At a glance
A science course about how Earth works as a connected system (land, water, air and life) and how people use, and impact, Earth’s environments and resources. Students build skills through fieldwork, research, data and investigations, and use evidence to make sense of real-world issues like sustainability, hazards and climate change.
This course is a good choice for students who:
- are curious about Earth, weather, oceans, rocks and ecosystems
- like practical science and working with data (including graphs and measurements)
- want to understand environmental issues and make informed decisions about the future
About this course
Earth and Environmental Science explores the interactions between the solid Earth, water, air and living things, and how these systems change over time. Students use ideas and methods from geology, biology, physics and chemistry to investigate both ancient and modern environments.
Pathways
This course can support pathways into areas such as:
- environmental science, conservation and sustainability
- geology, mining, energy and resource management
- climate, water and natural hazard monitoring and management
Units in this course
Students complete 2 units for a Minor or 4 units for a Major.
Introduction to Earth Systems
This unit introduces Earth as four connected systems: geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. Students explore how changes in one system can affect the others.
Students will:
- investigate Earth’s formation and internal/surface structure
- explore how oceans and the atmosphere formed, and how water moves through the water cycle
Earth Processes
This unit focuses on the energy that drives Earth systems. Students explore how energy from the Sun and Earth’s interior powers processes across Earth’s systems.
Students will:
- investigate how energy transfer and transformation influences Earth processes and patterns
- analyse evidence and data to explain changes in Earth systems
Living on Earth
This unit is about Earth’s resources and how we use them. Students compare renewable and non-renewable resources and examine impacts of extraction, use and waste on Earth systems and communities.
Students will:
- investigate how resources are found, extracted and managed
- explore ecosystem services and how changes across Earth systems affect sustainable resource use
The Changing Earth
This unit focuses on Earth hazards and environmental change. Students study natural hazards (like earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunami), human-influenced hazards (like fire and drought), and the evidence behind climate change models.
Students will:
- analyse causes, impacts and management strategies for hazards
- investigate climate change evidence and what models suggest about future impacts