KEY MESSAGE: Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Storiesretains all the popular features of the landmark first editionincluding its integrated central case study approach, and focus on the scientific process, current data and critical thinkingwhile offering expanded coverage of ecology and new hands-on activities that give readers even more opportunity to evaluate and analyze real data. TheSecond Editionfeatures a new chapter on ecology with expanded coverage of community ecology and biomes. Foundations of Environmental Science: An introduction to environmental science, Environmental economics and environmental policy, Environmental systems: Chemistry, energy, and ecosystems, Evolution, biodiversity, and population ecology . Species interactions and community ecology. Environmental Issues and the Search for Solutions: Human population growth, Soils, agriculture, and the future of food, Biodiversity and conservation biology, Urbanization, land use, and resources management, Environmental health and toxicology, Freshwater and marine systems and resources, The atmosphere, air pollution, and global climate change, Nonrenewable energy sources and their environmental impacts, Renewable energy alternatives, Waste management, Sustainable Solutions. For all readers interested in environmental science.