This isn’t your parents’ geography textbook. Any physical geography textbook can give the reader a list of facts about the Earth, but few stress why we humans should care to learn such facts. In an era of increased climate and ecological disasters, students need to learn more than just the principles of gravity and heat transfer; they should also focus on the connections between our societal actions and the state of the Earth. Yes, it is important to understand the physical principles of the greenhouse effect, but students should also be able to connect how their own habits contribute to our warming planet in a positive or negative way. Physical Geography: The Earth & Humanity is written for both geography majors and students who have never given much thought to the systems of the Earth.

Each chapter takes a different aspect of the discipline of physical geography and introduces it with accessible language and real-world examples. Whenever possible, resource use and other environmental topics are introduced using practical examples and current data to give students the tools they need to make sense of their planet. Multimedia resources like like video and interactive exercises are also offered to make Physical Geography: The Earth & Humanity more than a traditional textbook.