The AP Environmental Science course is designed to be the equivalent of a one semester,introductory college course in environmental science. Unlike most other
introductory-level college science courses, environmental science is offered from a
wide variety of departments, including geology, biology, environmental studies,
environmental science, chemistry, and geography. Depending on the department
offering the course, different emphases are placed on various topics. Some courses are rigorous science courses that stress scientifi c principles and analysis and that often include a laboratory component; other courses emphasize the study of environmental issues from a sociological or political perspective rather than a scientific one. The AP Environmental Science course has been developed to be most like the former; as such, it is intended to enable students to undertake, as fi rst-year college students, a more advanced study of topics in environmental science or, alternatively, to fulfi ll a basic requirement for a laboratory science and thus free time for taking other courses.

The AP Course Description and AP Exam have been prepared by environmental
scientists and educators who serve as members of the AP Environmental Science
Development Committee. In both breadth and level of detail, the content of the course
refl ects what is found in many introductory college courses in environmental science.
The exam is representative of such a course and therefore is considered appropriate for the measurement of skills and knowledge in the fi eld of environmental science.

The goal of the AP Environmental Science course is to provide students with the
scientifi c principles, concepts, and methodologies required to understand the interrelationships of the natural world, to identify and analyze environmental problems both natural and human-made, to evaluate the relative risks associated with these problems, and to examine alternative solutions for resolving or preventing them.

Environmental science is interdisciplinary; it embraces a wide variety of topics from
different areas of study. Yet there are several major unifying constructs, or themes,
that cut across the many topics included in the study of environmental science. The
following themes provide a foundation for the structure of the AP Environmental
Science course.

1. Science is a process.
• Science is a method of learning more about the world.
• Science constantly changes the way we understand the world.

2. Energy conversions underlie all ecological processes.
• Energy cannot be created; it must come from somewhere.
• As energy flows through systems, at each step more of it becomes unusable.

3. The Earth itself is one interconnected system.
• Natural systems change over time and space.
• Biogeochemical systems vary in ability to recover from disturbances.

4. Humans alter natural systems.
• Humans have had an impact on the environment for millions of years.
• Technology and population growth have enabled humans to increase both the
rate and scale of their impact on the environment.

5. Environmental problems have a cultural and social context.
• Understanding the role of cultural, social, and economic factors is vital to the
development of solutions.

6. Human survival depends on developing practices that will achieve sustainable
systems.
• A suitable combination of conservation and development