What do we call the study of the way humans and the environment interact?

The study of the way humans and the environment interact is accurately referred to as cultural geography. This field focuses on understanding the relationships between people and their environments, including how culture influences and shapes landscapes, how human activities affect ecological systems, and how the natural environment in turn influences human behavior and societal developments. Cultural geography explores aspects such as settlement patterns, land use, and how cultural beliefs and practices are integrated into the surrounding environments. This discipline is crucial in understanding the complexities of human-environment interactions and the implications for sustainability and cultural identity.

In contrast, human geography is broader and examines various spatial aspects of human existence, while environmental sciences tend to focus more on the physical processes and aspects of the environment rather than the cultural dimensions of human interaction with that environment. Cultural studies, although important in understanding society and culture at large, do not specifically address the relationship between humans and the environment.