Chapter 14 Slides Flashcards
What does Environmental Sociology look at?
The interrelationships between societal issues and environmental concerns, including things like the impact of human activity on the environment
What are the 4 major factors that pose challenges for the environment?
Human Overpopulation
Industrialization
Urbanization
Overconsumption
How does the text define Ecological Footprint?
An estimate for gauging the total area of land and water ecosystems a human population needs in order to produce resources it consumes and to assimilate its wastes
What is Ecological Overshoot?
The idea that we’re using 1.6 earth and our growth is beyond earth capacity
What does Malthus say about populations?
He says there are factors that limit population growth which act as population checks like disease, war, lack of food
What is population growth impacted by?
Fertility (birth rate)
Mortality (death rate)
Migration (the number of people traveling into or out of nations to increase o decrease their populations respectively)
What is Biocapacity?
The rate at which a given area can reproduce renewable resources and absorb its waste
What does Demographic Transition theory argue?
As a result of modernization, societies eventually progress from being characterized by high fertility and mortality rates to being characterized by low fertility and mortality rates and has 4 stages
What is Stage 1 of Demographic Transition Theory?
Pre industrial societies have economies entirely based on agriculture. They have high fertility rates and high infant mortality rates
What is Stage 2 of Demographic Transition Theory?
Advances in industrialization improve crop cultivation, education and healthcare. Deaths go down
What does stage 3 of Demographic Transition Theory see?
Further industrialization, and birth rates go down to join death rates
What does stage 4 see in Demographic Transition Theory?
Birth rates continue to decline and death rates stabilize. These are characterized by high SES, good health, and equality
What is Urban Sprawl?
The process by which growth necessities the conversion of natural land for human made uses
What does urban spraw require!
The rapid conversion of natural land for human made uses
What is Sustainability?
The use of natural resources at a rate on par with natural replenishment
What is a Disposable Society?
Societies characterized by manufactured or short term use items that are then disposed of - stuff we make to use briefly then throw away
What is Greenwashing?
When marketers claim their products are environmentally friendly
What is the Sin of Hidden Trade off?
The product pays attention to some benefits of its greenness while ignoring other bad impacts of the product
What is the sin of no proof?
The product claims something that is not proven like percentage of consumer waste in its packaging
What is the sin vagueness?
The claim is so poorly defined or broad that it is readily misunderstood
What is the Sin of irrelevance?
In this sin, the claim is truthful but unimportant
What is the sin of lesser of two evils?
The claim involves a true claim that is kind of overshadowed by the broad harm the product causes anyways ex organic cigarettes
What is the Sin of Fibbing?
Involves making false environmental claims. In this one a product may claim something that is a lie
Sin of Worshipping false labels?
They hint they have an endorsement by a third party when they don’t. Ex putting a standard seal on that looks like one but isn’t to make people think the
What was the first wave of environmentalism?
People were talking about pollution, resource depletion, and environmental disasters. Ex. Oil spills and energy over usage
What was the second wave of environmentalism about?
People were concerned with human consumption and development. Specifically forestry, mining, fisheries and transport and how these contribute to greater environmental threat
What was the first wave of environmentalism associated with?
Many bandaid solution like creating pump sprays rather than aerosol sprays that failed to address larger issues
What is the Human Exemptionalism Paradigm (HEP)
The tendency to view nature as separate from human society and human are superior to other parts of nature and assumes technology is the solution to environmental problems
What is HEP characterized by?
A human centered understanding of what is important
What is the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP)
Discusses the interdependence between humans and the natural environment and that technology can’t solve all our problems and has unintended consequences
What sofa the Ecological Modernization theory look at?
A functional approach to environmental sociology that argues we can all coexist and take responsibility for a healthy environment
What is the Treadmill of Production?
A theoretical model that explains environmental issues as resulting from the incessant need to increase production and profit
How is the Treadmill of Production a critical theory?
It observes that we just accumulate and is tied to a capitalist rationality
