This section is devoted to exposing your many interesting ideas of the environment and will include a display of work done by learners within South African schools. Please forward your resource to us after you have read the submission guidelines. Meanwhile, use the discussion below to add value to your perspective on environmental issues.

You have probably decided to access this page because you've received an assignment from your teacher and must now investigate a particular environmental problem. On the other hand, you might just be very curious to know how we develop an understanding of environmental issues. If so, you've made the right choice by entering this page. Environmental issues are complex and our attempts to develop an insight into the problem must be a careful and systematic undertaking. The following discussion provides a simple outline to how one go about investigating the issue. Let's start by examining the diagram below.

This diagram shows how the environment is really a collection of smaller systems: the biophysical, social, political and economic worlds. It does not only refer to natural resources such as air and water. It consists of the total system of energy from the sun, interlinked food chains and the interactions between people and the biosphere (i.e. our life support system). Humans are part of a social and technological sphere that depends on natural resources. All these smaller systems are intricately linked to each other.

Important decisions about the use of natural resources from the biophysical system are made in the political life world. At the same time, decisions are also made about a country's economy and the welfare of it's people. Depending on these decisions, resources will be used in various amounts and ways in order to maintain the welfare of a society. Land must be used and cities need to be built in place of natural surroundings. A growing population needs more and more natural resources to survive. Therefore, social and economic decisions have their effect on the natural world in many ways.  Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves: How do decisions, economic activities and social actions affect the quality of life support systems ?

Now that you have a general idea of how broad and complex an environmental issue could be, think of one specific or potential environmental problem existing within your (urban or semi-rural) community.   Once you have identified an issue, use the following guide in your further investigations: 

	Ask yourself what the obvious signs of environmental degradation are in this issue ? Here you will rely on your primary senses (sight, hearing and so forth) to gain an initial understanding of the problem.
	You then need to assess what really happened by understanding the scientific dimension of the problem. This could involve conducting an environmental audit of the water or air quality on the region. Whatever the case maybe be, this process will lead to the identification of the possible causes of the problem (e.g. contaminating chemicals).
	Speak to local people to find out what they know about the area and how local people are interacting with the natural environment. This could allow you do identify possible harmful activities in the area. Debate all possible explanations with a friend and find out more about any economic development initiatives close to the problem environment. Remember that the biophysical world is closely interlinked with social and economic systems. This realization will allow you to identify the possible economic or social causes of the problem.

From this point you need to read up on various documents relating to the economic or social activity that might shed light onto your problem. Ask your teacher, local librarian, experts or newspaper agencies for relevant material. By now you at least have a guarantee that you will generally understand how the problem that you've identified could be linked to broader social and economic actions.