Social Problems, 13eD. Stanley EitzenMaxine Baca ZinnKelly Eitzen Smith

Chapter 4Threats to the Environment

Threats to the Environment

CH

AP

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Learning Objectives

4.1 Describe the nature and consequences of human-made threats to the

environment.

4.2 Explain the role of the United States in the global war on the environment.

4.3 Describe the long-range international implications of and alternative solutions

to threats to the environment.

4.1 - Worldwide Environmental Problems

• Degradation of the Land

• Destruction of the Tropical Rain Forests and Other Forms of Deforestation

• Environmental Pollution and Degradation

• Fossil Fuel Dependence and Environmental Degradation

• Climate Change

LO 4.1

LO 4.1 - Degradation of the Land

• 1 percent of Earth’s topsoil is lost each year due to: – Plowing of marginal lands – Growth of cities and urban sprawl– Overuse – Irrigation and erosion

LO 4.1 - Destruction of the Tropical Rain Forests and Other Forms of Deforestation

• Tropical rain forests cover about 7 percent of Earth’s dry land surface and house about half of all species on Earth.

• These rich forests are rapidly being destroyed through the process of deforestation.

The world’s tropical rain forest is losing an area about half

the size of Florida each year.

LO 4.1

LO 4.1 - Environmental Pollution and Degradation

• Chemical Pollution

• Solid Waste Pollution

• Water Pollution

• Radiation Pollution

• Air Pollution

A crop duster sprays pesticides on a local farm. This is one source of chemical food contamination.

LO 4.1

LO 4.1

The Hudson River in New York remains one of the most polluted rivers in the United States.

LO 4.1

Hanford was the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor, built to produce plutonium for an atomic bomb during World War II.

LO 4.1

LO 4.1 - Fossil Fuel Dependence and Environmental Degradation

• The Industrial Revolution increased our reliance on fossil fuels– coal, oil, and natural gas

• Demand for energy will increase as developing nations industrialize and urbanize

The United States is the world’s number one consumer of oil products.

LO 4.1

LO 4.1 - Climate Change

• Greenhouse effect

• Some facts:– The earth has warmed by two degrees Fahrenheit in

the last century– 2010 was the hottest year on Earth

• The theory of global warming is controversial.• • Are humans to blame for the climate change?

LO 4.1 Video: Environment and Society: World Climate Change

http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/sociology/videos/Apcontent/world_climate_change.html

LO 4.1

Three social forces are disturbing Earth’s ecosystem. They are population increases, economic growth, and __________.

A. the demand for oil

B. declining food production

C. growing inequality between the rich and the poor

D. global diseases

LO 4.1

Three social forces are disturbing earth’s ecosystem. They are population increases, economic growth, and __________.

A. the demand for oil

B. declining food production

C. growing inequality between the rich and the poor

D. global diseases

LO 4.1

Global warming is now accepted as fact by politicians.

A. True

B. False

LO 4.1

Global warming is now accepted as fact by politicians.

A. True

B. False

4.2 - Sources of U.S. Environmental Problems

• Cultural Sources

• Structural Sources

LO 4.2 - Cultural Sources

1. Cornucopia view of nature

2. Faith in technology

3. Growth ethic

4. Materialism

5. Belief in individualism

LO 4.2 - Explorer Activity: The Environment and Technology: Problems of Place: The Southern Californian Sprawl

http://www.socialexplorer.com/pearson/plink.aspx?dest=http%3a%2f%2fwww.socialexplorer.com%2fSpiceMap%2f%3fv%3d9ed9abc36f0242c9

Please log into MySocLab with your username and password before accessing this link.

LO 4.2 - Structural Sources

1. Capitalist economy

2. Polity

3. Demographic patterns

4. System of stratification

Large cities like Los Angeles frequently have problems with air pollution.

LO 4.2

LO 4.2

Cultural sources of environmental problems are most closely tied to a society’s __________.

A. social class

B. institutions

C. beliefs and values

D. formal education

LO 4.2

Cultural sources of environmental problems are most closely tied to a society’s __________.

A. social class

B. institutions

C. beliefs and values

D. formal education

LO 4.2

The capitalist economic structure in the United States leads to abuse of the environment.

A. True

B. False

LO 4.2

The capitalist economic structure in the United States leads to abuse of the environment.

A. True

B. False

4.3 - Solutions to the Environmental Crises

• Individual/Local Solutions

• Societal-Level Solutions

• Global-Level Solutions

LO 4.3 - Individual/Local Solutions

• The needs of the group must take precedence over the wants of the individual.

• American values must change.

• Families can recycle, reduce energy use, and reduce driving.

LO 4.3 - Societal-Level Solutions

• Laws with serious penalties

• Federal regulations

• Energy conservation plans

LO 4.3 - Global-Level Solutions

• United Nations Climate Change Conference

• Emission reduction

LO 4.3

Solutions to environmental problems must be societal or global because__________.

A. the effects of problems do not have borders

B. individuals have done all they canC. only governments have the power

to change the environmentD. social structure, not culture, is the

main issue

LO 4.3

Solutions to environmental problems must be societal or global because__________.

A. the effects of problems do not have borders

B. individuals have done all they canC. only governments have the power to

change the environmentD. social structure, not culture, is the

main issue

LO 4.3

The individualistic nature of the United States is not related to our environmental problems.

A. True

B. False

LO 4.3

The individualistic nature of the United States is not related to our environmental problems.

A. True

B. False

LO 4.3 Question for Discussion

Explain the difference between structural and cultural sources of environmental problems and how these problems can be solved.