Technology And The Environment

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Chapter 17

• Technology And The Environment

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Ecology Studying the Natural Environment

• Ecology-study of how living organisms interact
  with the natural environment
• Natural environment-earths surface and
  atmosphere, including living organisms as well as
  the air, water,soil, and other resources
  necessary to sustain life
• Technology-knowledge that people use to live in a
  physical environment

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The Role of Sociology

• The role of the sociologist in the study of the
  environment
• Study how we interact and relate to the natural
  environment and impact it
• Survey what people do in relationship to the
  environment

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The Global Dimension

• Environmental issues transcend national
  boundaries and are global in scope
• Ecosystem-system composed of the interaction of
  all living organisms and their natural
  environment
• All living things are interrelated
• Change in one part impacts the other parts

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The Rising Power of Technology

• Humans have always impacted the environment
• Primitive tools had less of an impact
• The onset of industrial technologies led to a
  major increase in human impact on the environment

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The Rising Power of Technology

• The Environmental Deficit-profound and long-term
  harm to the environment caused by humanitys
  focus on short-term material affluence

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The Rising Power of Technology

• There are three major reasons for understanding
  the deficit
• 1.Environmental quality a social issue
• 2.Environmental damage is often unintended
• 3.The deficit is reversible

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Population Increase

• Population growth came about with
• Industrial technology and higher living standards
  
• Improvements in medicine
• Population growth and its effect on poverty
• Population growth, technology and the strain on
  environmental resources

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Cultural Patterns Growth and Limits

• The Logic of Growth
• U.S. based on the value of material comfort
• Optimistic view
• Productive technology has made our life better
• Progress will continue
• We will figure our way out of environmental
  problems

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Cultural Patterns Growth and Limits

• The Logic of Growth
• Criticisms of the logic of growth thesis
• Resources are finite
• We will not be able to solve all environmental
  problems
• The more powerful and complex the technology the
  more damage

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Cultural Patterns Growth and Limits

• The Limits to Growth
• Pessimistic view
• Growth must have its limits
• Must limit our growth before we destroy the
  environment
• Resources are limited

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Solid Waste The Disposable Society

• Disposable society
• Material rich with products
• Value convenience
• Many products are built to be disposable
• Landfills and running out of space
• