Mathematics (from Greek μάθημα máthēma, "knowledge, study, learning") is the study of such topics as quantity, structure, space, and change. It has no generally accepted definition.
Mathematics is a versatile art; it can be applied to widely different purposes. Math has no morality; it does not care what it counts or what it proves.
Brian Stableford, Ashes and Tombstones, in Peter Crowther (ed.) Moon Shots (1999), reprinted in David G. Hartwell (ed.) Year's Best SF 5 (2000), p. 412
Understanding the relationship between climate and ecosystems is crucial to preventing undesired changes to our environment, such as desertification and the loss of species. However, the multi-component and multi-scale nature of ecosystems makes them difficult to easily understand.