pt. I. Foundations of environmental science -- 1. Science and sustainability : an introduction to environmental science -- Our island, Earth -- The lesson of Easter Island -- The nature of environmental science -- The nature of science -- Sustainability and the future of our world -- 2. Earth's physical systems : matter, energy, and geology -- Clean green energy beneath our feet : the geysers in California -- Matter, chemistry and the environment -- Energy : an introduction -- Geology : the physical basis for environmental science -- Mapping the unknown beneath us -- Geologic and natural hazards -- Have we brought on a new geologic epoch? -- 3. Evolution, biodiversity, and population ecology --Striking gold in a Costa Rican cloud forest -- Evolution as a wellspring of Earth's biodiversity -- The K-T mass extinction -- Levels of ecological organization -- Population ecology -- Climate change, disease, and the amphibians of Monteverde -- Conserving biodiversity -- 4. Species interaction and community ecology -- Black and white, and spread all over : zebra mussels invade the Great Lakes -- Species interactions -- Ecological communities -- Determining zebra mussels' impact on fish communities -- Otters, urchins, kelp, and a whale of a chain reaction -- Earth's biomes -- 5. Environmental systems and ecosystem ecology -- The Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone" -- Earth's environmental systems -- Hypoxia and the Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone" -- Ecosystems -- Biogeochemical cycles -- Face-ing the high-CO2 future -- 6. Environmental ethics and economics : values and choices -- The Mirarr Clan confronts the Jabiluka uranium mine -- Culture, worldview, and the environment -- Environmental ethics -- Economics : approaches and environmental implications -- Ethics in economics : discounting and global climate change -- Putting a price on nature in Australia's Kakadu Region -- 7. Environmental policy : decision making and problem solving -- San Diego and Tijuana : sewage pollution problems and policy solutions -- Environmental policy : an overview -- U.S. environmental law and policy -- Approaches to environmental policy -- Comparing costs and benefits of environmental regulations -- Science and the environmental policy process -- International environmental policy -- Assessing the environmental impacts of NAFTA.

pt. II. Environmental issues and the search for solutions -- 8. Human population -- China's one-child policy -- Our world at seven billion -- Mapping our population's environmental impact -- Demography -- Population and society -- Fertility decline in Bangladesh -- 9. Soil and agriculture -- Iowa's farmers practice no-till agriculture -- Soil : the foundation for agriculture -- Soil as a system -- Land degradation and soil conservation -- Measuring erosion with pins and ... nuclear fallout? -- Agricultural policy -- Restoring the Malpai Borderlands -- 10. Agriculture, biotechnology, and the future of food -- Possible transgenic maize in southern Mexico -- The race to feed the world -- Preserving crop diversity -- Pests and pollinators -- Genetically modified food -- Transgenic contamination of native maize? -- Raising animals for food : livestock, poultry, and aquaculture -- Does organic farming work? -- 11. Biodiversity and conservation biology -- Our planet of life -- Biodiversity loss and species extinction -- Amphibian diversity and decline -- Benefits of biodiversity -- Conservation biology : the search for solutions -- Using forensics to uncover illegal whaling -- 12. Forests, forest management, and protected areas -- Certified sustainable paper in your textbook -- Forest ecosystems and forest resources -- Forest loss -- Forest management -- Fighting over fire and forests -- Parks and protected areas -- Forest fragmentation in the Amazon -- 13. The urban environment : creating livable and sustainable cities -- Managing growth in Portland, Oregon -- Our urbanizing world -- Sprawl -- Measuring the impacts of sprawl -- Creating livable cities -- Urban sustainability -- Baltimore and Phoenix showcase urban ecology -- 14. Environmental health and toxicology -- Poison in the bottle : is Bisphenol A safe? -- Environmental health -- Toxic substances in the environment -- Testing the safety of Bisphenol A -- Studying effects of hazards -- Pesticides and child development in Mexico's Yaqui Valley -- Risk assessment and risk management -- Philosophical and policy approaches -- 15. Freshwater systems and resources -- Gambling with water in the Colorado River Basin -- Freshwater systems -- How we use water -- Is it better in a bottle? -- Solutions to depletion of fresh water -- Fresh water pollution and its control -- Arsenic in the aquifer : a tragedy in Bangladesh -- 16. Marine and coastal systems and resources -- Collapse of the cod fisheries -- The oceans -- Marine and coastal ecosystems -- Will climate change rob us of coral reefs? -- Marine pollution -- Emptying the oceans -- Marine conservation -- Do marine reserves work?

