ABSTRACT
'The environment' refers to that which surrounds us in our day to day lives. Though natural environments have presented both threats and opportunities to humans for millennia, much of our 'habitat' is today artificial – it consists of buildings, transportation networks, power generation systems, urban parks and much more besides. 'Environmental studies' describes the plethora of disciplines, sub-disciplines and inter-disciplines that together study the non-human world, both in its own right and the way humans affect that world. In some countries, 'environmental studies' is distinguished from 'environmental science' and only encompasses disciplines that study human perceptions, uses of and responses to the non-human world. More positively, the 'heterodox' character of environmental studies arguably reflects the range of legitimate ways to comprehend its subject matter. A fruitful way to navigate the field of environmental studies involves moving between its primary concepts, approaches, and topics. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
