Page 27 - Environment: The Science Behind the Stories

scientists are motivated by a desire to develop solutions to solutions for society. For example, we used to add lead
environmental problems. These solutions (such as new tech- to gasoline to make cars run more smoothly, even though
nologies, policy decisions, or resource management strate- researchers knew that lead emissions from tailpipes caused
gies) are applications of environmental science. The study of health problems, including brain damage and premature
such applications and their consequences is, in turn, also part death. In 1970 air pollution was severe, and motor vehicles
of environmental science. accounted for 78% of U.S. lead emissions. In response, envi-
ronmental scientists, engineers, medical researchers, and
Environmental science is interdisciplinary policymakers all merged their knowledge and skills into a pro-
cess that eventually brought about a ban on leaded gasoline.
Studying our interactions with our environment is a complex By 1996 all gasoline sold in the United States was unleaded,
endeavor that requires expertise from many disciplines, includ- and the nation’s largest source of atmospheric lead pollution
ing ecology, earth science, chemistry, biology, geography, eco- had been completely eliminated.
nomics, political science, demography, ethics, and others. Envi-
ronmental science is thus an interdisciplinary field—one that People vary in how they perceive
borrows techniques from multiple disciplines and brings their
research results together into a broad synthesis (FIGURE 1.5). environmental problems
Traditional established disciplines are valuable because Environmental science arose in the latter half of the 20th century
their scholars delve deeply into topics, developing expertise in as people sought to better understand environmental problems,
particular areas and uncovering new knowledge. In contrast, their origins, and their solutions. However, the perception
interdisciplinary fields are valuable because their practitioners of what constitutes a problem may vary from one person to
consolidate and synthesize the specialized knowledge from another, or from one situation to another. A person’s age, gen-
many disciplines and make sense of it in a broad context to der, class, race, nationality, employment, income, and educa-
better serve the multifaceted interests of society. tional background can all affect whether he or she considers
Environmental science is especially broad because it a given environmental condition or change to be a “problem.”
encompasses not only the natural sciences (disciplines that For instance, Americans today are more likely to view
examine the natural world), but also the social sciences the application of the pesticide DDT as a problem than in
(disciplines that address human interactions and institutions). the 1940s and 1950s, because today more is known about the
Most environmental science programs focus more on the health risks of pesticides (FIGURE 1.6). However, a person living
natural sciences, whereas programs that emphasize the social
sciences often use the term environmental studies. Whichever
approach one takes, these fields bring together many diverse
perspectives and sources of knowledge.
Just as an interdisciplinary approach to studying issues
can help us better understand them, an integrated approach
to addressing environmental problems can produce effective

Ethics Ecology
Biology
Economics

Chemistry
Engineering

Environmental
Political Atmospheric
science science science

Oceanography
History

Anthropology Geology FIGURE 1.6 How a person or a society defines an environ-
mental problem can vary with time and circumstance. In
Archaeology Geography 1945, health hazards of the pesticide DDT were not yet known, so
children were doused with the chemical to treat head lice. Today,
knowing of its toxicity to people, many developed nations have
FIGURE 1.5 Environmental science is an interdisciplinary banned DDT. However, in developing countries where malaria is a
pursuit. It involves input from many different established fields of public health threat, DDT is welcomed as a means of eradicating
26 study across the natural sciences and social sciences. mosquitoes that transmit the disease.

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