THE COURSE
The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the inter- relationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them .
Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from different areas of study . Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes, that cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science . The following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental Science course
1 . Science is a process.
• Science is a method of learning more about the world.
• Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.
2 . Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
• Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
• As energy flows through systems, at each step more of it becomes unusable.
3 . The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
• Natural systems change over time and space.
• Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances.
4 . Humans alter natural systems.
• Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
• Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the rate and scale of their impact on the environment.
5 . Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
• Understanding the role of cultural, social, and economic factors is vital to the development of solutions.
6 . Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable systems.
• A suitable combination of conservation and development is required.
• Management of common resources is essential.
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