The challenge for the future is sound management of the earth's ecosystems to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. Keys to meeting this objective include the following: the reduction of wasteful consumption; the remediation and restoration of damaged or degraded ecological systems (e.g., forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, urban and coastal environments); and the setting aside of protected areas, in which human use is excluded or altered to ensure the survival of biotic communities and wild species. Meeting this objective calls for a greater understanding of how biological systems work, how to stem the continued loss of habitats, and how to restore and manage ecosystems.

The USGS supplies scientific information and advice about current environmental issues. This information is used by federal, state, and local agencies in carrying out their regulatory and administrative functions. The USGS is also expected to anticipate emerging environmental issues.

Environmental issues are those that affect human health, natural resources, ecosystems, or the global environment. When Americans perceive that degraded environmental conditions constitute a serious threat to their quality of life, the passage of legislation designed to reduce this threat often follows. Examples include the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Although most Americans are committed to a clean, healthful environment combined with economic growth, the depth of their commitment changes over time. Recent polls indicate that Americans are less concerned about environmental issues today than they were a decade ago (NRC, 1996c). This view could change suddenly with significant environmental surprises in the future.

Experts have identified an extensive list of environmental issues. (Table 3.1) The list includes narrowly focused, near-term environmental problems (e.g., oil spills) and broad-based ones (e.g., climate change). Historically, much environmental research has been directed at solving immediate problems. However, this problem-specific approach is limited; it misses the opportunity to “use research to create scientific and technological building blocks or core research, which can enhance our future ability to address a wide range of environmental problems ” (NRC, 1996a).