Environmental Science, 7th Edition...................Is there some possibility that we will so damage our environment that our civilization will collapse? Are we already in trouble?Can we take corrective action before is too late?..These are important questions , and to answer them will take the rest of this text. The task before us - both in this text and as a twenty -first century civilization- can be laid out i four steps:...1...To understand how the natural world works....2..To understand how human systems are interacting with natural systems....3..To accurately assess th status and trends of crucial natural systems...4..To promote and follow a long-term sustainable relationship with the natural world.....