ABSTRACT
Look again at the photo of Earth. What factors do you think significantly influence global environmental conditions, things like climate, air quality, and the availability of fresh water? Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most important turns out to be the part of the biosphere that includes you-people! People are so numerous and cause so many changes in Earth’s systems that they now influence environmental conditions on a global scale. And in turn, Earth systems affect people. Thousands of people die each year in earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters. Environmental studies relate to you because Earth and people interact, and those interactions have consequences.
