Transcript social problems social topics

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Chapter 19:
Environment
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Is the Environment in Danger?
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Environmental Sociology
• New sociological paradigm
• Researchers evaluate how the environment
influences society, and vice versa
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Environmental sociology arose out of a
feeling that something was wrong with the
common belief of human exemptionalism
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Human Exemptionalism
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Human Exemptionalism
• Considers humans to be different from other species on
Earth, and therefore not affected in the same way by
changes in the environment
• Humans have ability to innovate and adapt to changing
environment through use of technology and cultural
flexibility
 Ability allows us to expand how we fit into the
environment
 Suggests that we are exempt from limitations of
nature
• Perhaps humans just the last ones on the “hit list”
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Environmental Sociology
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Environmental sociology considers human beings
just one species within a global ecosystem
interdependent on other species
Jared Diamond; Collapse
• Several societies collapsed because populations
exceeded what the ecosystem could handle
 Vikings in Greenland, the Rapa Nui society of Easter
Island, and Anasazi of American Southwest
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Continued
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Humans have a carrying capacity
• Refers to how many members of a specific species can
exist in a given environment
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Overpopulation
• When a species lives above its carrying capacity
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Underpopulation
• When a species lives below its carrying capacity
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Issue of sustainability particularly important as
finite resources such as coal and oil continue to
dwindle
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Continued
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Conservationists argue that we have
already passed the tipping point
• Point at which we are beyond our ability to
recover
• Massive social problems will result in disease,
war, and the general destruction of society
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Some scientists argue the world has
plenty of space
• While carrying capacity may indeed become a
problem, it is a long way off
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Continued
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Although population influences carrying capacity
• One of the greatest skills available to humanity is ability
to change and adapt
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Notion parallels human exceptionalism
• Suggesting we can adapt to less space and survive
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Other members of animal kingdom do not have
that luxury
Even among human populations, there are
differences in how much groups can adapt
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Environmental Justice
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Environmental Justice
• The impact of environmental factors on social classes
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) definition
• “Fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all
people regardless of race, color, national origin, or
income with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental
laws, regulations, and policies.”
• EPA’s goal is for environmental justice to be
implemented in every community across US
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Ecosystem Management
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Water
• Vital element of human survival
• Water pollution naturally has serious effect on
humans
• EPA regulates quality of water by enforcing
drinking water standards and safeguarding
nation’s watersheds from pollution
• Not all nations have natural or municipal
resources to supply citizens with abundance of
clean drinking water
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Continued
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Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution
• Leading source of water pollution
• Polluted runoff water, specifically from farms
and other forms of agriculture
• Occurs when rainwater, snow, or excess
irrigation runs off into lakes, streams, or rivers
or seeps into the groundwater
• Pollutants either contaminate water
immediately or harm freshwater ecosystem
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Continued
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Air
• Air pollution made up of gases, finely divided
solids, and thinly dispersed liquid droplets
• Includes well-known pollutants such as
mercury and asbestos, as well as lesser-known
materials such as chlorofluorocarbons and
refrigerants
• Poor air quality can cause or exacerbate health
problems
• Becomes social problem when certain groups
affected more than others
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Continued
• Active children at highest risk for health
problems associated with poor air quality
• Environmental justice not only an issue in US
• Pollution, especially indoor air pollution, can
occur in small rural villages of developing
nations
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Continued
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Climate Change
• 2008, NASA’s Surface Temperature Analysis
 Global average surface temperature increased by
approximately 1.2° F since 1900
 Whether increase caused by humans or by Earth’s
natural climate cycles is point of argument
 Research has shown many connections between
human activity and climate change
• Dramatic changes have occurred in world’s recent
weather patterns
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Continued
• 2007 study in Environment and Urbanization
 Rising sea levels threaten 634 million people
• Hurricane Katrina
• Climate change could result in increased risk of
plant and animal extinction
 Since humans rely on some of these for
food and survival, this is a serious issue
• One side of argument point to historical
changes in weather and suggest climate
change is natural occurrence
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Continued
• Proponents of human-caused climate change
suggest it is due to modern increases in
greenhouse gas emissions
 Come naturally from humans
 From pollution that results from burning
fossil fuels for industry, transportation, and
residential purposes
• Gases create greenhouse effect
 Blocking release of heat from the planet and
making it warmer
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Continued
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1997 Kyoto Protocol
• Legally binding treaty signed by 37 nations
• Set targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases
• With exception of the US and Australia
 All developed nations agreed to goal in effort to
stabilize climate change and reduce possibility of
long-term environmental damage
• United States refused to sign
 Suggested that science backing climate change treaty
less than clear
• Difficult to deny some form of climate change is
occurring
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Continued
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Green Living
• New policies show that U.S. government more interested
in fostering green living
• Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS)/Cash for Clunkers
 Get gas-guzzlers off road and get citizens into more
fuel-efficient vehicles
• EPA recommends people:
 Use Energy Star appliances
 Replace traditional fluorescent lightbulbs with
energy-efficient LED bulbs
 Seal windows and doors