17. Atmospheric science and air pollution -- L.A. and its sister cities struggle for a breath of clean air -- The atmosphere -- Outdoor air pollution -- Discovering ozone depletion and the substances behind it -- Acid rain at Hubbard Brook Research Forest -- Indoor air pollution -- 18. Global climate change -- Rising seas may flood the Maldives -- Our dynamic climate -- Studying climate change -- Reading history in the world's longest ice core -- Current and future trends and impacts -- Timing Greenland's glaciers as they race to the sea -- 19. Fossil fuels, their impact, and energy conservation -- Oil or wilderness on Alaska's North Slope? -- Sources of energy -- coal, natural gas, and oil -- Estimating how much oil lies beneath the Arctic Refuge -- Other fossil fuels -- Environmental impacts and solutions -- Predicting environmental impacts of oil drilling on Alaska's North Slope -- Political, social, and economic aspects -- Energy efficiency and conservation -- 20. Conventional energy alternatives -- Sweden's search for alternative energy -- Alternatives to fossil fuels -- Nuclear power -- Assessing emissions from power sources -- Bioenergy -- Hydroelectric power -- 21. New renewable energy alternatives -- Germany goes solar -- "New" renewable energy sources -- Solar energy -- Wind energy -- Prospecting for wind in Idaho -- Geothermal energy -- Ocean energy sources -- Hydrogen -- Algae as a hydrogen fuel source -- 22. Managing our waste -- Transforming New York's Fresh Kills Landfill -- Approaches to waste management -- Municipal solid waste -- Tracking trash -- Industrial solid waste -- Hazardous waste -- Testing the toxicity of "e-waste" -- 23. Minerals and mining -- Mining for ... cell phones? -- Earth's minerals resources -- Mining methods and their impacts -- Mountaintop removal mining : assessing the environmental impacts -- Using bacteria to clean mine water and recover metals -- Toward sustainable mineral use -- 24. Sustainable solutions -- DeAnza College strives for a sustainable campus -- Sustainability on campus -- Sustainability and sustainable development -- Strategies for sustainability -- Rating the environmental performance of nations -- Precious time -- Appendix A. Graphs -- Appendix B. Metric System -- Appendix C. Periodic Table of Elements -- Appendix D. Geologic time scale.

I. FOUNDATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE -- 1. Science and Sustainability: An Introduction to Environmental Science -- 2. Earth's Physical Systems: Matter, Energy, and Geology -- 3. Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology -- 4. Species Interactions and Community Ecology -- 5. Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology -- 6. Environmental Ethics and Economics: Values and Choices -- 7. Environmental Policy: Decision Making and Problem Solving -- II. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND THE SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS -- 8. Human Population -- 9. Soil and Agriculture -- 10. Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food -- 11. Biodiversity and Conservation Biology -- 12. Forests, Their Management, and Parks and Protected Areas -- 13. The Urban Environment: Creating Livable and Sustainable Cities -- 14. Environmental Health and Toxicology -- 15. Freshwater Systems and Resources -- 16. Marine and Coastal Systems and Resources -- 17. Atmospheric Science and Air Pollution -- 18. Global Climate Change -- 19. Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation -- 20. Conventional Energy Alternatives -- 21. New Renewable Energy Alternatives -- 22. Managing Our Waste -- 23. Minerals and Mining -- 24. Sustainable Solutions.