Context

Environmental Science / Systems & Societies covers various aspects of the living and physical environment with particular focus on the impacts of interactions between humans and wildlife. Topics covered by the course include:

• The conservation of species and habitats such as tropical rainforests, oceanic islands and coral reefs.

• Resource use and the impacts our decisions have relating to the atmosphere, hydrosphere (water) and lithosphere (minerals).

• The importance of energy resources, development of new technologies and future sustainability.

• The problems of pollution in our environment and potential solutions.

• The sustainability of our lifestyles, including agriculture, forestry and aquatic production systems.

Bridging Course Activities

Task 1

Task 2

Background reading

Over the coming months you should be making yourself more familiar with the key environmental issues. The easiest way to do this is to read reliable scientific journals, magazines and newspapers. Reading independently around the subject is essential as it helps to put the concepts we learn about into a real world context.

A selection of relevant journals and magazines are shown below. They regularly publish articles relevant to the course and you should be checking their websites at least monthly for the latest updates.

Subscription access to some publications (including New Scientist and Geographical) can be found on the school library website. The library also holds a paper copy of the latest issue of New Scientist and National Geographic.

A good example of a non-fiction book about the environmental consequences of our actions as a species is Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. It explores the issues around pesticide use, together with the human and environmental costs.

You should get into the habit of regularly browsing the Science and Environment pages of newspapers to find out about the latest environmental issues. This is something you should be doing at least weekly, but ideally every few days. You don't necessarily need to read every article in detail, but you should practice skim reading through articles that interest you. The aim is to come away from the article aware of the key facts or outcomes.

Recommended viewing

There are a huge number of television programmes and documentaries that will provide you with a good introduction and relevant background to many of the issues we cover in the course. They include, but are not limited to:

Recommended listening

Podcasts are a great way to keep up to date with the latest environmental news and scientific findings. They are ideal for you to listen to whilst you're spending time outside such as exercising. The podcasts below are typically available to download through major providers such as Apple and Spotify or BBC Sounds.

Bonus activities

1. Quick activities: Citizen science

The following links provide you with opportunities to support scientific research and preserve important historic data archives. There is no long-term commitment needed for any of the tasks, you can do as little or as much as you like, but be warned they can be quite addictive!

• Penguin watch - Count penguins in remote regions to help us understand their lives and environment.

• Rainfall rescue - Help climate scientists understand past rainfall variations.

• Big Butterfly Count - A nationwide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment.

• Old Weather - Help scientists transcribe weather observations recorded in ship's logs since the mid-19th century

• Earth Challenge 2020 - Help collect valuable data on air quality and plastic pollution.

2. Longer activities: Independent research

Each week you could choose one of the activities below to work through. They are designed to give context to the topics we cover in Environmental Science and enrich your overall learning experience.

Be ready to discuss your work in the first lesson.

Should you have any questions about the course or activities you can contact me via email: richard.woodhouse@sch.gg