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Harmful Substances and Resource Efficiency
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Best shot at saving environment is stop
polluting it in the first place
The IPAT Formula
• Stands for impacts = population X affluence X
technology
• Formula proposes these components interact
to describe environmental effects of a society
• Suggests that as a society advances, its
impact increases
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Continued
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Each U.S. resident produces 4.6 pounds of
trash a day, equaling total of 251 million
tons every year
Mountain of garbage
• Creates problems for landfills
• For the air, (if burned)
• May also influence global climate change by its
very creation
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Only 33% of all solid waste recycled
• Bulk finds its way into landfills
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Continued
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Some waste biodegrades and works its
way back into natural cycle
Some waste become pollutants that
adversely affect the ecosystem
Human and environmental health often
take a backseat to the bottom line
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Functionalism
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Functionalists want to know how population
growth affects our daily lives
Obvious that repopulation necessary to ensure
the survival of species
• If we overpopulate, human species will reach its carrying
capacity and Earth will not be able to provide adequate
resources
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Unwise to stretch resources too thin
Humans are part of larger integrated system
• For society to function properly, must find our place
within that system
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Conflict Theory
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Air is one of few resources free to everyone
Unfortunately, not all air is created equal
• Some segments of society exposed to more unhealthy
air than others
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Society does not view life free from harmful
pollutants as a basic human right
• Federal EPA report found evidence that racial and ethnic
minorities suffer disproportionate exposure
 Dust, ozone, soot, sulfur, carbon monoxide,
emissions from hazardous waste dumps
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Continued
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Issues regarding environmental justice
seen in poor communities in the United
States as well as in developing countries
around the globe
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Symbolic Interactionism
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“Green living” habits have become trendy
Organic clothing, hybrid vehicles, and
energy-efficient appliances
• All making their way into mainstream society
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News of global climate change
• Motivated society to understand that “reduce,
reuse, recycle” more than just a catchy slogan
• It needs to be the instructions we follow in our
daily lives
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Environmental Theory
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Humans connected in some way to every
living organism on Earth
Human exemptionalism based on idea
human beings are different from other
beings on this planet
• Still reliant on the same resources
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When we do not take care of those
resources, disastrous repercussions can
occur
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Continued
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Overuse of fossil fuels resulted in global
climate change
• In turn resulted in violent weather patterns
and rising sea levels
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Prevention and mitigation of these
environmental crises is major issue that
society must deal with in the 21st century
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Formed by Nixon administration on December 2,
1970
EPA’s goals
• Establish and enforce environmental protection
standards
• Conduct research on adverse effects of pollution
• Assist other groups in preventing pollution through
grants
• Develop and recommend new policies for protection of
environment to the president
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Continued
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Clean Air Act of 1970
• Required EPA to establish national air quality standards
and national standards for substantial new pollution
sources and for all facilities that emit hazardous
substances
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Past EPA agents state the agency is far more
efficient and influential today
EPA currently nation’s leader in environmental
science, research, education, and assessment
efforts
• Agency added resources to achieve mission of cleaner,
healthier environment for the American people
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Measuring Environmental Impact
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EPA tries to enforce policies that protect
Americans during environmental crises
When deciding whether to implement new
policies or regulations:
• Government agencies weigh costs of
implementing regulations against potential
lifesaving benefits
• If benefits outweigh costs, more likely that
particular policy or regulation will be passed
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Continued
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“Value of a Statistical Life”
• $7.8 million per person
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2008, EPA recalculated estimated value of
a statistical life
• $6.9 million per person
 What may seem at first like a simple
recalculation can have serious consequences
when it comes to environmental policy
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Continued
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S. William Becker, executive director of the
National Association of Clean Air Agencies
• Agency that represents state and local air pollution
regulators
• “It appears that they’re cooking the books in regards to
the value of life. Those decisions are literally a matter of
life and death.”
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EPA stresses that public should not view value as
a price tag on life
• Simply as a measurement for statistical purposes
 Which goes to show that environmental impact is
more a matter of policy decision than the quality of
human life
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The Environmental Movement
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Society needs to accept idea that protecting
environment is a moral responsibility
• Henry David Thoreau and Herman Melville incorporated
power and beauty of nature into their works
• President Theodore Roosevelt worked to make
conservationism popular socially and politically
 Desire to preserve natural resources helped pave way
for important government programs
• Soil Conservation Service and the Pittman-Robertson
Act, established to fund fish and wildlife programs
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Continued
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Urbanization and resulting urban sprawl of the
1950s created entirely new concerns for
conservationists
Subject of pollution sparked heated debate in
1968 Presidential election between Richard Nixon
and Hubert Humphrey
Nixon won
• Congress sent president a bill that became most
important piece of environmental legislation in history
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Continued
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The National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA)
• “Declare a national policy which will encourage
productive and enjoyable harmony between
man and his environment”
• President Nixon signed the bill on New Year’s
Day, 1970
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