The Field Of Environmental Science - 1471 Words

The field of Environmental Science is an interdisciplinary field that integrates biology, ecology, and many others to the study of the environment and the solutions to environmental problems. Because of the expansion of the human population and the ways in which we use our resources, it has resulted in many problems such as climate change and ocean pollution. Many scientists and other various organizations are contributing to finding solutions to the environmental problems. This paper describes the contributions made by Wangari Maathai and Rachel Carson to the field of Environmental Science. Major Contributor: Wangari Maathai Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan Environmental, political, and women’s rights activist and was born on April 1, 1940,†¦show more content†¦In September 1960, Mathaai was one of about three hundred fortunate students to win a scholarship. She was able to attend the Mount St. Scholastica College in Kansas, where she was able to learn more about the environment by earning a bachelor s degree in biology in 1964 and a Master’s degree two years later. She returned to Kenya to earn a Doctorates degree in veterinary medicine at the University if Nairobi. During her studies at the university, Maathai and her female colleagues had to deal with gender discrimination. When they tried to change the unjust treatment, they were told by the university officials that â€Å"you should just take the basic salary because the rest of the services that men get you don’t need† (Maathai, 2006, p.115). But they did not give up. Eventually, Maathai’s work paid off becau se she became the first woman in East Africa to earn a Doctorates Degree. Her experience with gender discrimination and her love for the environment enabled her to join organizations that advocated for women’s rights as well as environmental organizations. Through the various organizations and the scientific community, she found out about the deforestation of Kenya’s forests and the rural women’s lack of resources. â€Å"As I sat listening to the women talk about water, energy, and nutrition, I could see that everything they lacked depended on the environment†