Comment ▼ Leaving bout 16 years ago, Don Johnson asked me on behalf of the ACS search committee if I would be interested in becoming the Editor of ES&T. I was amazed at the offer because I did not (and still do not) consider myself in the category of previous Editors Jim Morgan or Russ Christman, who guided the journal so well in its first 20 years. After thinking about it for a week or so, I accepted, and my life has not been the same since. By and large, it has been a very agreeable experience, and I have been grateful for the opportunity. The managing editor, who has done in a short time such a remarkable job in reinventing the magazine section, has graciously allowed me some additional space to say goodbye. I’ll try not to be overbearing, knowing that no one wants to hear a lot of nostalgic ramblings from a retiring editor. In fact, few want to hear much of anything from an editor except “accepted”.
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The evolution of the environmental sciences and technology The position of Editor of this magnificent journal has given me the opportunity to watch its evolution, and I am pretty impressed. The works that are being published in ES&T now are, on the whole, really quite good, and they reflect a growing sophistication of researchers in the field. The papers describe the use of much more advanced methods of measurement and analysis than when I took over as Editor, often using tools that are at the cutting edge of chemistry, biology, data analysis, and mathematical modeling. Most involve the analysis of some environmental “problem”, largely due to the effect of humans. Most address a topic that is at the molecular level, in the case of the chemically oriented papers, or at the cellular or organism level in our increasing number of biological papers. Many examine the ways in which chemicals move about the environment and describe the processes that take place as they go, and their fate. Almost all of the papers look at these processes in a quantitative fashion, often developing or applying detailed mechanisms or mathematical computer-based models that attempt to describe the processes and, hopefully, can be used for predictive purposes. Of the papers that get published in ES&T, most are welldone studies by professional groups of people in more and more countries. Since I became Editor, submissions have
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increased almost sixfold, and the papers published that come from countries outside of the United States have doubled in relative number and now make up almost half of our total. As a whole, these papers reveal the trajectory of a maturing professional field that is growing in depth and breadth.
Environmental studies: Staking out the territory But what is this field? Well, I still don’t know that I have a good answer, but I certainly have a better one now than I did 15 years ago. An interesting way to look at the field is by comparing it to medicine, although in the broadest sense our field is even bigger than medicine (except in the size of our budgets). Medicine uses all the basic sciences it needs to explain the workings of humans; similarly, environmental studies draws on all of the basic sciences to explain the workings of the entire earth system, including humans. (In that sense, medicine is, in part, a secondary field of environmental studies.) Like medical professionals, we are interested in fixing the earth if its get “sick” and, increasingly, developing ways to prevent any future problems. Like medicine, we are becoming more and more knowledgeable about the details of the subject, from the molecular to organismic level. However, both fields must acknowledge that there are factors that operate beyond biology, factors dealing with the social and behavioral aspects of the creatures inhabiting the earth, and, at least, for now, we are forced to admit we really do not fully understand much of what we observe. As in medicine, environmental professionals are also increasingly forced to specialize. Although a few of us operate essentially as general practitioners, most have become incredibly knowledgeable in a few parts of the total earth system and concentrate on a few methods of studying it. But the study of the earth system—Environment with a capital “E”—is different from studying just humans, who are pretty much the same today as they were several hundred years ago. On the other hand, the Environment seems to be a dynamic place that is changing, sometimes rather dramatically, sometimes by natural causes, and sometimes under human influence. Hence, the study of the Environment involves the study of the natural world, as well as the built environment caused by the remarkable design
© 2002 American Chemical Society
and engineering abilities of humans. Increasingly, it recognizes other changes and even adaptations that are taking place as a result of human or natural forces, sometimes working in tandem. So, the study of the Environment deals to a certain extent with a moving target. Moreover, the Environment is an extremely complex system made up of an incredible number and diversity of species interacting with each other and the abiotic environment in a remarkable number of ways. The human community, the most advanced and dominant part of the system, is a study in itself, but one that over time we are finding to be more closely linked and similar to the rest of the biological world than we once thought. In summary, we are coming to understand that Environment is one of the fundamental subjects of human scholarship. It encompasses much of what is done in the basic sciences, except that which is most basic, extraterrestrial, and synthetic. It is very much earth-centered, but admits to the dominance of the human species, giving the study of the effects of humans a high priority in its work. Of course, environmental studies does not encompass the totality of scholarship, although it depends on and often borrows from the humanities, arts, and most of the social sciences. Thus, our concepts of Environment are often reflected best in literature and the arts, and the historical relationship between humans and the natural world can guide us as we plan our future. Although the development of new materials, new energy systems, or new habitats is a separate activity from the study of Environment, once the products of these activities come into human society they become part of the earth system and, therefore, a part of environmental studies. But environmental studies is much more. It builds on this foundation by conducting studies that are designed to understand the earth system in more detail, gradually yielding a base of information that can be synthesized into models of increasing complexity that more accurately describe its behavior. All along, this information is being applied to make decisions to protect and ensure the stability and well-being of the earth system, and to guide humans in their development.
Impediments to environmental studies It is an understatement to say that the scholarly world as a whole does not yet appreciate the fundamental status of environmental studies. Because of the field’s recent emergence, it does not yet have a place in the academic system that is consistent with its importance; indeed, that place is often denied because of the concerns of disciplines that their importance will be diminished by a greater appreciation of the eminence of environmental studies. Its antagonists often attempt to keep environmental studies divided, partly because it is so difficult to change the academy and partly because they honestly fear or do not see its importance. My feeling is that this situation will slowly be rectified as environmental studies matures and academicians
reflect on the growing body of scholarship that demands a reevaluation of our hierarchical academic structure. In the rest of the world, most citizens are too often distracted by the practical implications of environmental research to consider its fundamental importance. But the fact that there are so many ways that the Environment impacts on human society is proof that the field is so significant. The Environment already has an important place in our political, economic, and social systems, and that place will become more important and more accepted as time passes and we see not only the importance of the field, but its beautiful construction. Prudent protection of that which is essentially the source of survival will eventually win out. It is important, however, that the world’s educational systems understand and adopt the larger concepts of environmental studies and make it one of the foundational subjects, from the elementary grades through the university. A tall order, I know, but nothing is more essential to achieving the outcome we all desire.
How then does ES&T fit into this grand scheme? An examination of ES&T’s pages will show that most of what we publish deals with a rather small subset of the Environment as I have defined it. This is not to diminish the importance of the work, because each piece in some way fits into the larger picture that is emerging of the earth system, and there are often very practical reasons why the research is needed. Moreover, many of the best papers touch on the connections that make environmental studies unique; we are a part of the steady evolution of this field. As a whole, the thousands of articles published in ES&T contribute to a better understanding of the total earth system, although admittedly they tend to emphasize the human role. As those involved with ES&T consider how it will evolve, they should periodically ask: Are we publishing what is most important to a better understanding of the entire system or are we getting lost in the minutia? Are we encouraging the publication of those emerging fields and other disciplines, such as the social sciences, that will give us new types of information? Do we have the right forum for the publication of innovative and synthetic thinking? I have always sensed that ES&T has a very special role to play in defining the field of environmental studies that goes beyond being just an archive for research papers. I leave knowing that the journal is positioned to take the next steps and is in good hands that will guide this process.
William H. Glaze, Editor (
[email protected])
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