Water, Air, and Land: The Foundation of Life, Food, and Society

Abstract

Understanding the delicate balance of life and the elements that support life is essential to advocating for the health and well-being of our planet and ecosystems. The conditions that sustain life are threatened by the behavior of humans, including the rapid pace of climate change. This chapter explores the importance of healthy land, air, and water and examines some of the most critical threats to them resulting from human behaviors. Some of the major threats include degrading and depleting fresh water, pollution of the oceans and the coastline, air pollution, and natural resource extraction. We explore the role of land, air, and water in sustaining life, including human life, and the ways the physical, social, cultural, and economic well-being of humans is interrelated with the health of our planet.