EARTH 122Introductory Environmental Sciences
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Earth Sciences
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 3 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course presents a broad overview of earth system processes and their influence on humans. Course emphasis is placed on anthropogenic impacts on natural systems, the impacts of geologic, biologic, and atmospheric processes on humans, and the effects of human activities on the environment. Course topics include sustainable development and the availability and use of natural resources, principles of ecology and environmental science, biogeochemical cycles, climate and climate change, soils and food supply, energy systems, surface water and groundwater, waste generation and management, pollution, and catastrophic natural processes.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
- Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
- ENVS195 - Introduction to Environmental Studies (0.50)
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 081 | 7407 | 382 / 400 | Online or by arrangement |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6574 | 0 / 425 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 002 | 6899 | 0 / 54 | Online or by arrangement |
| LEC 701 | 2512 | 353 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
77% liked it91% easy47% useful
From 167 ratings and 45 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Come to class ready to make a tally of how many times Illman mentions fish or Japan.
May 2015 · liked it · 3 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Took this online and it was the easiest course I have ever taken in my academic career (including high school classes). Highly recommend this class to boost your average. The final is also online which freed up some room in my schedule to study for other finals. I was not remotely interested in the content, but I did enjoy writing the discussion posts (essentially essays, but I got high marks on all of them with minimal effort).
Nov 2025 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Easy content, ok quizzes. Beware of the immense amount of graph reading in quizzes towards the end of the course and the extremely tight time constraint did not help. Other than that, everything else was alright aside from oddly worded questions and very specific details. The content is broad but straightforward.
Apr 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
All assessments other than the final exam were online. This may change in future terms. I did not go to lecture regularly, but watched posted video lectures narrated by Keith Delaney. The videos were fun to watch. Easy to get 90+ on this course with minimal effort.
Apr 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Pretty much a continuation of EARTH 121, at least if you take it with Delaney. He even took material directly from his 121 lectures. Really straightforward memorization. All multiple choice, two midterms and final. I only studied off of the slides, so you can probably save that textbook money.
Apr 2018 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
75 posts and comments in 66 threads mention EARTH 122, December 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
Advice on 1B CS course schedule 5 points, 5 comments
u/Ok_Music_9008: “… I picked ENGL 119 alongside EARTH 122 to clear out my elective requirements but the only timeslots that fit are all 8:30's, and right now if I were to pick one, which one should I drop? I'm also sequence 4 so I'm going to do a summer term aswell, if that helps with anything. …”
Winter 2025 Bird courses - ARTS 2 points, 1 comment
“So I'm in 3B doing a double major, and last term while I was on coop trying to plan out my last 3 study terms, I noticed I had about half the required courses for a PSCI minor, so I thought why not …”
u/Horiphic: “… EARTH 123 and 223 are a great duo if you're interested in hands-on hydrology labs, and EARTH 122/121 are easy bird courses as well. …”
EARTH 122 FULL 5 points, 1 comment
u/Pomegranate_1321: “Can someone please drop EARTH 122 because it’s a required course for me to graduate, please and thank you!”
Spring 2024
Increase of Enrolment cap in EARTH 123 Online (350 to 425) 32 points, 4 comments
“Hi Everyone! I just wanted to spread the word on a new enrolment increase in our Earth and Environmental Sciences online course this Spring - EARTH 123: Introduction to Physical Hydrology. …”
u/lil_cats: “One of my favourite profs at UW! I got an override so I could take EARTH 122 instead of ENVS 195 to take another course of yours!”
Fall 2023
does anyone know some easier elective courses with labs (0.25) 3 points, 2 comments
“does anyone know some easier elective courses with labs (0.25)?”
u/EV2_Mapper: “EARTH121 + EARTH121L EARTH122 + EARTH122L”
Spring 2023
Recommendation for a bird science course? 1 point, 3 comments
u/worldlyitem3: “So I'm in my last year of AFM but I've always had an interest in sciences. I wanted to take SCI 206 or EARTH 122 but I'm either not allowed to enrol or the course isn't being offered next semester. Can anyone recommend another fairly birdy science course?”
2B course selection thoughts? 3 points, 6 comments
u/ReportSensitive6087: “… CS240, CS241, CS251, MATH239, MATH237 CS240, CS241, CS251, MATH239, STAT231 CS240, CS241, CS251, MATH239, EARTH122 If you’ve taken one of these options, Lmk how it went Edit: For context my CAV is a 71.8%, but I’m trying a lot harder to get my grades up this term and am doing …”
u/ElusiveNirvana: “… I think CS240, CS241, CS251, MATH239, EARTH122 is the best option here since MATH237 and STAT231 aren't immediate prereqs and can be taken later when you lighter course loads. …”
Winter 2023
EARTH 122 RESOURCES 5 points, 6 comments
u/Original_Photograph2: “this is going to be a rant about a "bird" course that I took to up my average but tell me why this course has been making my life so hard. the quizzes are 15 minutes long with 20 questions and you can't go back to any question?? …”
Join the EARTH 122 study group discord 2 points, 0 comments
u/SubwaySandwichDev: “Are you in earth 122 and need study buddies? Join this study group discord for earth 122! Hoping to put together a session for the term test coming up on Thursday. Link: https://discord.gg/bujXxT6Wzg”
EARTH 121, EARTH 122, EARTH 123 4 points, 15 comments
u/ananymouse23412345: “Gotta take one of these. EARTH 121 - Introductory Earth Sciences EARTH 122 - Introductory Environmental Sciences EARTH 123 - Introductory Hydrology Anyone taken before? Any advice? Which one is the easiest? Heard 121 doesnt have an exam, is that true for the other 2 courses?”
u/Ehau: “EARTH 122 Hands Down... If prof is Delaney, it will be a very entertaining class. Basically Discovery Channel vibes.”
Fall 2022
BIRDIEST courses of all time 24 points, 38 comments
“Hi folks. What courses would you say are the BIRDIEST of all time? I won't need to pick courses till Winter but I'm trying to start getting a list together. …”
u/bravopapa10: “EARTH 121 and 122”
Courses for next sem 11 points, 7 comments
u/Taughthorizon57: “I've found a few courses that seem interesting and I'm just wondering for anyone who has taken them, how's the workload, how's the prof, and are they bird courses? GEOG 101 HLTH 101 SMF 101 CLAS 104 EARTH 122 ERS 101”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them