A new Introductory chapter in this edition speaks directly to the student about why environmental science is important, how to study, how to take a test, critical thinking, and cognitive maps. By putting this material first, it helps get the course off to a good start, and covers material that instructors often go over on the first day of class.

Other significant changes to the sixth edition include:

• New "What Do You Think?" box, "Cultural Whaling in the Pacific Northwest"
• Updated information on Rich and Poor Countries
• New Table 1.1, "Average Indicators of Quality of Life for the Ten Richest and Poorest Nations."
• Updated "In-Depth" box, "Getting to Know Our Neighbors"

• Updated opening story, "People or Wildlife in South Africa?"
• Updated information on Relativism
• New material on Worldviews and Ethical Perspectives
• Revised "What Do You Think?" box, "Worldviews and Values"
• Updated information on Environmental Justice
• New information on Descriptive and Interpretive Science

• New opening story on Lake Lebarge
• Updated information on Energy Types and Qualities

• New opening story, "Orcas, Otters, Urchins, and Kelp: Disrupting a Marine Food Web"
• New material on Ecological Niche, and Habitat
• Updated information on Species Interactions and Community Dynamics

• Expanded biological community categories to include Mediterranean/Chaparral/Thorn Shrub biome
• Updated information on Human Disturbance
• New information on the Restorative Efforts in the Everglades
• Updated case study, "Restoration of the Bermuda Cahow"

• New opening story, "Columbia River Salmon"
• Updated information on Dynamics of Population Growth
• Updated material on Factors that Increase or Decrease Populations
• New table, "Life Expectancies in U.S."

• Updated information on Population Growth
• New information on Limits to Growth
• New material on Human Demography
• New table, "Twelve Most Populous Countries in 2050"
• New table, "Countries with Highest and Lowest Fertility Rates"
• Revised table, "Life Expectancy at Birth, Selected Countries, Around 1910 and in 1998"
• Updated material on Demographic Transition
• New information on Current Birth Control Methods
• Updated information on The Future of Human Populations

• Updated information on Resources, Capital, and Reserves
• Updated material on Population, Technology, and Scarcity
• New information on Natural Resource Accounting
• New table, "Estimated Annual Value of Ecological Services"
• New material on Trade, Development, and Jobs
• Updated case study, "Microlending"
• New section on Green Business
• New case study, "Eco-Efficient Carpeting from Interface, Inc."
• New table, "Goals for an Eco-Efficient Economy"
• New table, "The Natural Step: System Conditions for Sustainability"
• New table, "McDonough Design Principles"

• New opening story, "Outbreak: Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever"
• New information on Infectious Organisms
• New table, "Leading Causes of Death Worldwide"
• New material on Morbidity and Quality of Life
• New table, "Annual Disease Burden in Poor Households"
• New case study, "Fighting the Fiery Serpent"
• New "What Can You Do?" box, "Tips for Staying Healthy"
• Updated information on Toxic Chemicals
• New "What Do You Think?" box, "Soft Vinyl Toys and Medical Supplies"

This is an all new chapter on Environmental Policy, Law, and Planning. The depth of this content is unique among environmental science books currently on the market. Major sections of the chapter include:

• Opening story, "A Civil Action"
• Environmental Policy
• Environmental Law
• Table, "Major U.S. Environmental Laws"
• International Treaties and Conventions
• Dispute Resolution and Planning
• Table, "Institutional Conditions for Adaptive Management"
• Table, "Planning for Resilience"
• "What Do You Think?" box, "The Quincy Library Group"

• New opening story, "Are Shrimp Safe to Eat?"
• New information on Nutrition and Food Supplies
• Updated Table, "some Important Food Resources"
• New Table, "Croplands by Region and Per Capita"
• New material on New Crops and Genetic Engineering
• New "What Do You Think?" box, "Terminator Genes"

• New data on Insecticide Spraying
• New material on Pesticide Persistence and Mobility in the Environment
• New table, "The ‘Dirty Dozen’ Persistent Organic Pollutants"
• Updated information on Human Health Problems
• Updated case study, "Regenerative Agriculture in Iowa"
• Updated information on the EPA and Chemicals in Food

• New opening story, "Too Many Geese"
• New information on DNA Sequencing Technology
• New table, "Approximate Numbers of Known Living Species by Taxonomic Group"
• New information on Species Extinction
• New table, "Mass Extinctions"
• New "What Can You Do?" box, "Don’t Eat Endangered Seafood"
• New material on Exotic Organisms
• Updated table, "Endangered and Threatened Species U.S. and Foreign Listed by USFWS"
• Updated information on Species Recovery Plans

