This text presents the basic concepts of systems ecology and human ecology in an accessible way. It integrates the basic concepts of systems ecology with human environmental decisions, making ecology relevant to human society.

Environment, Power and Society is one of the seminal texts in Environmental Science. It is a wide-ranging book that presents systems ecology: the study of ecological relationships based on flows of matter and energy through the environment. Based on concepts adapted from the fields of engineering and operations research, systems ecology is an important tool for understanding how natural ecosystems function. Odum has been a pioneer in the field, one of the first to understand the importance of energy relationships, and also, as demonstrated in this book, one of the first to integrate human activities into the picture, thus laying the groundwork for human ecology and environmental engineering.