/environmental
Save
