Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories retains all the popular features of the landmark first edition-including its integrated central case study approach, and focus on the scientific process, current data and critical thinking- in a brief 15-chapter text.

The Second Edition features a new chapter on ecology with expanded coverage of community ecology and biomes. New end-of-chapter activities and interactive exercises on the Environmental Place Website help students hone the skills they need to make informed decisions on environmental issues. Calculating Ecological Footprint activities at the end of each chapter give students practice in applying individual decisions to larger scales. The Investigate It! interactive map on the website provides more than 120 additional case studies.You Decide web activities help students learn how to analyze data on global warming and conservation.