Table of Contents
Foreword vii
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 Fresh Water
Our Most Precious and Scarce Resource 1
Chapter 2 Endangered Species
The Plants and Animals on Our Watch 15
Chapter 3 Mountains and Minerals
The Peaks and Possessions We Prize 31
Chapter 4 Air and Sky
Our Breath and View of the Heavens 47
Chapter 5 Woodlands
Our Disappearing Forests 63
Chapter 6 Soil
Agriculture's Active Ingredient 79
Chapter 7 Pollinators
Our Overlooked Helpers 95
Chapter 8 Wetlands
Nature's Beautiful Borders 111
Chapter 9 Coral Reefs
Earth's Underwater Playground 127
Chapter 10 The Ocean
Our Immense and Unsearchable Waters 141
Chapter 11 The Poles and Global Climate
Our Planet's Future 157
Notes 176
Infographics Facts and Figures 186
Acknowledgments 187
About the Authors 191