Soc 2155 Middy Human Flashcards
How do environmental sociologists view society?
It’s a large interconnection of people, animals, land, water and air.
What are the three different parts (views) of environmental sociology?
- Material: consumption, economy, tech, development
- Ideal: people’s culture, their ideas, relations, and values
- Practical: How to actually implement ideas, policies, mobilization, change
What is the Ecology Dialogue? What are the 2 important facts about it?
The E.D. is the interconnection between material and ideal dimensions. Often involves different levels of power and often involves conflict
What are the 3 types of environmental injustices?
Injustices across time (sustainability
Social space (unequal burden)
and Across Species (not covered)
What are some examples of Environmental injustice across time?
- Global Climate Change
- Ecological disruptions
- Energy Concern
- OECD countries (high income)
- Fossil fuels
- Fracking
What are some of the implications of ecological disruptions?
- ocean acidification (absorbing carbon) (1/3 of global carbon)
- Drought, Flooding, Rising Sea levels
- infectious diseases (tick and mosquito spread)
What is the most polluting fossil fuel? What % of energy consumption is Carbon?
Coal is the most polluting fuel. 81% carbon energy economy
What is the central debate around fracking?
The main debate is whether the possible risk of chemicals getting into the water is worth the added money, jobs, and relevance it brings to rural communities.
What are sources of renewable energy? What are common concerns with renewable power?
Nuclear energy, Hydro dams, wind turbines.
Concern with national disasters (nuclear), habitat disruption (noise pollution wind), land competition (biofuels)
What are some of the challenges with Energy consumption?
- Energy consumption needs are growing rapidly
- Slow and difficult to change energy infrastructure
- politically charged b/c of the power with energy corporations
What are some solutions to making society more sustainable? Give examples of solutions on different “levels”
Individual (micro): change individual buying practices
Community (meso): new gardens or bike lanes to help with eco-friendly decisions
State (Macro): Pass laws or invest in clean energy
What does inequality in social power lead to?
leads to uneven distribution of environmental bads. Affects who receives the damage, most harmed by damage, and who gets the solutions.
What is the Basel convention?
It’s an international treaty signed by 200+ nations which controls the transfer of toxic waste to poor countries.
What is the Gini coeficcient? Between US and CA who’s worse?
Gini coefficient is a measurement of inequality within a nation. Higher # larger gap between rich and poor. USA has a 7% higher coefficient.
What happened to workers after covid?
More lower-class workers lost their jobs.
How do patterns of inequality mirror inequality of resources.
the gap between wealthy nations and have-nots has grown over time.
What does the inequality in nations show?
It shows that wealthier countries consume more and produce more waste per person.
What is ND-Gain? What are the two measures?
ND-Gain is how ready a nation is for climate change and their vulnerability to it. Lower score is better.
How is climate change and inequality spread?
lower income countries are more vulnerable to droughts, floods, heat waves. Also affects agriculture and coastal nations.
Why should wealthier countries care about environmental inequality?
natural disasters like disease droughts, storms, etc. don’t care about borders.
All pollutants damage the body. Justice benefits everyone.
What is the idea of One Health one Future?
It’s an idea that all organisms are connected and hurting one part of the environment affects all. Used by ancient Greeks and Native Americans.
What are Zoonotic diseases? What has influenced them?
Zoonotic diseases are diseases that sicken or kill humans and come from animals. Farming tactics (Overuse of antibiotics). globalization, urbanization, and colonization.
What is One Justice?
One Justice is a utilitarian approach to environmental harms. It says to do the thing that will do the greatest good for the most people. (e.g. pesticides, nuclear energy, covid policies)
What is position of burden? What does it lead to?
unequal distribution of environmental hazards and risks among different social groups. Think downstream (or the platform). Leads to spreading bads evenly instead of eliminating them.
What is a Justice as Fairness? (John Rawls)
It’s a form of Egalitarianism that does the best for everyone not the most. Never know when you’re going to be on the bottom.
