Environmental soil science is an emerging interdisciplinary field that integrates soil science and environmental science. Initially focused on serving agricultural productivity, the research in environmental soil science has evolved to encompass soil health. This article primarily reviews the development of environmental soil science in terms of the impacts of exogenous substances on soil and soil quality evolution. The study of soil pollution on soil environmental quality focuses on identifying pollutant speciation, revealing soil reaction processes, assessing pollution effects, and carrying out soil remediation projects, based on soil element background values and the current state of pollution. In the context of soil quality evolution, research on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus elements has expanded from soil fertility and non-point source pollution in agriculture to exploring the adaptation and response of soil in global climate change. The study of soil degradation processes has progressed from investigating soil productivity or functional loss to examining the sustainability of agricultural development and soil ecological functions under the background of global climate change. Environmental soil science is expected to develop in four important directions in the future, including fostering interdisciplinary integration, evaluating the potential impacts of global climate change on soil element cycling, enhancing the establishment of soil environmental evaluation indicators within the framework of soil health assessment, and aligning the development of environmental soil science with the major needs of the country.