1. Environmental protection : an introduction -- What is the environment? -- What is environmental protection? -- Why does the environment need protection? -- How did protecting the environment become a societal concern? -- What is the Environmental Protection Agency? -- Do most countries have environmental agencies similar to the EPA? -- What values drive environmental policy? -- What is sustainability? -- Why is environmental protection so hard to achieve? -- What does the idea of unintended consequences have to do with environmental protection? -- 2. Pollution -- What is pollution? -- What are pollutants? -- What are persistent organic pollutants? -- What are endocrine disruptors? -- What are bioaccumulation and biomagnification? -- How do we know what a safe level of pollution is? -- What is noise pollution? -- What is light pollution? -- What is nanopollution? -- What is the precautionary principle? -- What are the most dangerous pollutants? -- 3. Environmental laws -- What is environmental law in the United States? -- What does the US Constitution say about protecting the environment? -- Why did Congress enact environmental laws? -- What are the most important US environmental laws? -- What is the National Environmental Policy Act? -- Do environmental laws protect Native American lands and populations? -- Is US environmental law out of date? -- What are the environmental laws of other countries? -- 4. Environmental protection and the global community -- Is protecting the environment a global concern? -- Is there international environmental law? -- What is the role of the United Nations in global environmental protection? -- What are the main obstacles to achieving global environmental agreements? -- Should developing countries be asked to help solve environmental problems? -- What is the connection between international trade and the environment? -- Which countries are best at protecting the environment? -- Is the United States a global leader in environmental protection? --

5. Water -- Why is clean water important? -- What is a watershed? -- What is groundwater? -- What are aquifers? -- What is water pollution? --Why is water pollution a problem? -- What are the main kinds of water pollutants? -- How can nutrients cause water pollution? -- What are algal blooms? -- How do excess nutrients get into the aquatic environment? -- What are pathogens? -- Why are sediments water pollutants? -- Which chemicals are the most harmful water pollutants? -- What are contaminants of emerging concern? -- Are plastics in water a serious problem? -- Why is heat a water pollutant? -- How does noise cause water pollution? -- What are the main sources of water pollution? -- Is sewage treated before its gets into water? -- What is stormwater pollution? -- Which industries pollute the water most? -- Why are oil spills so bad? -- What was the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill? -- How can cars pollute water? -- What kinds of pollutants go down the drain? -- How is water pollution controlled in the United States? -- How is water pollution controlled in other countries? -- What are wetlands? -- What are regulated wetlands? -- Why are wetlands important? -- Do wetlands contribute to disease? -- Are wetlands disappearing? -- How can we protect wetlands? -- How is drinking water protected? -- Is water becoming scarce? -- How can water quality be further improved? -- 6. Air -- Why is clean air important? -- What is air pollution? -- Why is air pollution a problem? -- Why are children especially vulnerable to air pollutions? -- What are the major air pollutants? -- What is ozone? -- What are volatile organic compounds? -- Why is ground-level ozone harmful? -- What is the ozone hole? -- What is particulate matter? -- Why is particulate matter harmful? -- What is asthma, and what does it have to do with air pollution? -- What is smog? -- What is a temperature inversion? -- Why is carbon monoxide a major air pollutant? -- Why are nitrogen oxides major air pollutants? -- Why is sulfur dioxide a major air pollutant? -- What is acid rain? -- Is lead too heavy to be an air pollutant? -- What are the toxic air pollutants? -- What is indoor air pollution? -- What are the main sources of air pollution? -- What are fossil fuels, and why are they so harmful? -- What are mobile sources of air pollution? -- What are stationary sources of air pollution? -- What are fugitive emissions? -- How is air pollution controlled in the United States? -- How much has the Clean Air Act helped reduce air pollution? -- What are other countries doing to control air pollution? -- How can air quality be further improved? --

7. Ecosystems -- What is an ecosystem? -- What do ecosystems do for us? -- What is biodiversity? -- What is a species? -- How many species live on Earth? -- How fast is the planet losing species? -- Why should we be concerned about species lost? -- If there are millions of species, can the planet spare some of them? -- Why is the spotted owl so controversial? -- What is the Endangered Species Act? -- How many species are endangered? -- What are invasive species? -- Why is genetic diversity important? -- Is agriculture a clean, even "green" activity? -- How is pollution from large-scale animal farms controlled? -- Is soil an ecosystem? -- Why is ecosystem diversity important? -- How are ecosystems protected? -- What is the relationship between sustainability and ecosystems? -- Is biodiversity loss as important as other environmental problems? -- 8. Climate change -- What is climate change? -- Are weather and climate the same? -- Are climate change and global warming the same? -- What is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change? -- How do we know that the Earth is getting warmer? -- Are humans really the main cause of climate change? -- Why is climate change such a big problem? -- What is the greenhouse effect? -- What are greenhouse gases? -- What is climate change feedback? -- What do trees have to do with climate change? -- What is a carbon footprint? -- What are climate change deniers thinking? -- Is it too late to reverse climate change? -- What is climate change adaptation? -- What is climate change mitigation? -- Why is energy efficiency an important climate change mitigation tool? -- What are renewables? -- Is nuclear a viable mitigation option? -- Is hydrofracking part of the solution? -- What is carbon capture and sequestration? -- What is geoengineering? -- How does a tax on carbon mitigate climate change? -- Are there laws that address climate change? -- What is the Kyoto Protocol? -- What is the Paris Climate Change Conference? -- What is climate justice? -- What does climate change have to do with world peace? --

9. Waste -- What is waste? -- Why is solid waste a problem? -- What do Americans discard? -- Where does garbage go? -- What is the difference between an open dump and a landfill? -- How is waste controlled in the United States? -- What are household hazardous wastes? -- What about abandoned hazardous waste sites? -- What is Superfund? -- How hard is it to clean up groundwater? -- What are brownfields? -- How is wast controlled in other countries? -- What more can be done to reduce waste? -- Why is recycling important? -- Is it possible to eliminate waste altogether? -- 10. The built environment? -- What does the built environment have to do with environmental protection? -- What is smart growth? -- What is wrong with NIMBY? -- What special environmental challenges do cities present? -- Can landowners do anything they want on their property? -- Is there anything a landowner in the United States cannot do? -- How do public lands help protect the environment? -- 11. Environmental justice -- How is justice a part of environmental protection? -- When does an environmental justice concern arise? -- What is an environmental justice population? -- How is environmental justice defined? -- What is the environmental justice movement? -- How is environmental justice promoted in the United States? -- What are the main barriers to achieving environmental justice in the United States -- What more can be done to achieve environmental justice? -- 12. Are environmental protection and economic growth compatible? -- How accurate is the gross domestic product as an economic measurement tool? -- What is an externality? -- What is cost-benefit analysis and why is it difficult to apply? -- Does environmental regulation kill jobs? -- Can environmental regulation be good for business? -- What economic tools can be used to protect the environment? -- What are subsidies and how do they work in the environmental context? -- What is cap and trade? -- What does market disclosure have to do with environmental protection? -- What economic steps to protect the environment are most promising? -- 13. The future -- What are the greatest threats to the environment today? -- Why is climate change one of the greatest environmental threats? -- How serious is the future climate change threat? -- Why is biodiversity loss such a great threat? -- Are the oceans really dying? -- Why are new pollutants such a great threat? -- What does population growth have to do with environmental protection? -- How is poverty connected to environmental protections? -- What solutions are most promising? -- Does individual action matter? -- What is the prognosis for future generations?