Why is the Cost-Benefit analysis worse than Precautionary principle?
Cost-benefit analysis provides short term solutions but doesn’t address long term problems. Precautionary principle ties space, time and species to create better solutions.
What are 4 elements of environmental injustice?
- Distribution patterns
- Historical processes
- patterns of non-recognition
- unequal access to decision making
What is Environmental racism/injustice?
Groups are targeted based on prescribed characteristics (race)
Give examples of environmental racism in Canada
Grassy Narrows On: paper plant dumps pollutants into indigenous water source.
Aamjiwnaang: Benzine discharged into first nations land.
Shelburn Ns: Toxic facilities align very closely to indigenous communities in NS
Do corporations change their practices?
Corporations understand the demand for clean practices. Instead of investing in better practices they advertise more or green wash.
What is the Corporate responsibility paradox?
Corporations saying they care for social/environmental issues but continue to malpractice. Ex: Coal mining company saying “responsibility is our biggest priority”
What are the 3 consumption theories?
Individual Choice theory (maximize satisfaction with budget)
Social theory (consume competitively)
Cultural theory (symbolic & creates identity)
Who was the original affluent society? are we more affluent nowadays?
Hunter gatherers were the original affluent society. Their material needs were more easily satisfied (eat sleep sex). Nowadays more complicated needs less affluent. (have to work harder) (housing, social needs, cars)
What is the theory of leisure class? What about the three signals?
Leisure class is a social theory of consumption that says people consume competitively. Conspicuous consumptions (goods), conspicuous leisure (big trips), and Conspicuous waste (upgrading)
What are positional goods?
Demand for goods in short supply. (lakeshore property) These demonstrate power.
What are consumer sentiments? Are goods inherently full of them?
Sentiments are the feelings and connections people attach to goods/objects (think wedding ring). Goods nowadays are socially empty (don’t know the manufacturers or have a sentimental reason for purchase)
What is Culture as consumption say?
Consumption is a symbolic behavior that creates identity? people use consumption because they feel disconnected and empty. It’s produced and manipulated by the elites. (big corporations)
What is Consumption as a social code?
Consumption reflects tastes that hold groups together.
What does community as a commodity say?
Goods are a substitute for social connections. we feel secure with stuff. Makes us poor in community.
Summarize the main ideas of cultural theories of consumption (three ideas)
Consumption is a demonstration of power, Replacement for social connection, and control over our environment.
What is the hedonic treadmill?
The amount of wealth and affluence has grown in Canada but the amount of satisfaction hasn’t.
What’s the Easterlin Paradox?
Weak relationship between wealth and happiness but everyone thinks they can buy happiness.
What led to “time crunch”
Rise in work hours, rise of women in labor, and cycle of work and spending money all lead to time crunch.
How has consumption affected lesiure?
our excess consumption/mass consumption has led to less leisure time spent not consuming. Lots of time going out to eat or events that cost money. Less staying in and chilling.
How has consumerism changed?
Online shopping is more fun and easier than traditional shopping (2 dopamine hits). Products are cheaper than they used to be.
How has consumerism and mass consumption affected waste?
Average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing. Middle class is expected to grow. Less space to throw out stuff.
Who does the most damage environmentally in terms of travel?
Frequent flyers (global elite) do most of the harm. 75% of emissions are from air travel.
What are three trends in consumption?
Energy usage is growing, House sizes are growing while families are shrinking, Caloric intake in increasing.
Why is the idea of growth as good dangerous?
Leads to inflation, overconsumption, and inequality of resources. Also is destructive to the environment with pollution, waste, and consumption of natural resources.
What’s a better way to think of the economy?
The economy should be thought of as a pie with limited resources. Workers become reliant on growth b/c of inflation.
How is growth unequal?
The people at the top gain the most from growth. This gain allows them to save, accumulate wealth, and pass it on to their children. This leads the children to be advantaged and privileged leading to more and more inequality.
What is the base/original problem of capitalism?
