Lecture 2 - Environmental Problems Flashcards
What are the 3 reasons why environmental problems are the greatest current social problems?
- They have the greatest potential for catastrophic results
- Our economic system is set up such that environmental protection is resisted (and will continue to be)
- It’s a global problem that requires a global solution, but the world’s nations are competing (rising nationalism)
What are the environmental problems that we face?
- Increasing human population = more destruction of animal habitat, more animal extinction (negative effect on the ecosystem)
- Ecosystem and food chain effect (Coral bleaching, pesticides + bee population)
- Climate change (High levels of greenhouse gases resulting in increased global temperatures, wildfires, droughts, stronger + more frequent storms)
What is drawdown?
When atmospheric greenhouse gases begin to decline on a year-to-year basis
(Costs $29 T USD, while current spending worldwide is $632 B USD)
(Review) What are the 4 main points of structural functionalism?
- Human behaviour is governed by social structures (relatively stable patterns of social relations, like families)
- Social structures maintain/undermine social stability (Ex. Economy, education system, legal system)
- Social structures are based on shared values/preferences
- Suggests re-establishing equilibrium to solve social problems (sees social change as a destabilizing factor, how to balance the system)
What 3 things have led to environmental problems?
- Growing population = greater environmental strain
- Greater scientific development = resource exploitation + environment change (Ex. Nuclear, fracking)
- BIGGEST ISSUE Society hasn’t had to prioritize the environment over economy before (Culture)
What is an externality?
Act of producing something that has a cost/benefit that the producer doesn’t have to deal with
(Ex. Pollution)
Polluting is free economically and governments don’t want to implement costs
What are the 5 ways that society is set up to hurt the environment?
- Earth as an externality
- Path dependency
- Moral foundation theory
- Immediacy bias
- Misinformation
What is path dependency?
The idea that it’s easier to remain on the current path/trajectory than to switch gears entirely
(Cultural bias –> current path is normal, change is foreign)
What is moral foundation theory?
- Foundations of people’s political preferences
- Exploring moral foundations of beliefs to understand political differences
What are the 5 foundations in moral foundation theory?
- Harm/Care –> ability to empathize (difference in how much empathy/suffering is justified)
- Fairness/Reciprocity –> Golden Rule, no discrimination, justice (difference in what is seen as fair, like with welfare/social assistance)
- In-group loyalty –> (Rousseau) we’re weak unless we work together (differ in who we consider in our group [cosmopolitanism, nationalism] + how loyal we are [patriotism])
- Authority/Respect –> power based on voluntary deference (not power/brutality), respect for tradition (differ in who is considered valid authority + how much people weigh respect for things)
- Purity/Sanctity –> disgust for things that violate purity (differ in what is considered a violation + what should be “pure”)
(Moral foundation theory) What are the 2 higher-order clusters?
- Individualizing (Care, fairness) –> Care/Harm are valued the most for both political parties, fairness is more valued by liberals
- Bonding (Loyalty, authority, purity) –> Conservatives value these more than liberals
What is immediacy bias?
-Preference for instant gratification rather than more benefit in the future
How are echo chambers created?
Endless info + confirmation bias + in-group/affinity bias (gravitation towards people like us) = constant access to people who share our beliefs
What is the structural functionalist solution to environmental problems?
- Voting –> shifts political preferences while working within the current system
