Environment

1
Environment

• Human ecology studies relationship between people
  and their environment.
• Interplay of social and environmental determines
  what happens to society and environment.
• Groups compete for environmental resourcesPOET
  model

2
POET model

• PPopulation Higher birth or migration rates
  increases competition
• OOrganization How people organize systems of
  transport, etc
• EEnvironment What is environs
• TTechnology How tech can help or hurt

3
L.A. Pollution Example

• P Increase of population through in-migration
• ONo effective public transportreliance on
  private cars
• E Surrounded by mountains causes air trap
• TInefficient gas engines in cars and factories
  produce smog

4
Individual Response

• Attitudes 3/5 of Americans say waterway
  pollution is dangerous and ¾ believe govt should
  pass laws to make business protect environment
• Yet in studies people said they dont want to pay
  taxes for this or dont bother to pick up trash
  left in front of them by someone else

5
Collective Response

• Westward expansion in US threatened
  environmentconcerns raised by Native Americans,
  early settlers like John Muir
• Rachel Carson The Silent Spring (1962) warned of
  dangers of pesticides in agriculture began
  todays environmental movement

6
Environmental movement

• Attempt to advocate various environmental issues
  including water, forests, wetlands, anti-nuclear
• Mainstream ecologySierra Club
• Populist ecologyEarth Day
• Radical ecologyGreenpeace and Gaia
  (eco-feminists)
• International NGOs