AP Environmental Science

Earth's systems and human impact

AP Environmental Science (APES) is the interdisciplinary study of how Earth's natural systems work and how human activity reshapes them. This journey walks the College Board's nine-unit framework — from energy flow and biogeochemical cycles, through biodiversity, populations, Earth systems, land and water use, energy resources, and pollution, to global change — and trains the exam skills that decide scores: reading a resolution of units, dimensional analysis without a calculator, and the three free-response question types. Each stage is anchored to a real environmental event, from Silent Spring to the Montreal Protocol.