Chapter 1 Notes Intro to Environmental Science Environment: the natural world around us, creates a complex web with humanity that cannot be separated Environmental science: a blend of natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities Goals are to learn: How nature works How the environment affects us How we affect the environment How to deal with environmental problems How to live more sustainably Ecology is a major offshoot It studies organisms and their relationships to each other and the natural world around them Different from environmentalism Environmentalism is more political and social focused than science focused Sustainability: ability of Earth?s natural systems and human cultural systems to live sufficiently for an indefinite amount of time