The Wage-Price Gap is the basic capitalism problem. Workers must generate more value than they are to make a profit. This leads to workers not being able to afford the products they produce.
What are the two solutions to the Wage-Price Gap?
Debt and Growth and the two solutions. Debt enslaves workers and growth bridges the gap but leads to inequality.
What is the invisible hand? How is the invisible elbow different?
The invisible hand is an invisible guiding force of a capitalist economy that leads to better change because of competition. The invisible elbow is all the negative side effects that harm society and the environment like pollution or income inequality.
What is the resource trap in global economies?
The resource trap is when core nations (wealthy) take natural resources from peripheral countries and then produce goods to resell to periphery countries or themselves. Urban wealth depends on rural impoverishment.
What is commodity fetishism aka invisible communities?
C.F is how no one knows how things are made or who is making them. Capitalism hides the source of the things you buy. Examples clothing and food.
What is the social construction of markets? What has helped shape it?
It’s an idea that hard work is virtuous, and people should accumulate more and more. Shaped by Neoliberalism (more personal freedoms and property rights) (reduction in government influence)
What is the treadmill of underconsumption?
It’s individuals getting off the hedonic treadmill and limiting consumption.
What are environmental markets?
It’s when governments or markets place value on positive activities through incentives or sanctions on activities with environmental costs.
What is technology? what are some of the different aspects of it?
Tech is the “how to” of life. This includes teh techniques and skills used to produce goods, the physical tech items (phones, computers) and knowledge how to combine resources
What is Green Technology?
Green technology is tech that minimizes harm and promotes conservation. Also, can be the use of chemistry or science to minimize human impact. (wind turbines & solar panels)
What are the main principles of sustainable development?
Process that allows us to develop and grow society without undermining natural resources and ecosystems. Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future.
What is Jevons paradox?
It’s the idea that “fuel efficient” or green technology although more efficient has led to more demand and consumption overall
Why are SUV’s bad?
Less fuel efficient. More dangerous to other drivers. Also, it’s socially contagious to own one (becoming the norm)
Explain how something like LED’s and lighting plays into Jevon’s paradox?
LED are much more energy efficient and has saved power but now LEDs are put into everything even stuff that doesn’t need lights.
What are some of the pros and cons of technology in the environmental debate?
Pros: spreads information, online work makes urban sprawl better, better data storage and understanding.
Cons: Online shopping worse for environment, more overconsumption, spread of misinformation
What are Some of the costs of technological innovation?
Overconsumption leading to toxic waste (e-waste), Resource acquisition (batteries & fracking), Hazardous by-products (plastics),
What are examples of economic incentives for technological innovation?
Regulations: setting car prices on environmental impact
Social costing (extend producer responsibility): Put the cost of disposal on the producer.
Policies: issuing permits or penalties for going over a set number of pollutants.
What is Elizabeth Shove’s theory on consumption?
She believes that a lot of consumption is to be comfortable or convenient. Examples: 70% of domestic water for cleaning, air conditioning
How does society play into the constraints of conveinence?
Habitual consumption is shaped by culture. The culture is moving towards more consumption becoming the norm. More frequent showers, indoor temp, more clothing washes, etc.
What is the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) say about technology?
Tech and society are deeply interconnected and both shape each other.
Are Humans at fault for natural disastors?
Some disasters are directly humans’ faults (floods, deforestation) while others are more common because of human action (hurricanes heat waves)
What is a technological disaster (Perrow)? Which lead to stress on the whole system? Localized effects?
They are tech systems that help us understand potential for failures. Complex + Tightly coupled (close together with little buffer) (pipeline) Linear + loosely coupled (close together with buffer between parts: assembly lines)
What is Beck’s idea of the risk society?
Tech has increased the chance of tech, natural, and environmental risks. Scale and potential for catastrophe increasing. Less faith in “science” to protect us.
How is science and technology political?
Knowledge and messaging about tech and the environment are influenced by who has power. Also, there is distrust in scientists prevents dialogue about solutions
