The Environment

• Our world is constantly facing a number of natural disasters per year. These disasters leave a ripple effect on our world because they do not just affect the country that they occur in but they also affect other countries. This is because we live in a globalized world.
• Recent natural disasters


  • Earthquake in Japan in 2011
  • Earthquake in central Italy
  • Earthquake in Haiti
• These natural disasters left negative impacts around the world - many people lost their lives, buildings were destroyed, people ended up being poor, crops were destroyed etc.
• These natural disasters are all a consequence of human action towards the environment. Therefore, this shows us that the natural & the social worlds are intertwined - natural disasters can easily affect human's life and human's action towards the environment can affect it as well.
• Volkswagen emissions scandal


  • EPA reported Volkswagen cars had higher emission levels out on the road than from laboratory tests
  • EPA found software installed in vehicles that could falsify emissions testing
  • Cars emitted up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide pollutants than US regulations allowed
  • Volkswagen admitted trying to cheat and that some 11 million of their diesel cars had the software fitted, about 8 million in Europe
• Nitrogen oxides from car exhaust produce ozone and very fine particulate matter which have a detrimental impact on human health.
• Nature


  The natural things surrounding us like animals, forests, and sea
• Environment


  The external conditions or surroundings of people, especially in which they live or work
• There is no single meaning when defining nature and environment. Some see nature as essential, others as an obstacle in modern society that needs protection.
• The 2011 Japan earthquake produced tsunami waves up to 40 meters high that traveled 10km, sweeping away cars, houses, buildings and people. Police statistics showed at least 15,000 killed, over 9,000 missing, and 5,000 injured.
• Earthquakes like these are not uncommon, with disasters in New Zealand (2011), Haiti (2010), Indonesia (2004) and others killing over half a million people and making millions homeless.
• Role of sociology in understanding environmental issues

  • Helps understand how environmental problems are distributed and affect societies differently
  • Identifies how human behaviour creates pressures on the natural environment
  • Proposes and evaluates policies to address environmental problems
• Social Constructionism


  Believes people create environmental problems, studies why some problems are seen as urgent while others are not
• Types of social constructionists


  • Strict - argue environment can never speak for itself
  • Contextual - argue environmental problems are ranked in importance
• How environmental claims are constructed (Hannigan)


  1. Claims are assembled with evidence

  2. Claims are presented to grab attention and persuade

  3. Claims are contested and go through a selective process
• Positive aspect of social constructionism is raising awareness of environmental issues people were not aware of.
• Critical Realism


  Looks at the relationship between environment and society to explain why environmental problems occur
• Critical realists believe the environment has its own limits, and that capitalism can be self-destructive and increase climate change.
• Critical realist perspectives


  • Davis - links between society, nature, and economic reasons for hunger
  • Shiva - looks at how industrialization marginalized Indian women and deskilled them
  • Dickens - argues we need a new type of society as capitalism is unsustainable
• The IPCC acknowledges 20th century global warming was largely the product of human action.
• Consumerism


  The goods, services, energy, and resources used by people
• Consumerism can be viewed positively as improving living standards, or negatively as damaging the environment and creating inequalities.
• World consumption increased from over 1.5 trillion dollars in 1900 to 24 trillion by the end of the century. Consumption per person in developed countries grew 2.3% per year.
• Treadmill of production


  The ongoing process of industrial capitalism that leads to environmental damage through rapid resource use and high pollution/waste
• Mass production is accompanied by large-scale consumption, with products made cheaply in one location and sold globally at higher prices.
• Romantic ethic


  The longing, desire, and anticipation of buying consumer products, rather than their actual use, that provides pleasure
• The romantic ethic intensified by marketing increases desires and drives the treadmill of production, causing negative environmental impacts.
• People often throw away still-useful items that are out of fashion or fail to project a desired image.
• Many environmentalists and sociologists argue consumerism is unsustainable and damaging to the environment.
• Desire


  Longing and desire also known as the romantic ethic
• Marketing


  Makes products appear desirable and intensifies people's desires
• Romantic ethic


  Causes negative impacts on our environment, can be seen as disastrous
• Romantic ethic


  Increases our desires in buying different products, leading to increased treadmill of production, mass consumption, and use of more natural resources and pollution
• People are throwing away things that are still useful, but they are useless as they might be out of fashion or fail to present a certain image we want to portray
• Economic growth cannot carry on forever, as the natural environment's capacity has its own limits
• The heaviest impact of consumption is on the poor, as they are often located in areas with more pollution and environmental problems
• Sustainable development


  Development that meets the needs of the present generation, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• Sustainable development means that economic growth should be carried on in a way to recycle physical resources rather than just deplete them and keep pollution to a minimum level
• Some criticize sustainable development because it tends to neglect the needs of poorer countries, and there is a clash between sustainability and development
• External risks


  Risks unrelated to human actions, such as storms, earthquakes, famines, drought