Is earth science really very important to learn?
Parents and students often don’t realize that if you don’t take earth science in high school, then your formal learning in the subject is simply what you learned about it in grade school. Leaders and average citizens are expected to be able to discuss and influence decisions related to earth’s science. Issues tied to energy, mineral and soil resources, dam and river management, air and water quality, land use decisions, and even deciding where to safely build homes and roadways all require a knowledge base of earth science. Wouldn’t you hope people making decisions on these issues would have an understanding beyond what they learned through sixth grade? Awareness of floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, solar radiation levels, acid rain, and water management is vital to protecting human lives. As you read the daily newspaper or watch new reports, you soon realize that earth science is very much a part of our lives. Earth science education helps people discover how much
