This book is written specifically for instructors who want a scientifically sound text that a non-scientific audience will embrace. It covers headline-making issues such as global climate change, the use of natural resources, natural hazards, and environmental issues. Margin notes summarize important Earth science concepts, helping students to grasp the core issues. Chapter opening stories that introduce students to new areas of coverage with stories of real people and real-life events that show the remarkable contributions of geology to our everyday lives.The Essential Earth opens students' eyes to the physical world around them, teaches how scientists explore it, and what we need to do to both protect ourselves from it (hazards) as well as protect it from us (global change). This is a focused introduction to the basics of geology that emphasizes the process of science.