• New opening story, "Disappearing Butterfly Forests"
• New information on Forest Distribution
• New table, "Current Closed-Canopy Forest Cover and Threats to Old-Growth Forests"
  Updated information on Diminishing Forests
• Updated "What Do You Think?" box, "Regulations and Property Rights"
• New information on Below-Cost and Salvage Sales
• Updated information on Rangelands in the U.S.
• New information on Grazing
• New information on Indigenous Lands

• Updated information on North American Park Problems
• New information on North American Park Wildlife
• New "What Do You Think?" box, "Yellowstone Wolves"
• Updated material on World Parks and Preserves
• Updated information on Wilderness Areas
• Updated information on Beaches, Barrier Islands, and Estuaries

• New opening story, "Earthquake in Turkey"
• Updated information on Tectonic Processes and Shifting Continents
• New information on Rocks and Minerals
• Updated information on Economic Geology and Mineralogy
• Revised "What Do You Think?" box, "Should We Revise Mining Laws?"
• Updated material on Environmental Effects of Resource Extraction
• New information on Earthquakes
• New information on Floods

• New opening story, "A Swarm of Deadly Tornadoes Sweep Across the Great Plains"
• New information on Cyclonic Storms
• Updated material on Driving Forces and Patterns in Climatic Changes
• New information on El Nino/Southern Oscillations
• Updated information on Human-Caused Global Climate Changes
• Updated information on Climate Changes in This Century
• New information on Effects of Climatic Change
• New information on Climate Skeptics
• New material on Cutting Emissions

• New opening story, "A Plague of Smoke"
• Updated information on Natural Sources of Air Pollution
• New information on Carbon Oxides
• New information on Volatile Organic Compounds
• New table, "Urban Air Toxics of Greatest Concern"
• New "In-Depth" box, "Indoor Air"
• Updated material on Long-Range Transport
• New information on Forest Damage
• Updated information on Clean Air Legislation

New opening story, "Where Has the River Gone?"

• Updated information on Water Resources
• Updated information on Major Water Compartments
• New table, "Major Rivers of the World"
• New material on Water Availability and Use
• New table, "Water-Rich Countries"
• New table, "Water-Poor Countries"
• New information on Freshwater Shortages
• New case study, "Rural Water Programs in Malawi"
• New information on Increasing Water Supplies
• New "What Do You Think?" box, "Should We Remove Dams?"
• New material on Water Management and Conservation

• New opening story, "A Flood of Pigs"
• New information on Types and Effects of Water Pollution
• New "In-Depth" box, "Arsenic in Drinking Water"
• New material on Water Quality Today
• Updated information on Water Pollution Control
• New case study, "Watershed Protection in the Catskills"

• New opening story, "Black Gold from the Caspian"
• New table, "Energy Units"
• New information on What is Energy and Where Do We Get It?
• Updated information on How Energy is Used
• Updated material on Nuclear Power
• Updated information on Radioactive Waste Management

• New opening story, "Buffalo Ridge"
• Updated information on Conservation
• New "What Do You Think?" box, "Hybrid Automobile Engines"
• Updated information on High-Temperature Solar Energy
• New material on Energy from Biomass
• New table, "Fuel Cell Types"
• Updated information on Energy from the Earth’s Forces

• Revised opening story, "What a Long, Strange, Trip It Has Been"
• New material on Solid Waste
• New information on Shrinking the Waste Stream
• Updated information on Hazardous and Toxic Wastes

• New opening story, "Chattanooga, A New Model City"
• New material on Urbanization
• Revised table, "The World’s Largest Metropolitan Regions"
• New information on Current Urban Problems
• New information on Transportation and City Growth
• New table, "Urban Sustainability Indicators"
• Updated case study, "Curitiba: An Environmental Showcase"

• New opening story, "The Battle in Seattle"
• New information on Environmental Education
• New table, "The Environmentalist’s Bookshelf"
• New material on Individual Accountability
• New information on Collective Action
• New "What Do You Think?" box, "When Is Confrontation Appropriate?"
• New "What Do You Think?" box, "When Is Cooperation Helpful?"
• New information on Global Issues
• New material on Green Government and Environmental Citizenship
• Updated table, "Earth Charter Principles"