Understanding Environmental Issues asks: What is meant by the term environment?; Why are environmental questions so pressing?; and How can we make sense of environmental issues? The book begins with an investigation of an estuary and touches upon the issues of sea level change, over fishing, nuclear waste disposal, and management of biodiversity. Subsequent chapters take the topic of species extinction to introduce the concepts of time/space, values/power/action, and risk/uncertainty. It is part of the OU Wiley Environment Series.