This report, by an NSF advisory committee, details many of the environmental challenges facing our planet and our society, and issues a call to action for NSF, for researchers, and for educators, to provide a better understanding of complex environmental systems, a higher level of environmental literacy in the public, and a stronger foundation for informing policy decisions for addressing global environmental issues:
''The need for equitable, ethical, and sustainable use of Earth's resources by a global population that nears the carrying capacity of the planet requires us not only to understand how human behaviors affect the environment but also how human behavior changes in response to changes in the environment or perceptions of environmental status. The committee recommends that the approach to environmental literacy bridge the gap between the academics who do the research, the tool developers who design curricula and applications, and the communicators and educators who translate the science into terms that can be broadly understood by policy makers and the public....
''We must help policy-makers develop a better understanding of complex environmental systems, an understanding that helps them appreciate the concepts of tipping points, the thresholds of large magnitude or abrupt change, and the socio-economic effects of severely altered environmental systems.''
This resource is referenced here:Subject:
Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity,
Air Quality:Dust and Particulates,
Environmental Science:Energy:Energy Policy ,
Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture,
Oceans and Coastal Resources:Fisheries,
Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning:Urbanization,
Industrialization,
Environmental Science:Human Population:Overpopulation,
Environmental Science:Sustainability,
Natural Hazards:Extreme Weather:Drought,
Hurricanes,
Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Ozone depletion,
Sea Level Change,
Climate Change:History and evolution of Earth's climate,
Paleoclimate records,
Recent climate data,
Climate feedbacks,
Anthropogenic causes,
Global change modeling,
Impacts of climate change,
Public policy,
Mitigation of climate change,
Environmental Science:Ecosystems:Ecology,
Biodiversity,
Habitats,
Environmental Science:Policy:Global Policy,
US National Policy,
Energy Policy,
Environmental Decision-Making,
Environmental Economics,
Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Meteorology:Extreme weather,
Air quality,
Air quality:Dust and Particulates,
Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change,
Climate Change:History and evolution of Earth's climate,
Paleoclimate records,
Climate feedbacks,
Anthropogenic causes,
Global change modeling,
Impacts of climate change,
Public policy ,
Geoscience:Soils,
Oceanography:Marine Resources
Resource Type:
Pedagogic Resources:Overview/Summary, Policy Resources
Special Interest: Complex Systems, Sustainability, Hazards
Theme:
Teach the Earth:Course Topics:Environmental Science,
Teach the Earth:Teaching Topics:Water,
Teach the Earth:Course Topics:Soil,
Teach the Earth:Incorporating Societal Issues:Sustainability,
Hazards,
Climate Change,
Public Policy,
Teach the Earth:Course Topics:Atmospheric Science,
Teach the Earth:Teaching Topics:Weather,
Teach the Earth:Incorporating Societal Issues:Energy,
Teach the Earth:Course Topics:Oceanography,
Teach the Earth:Teaching Topics:Biocomplexity
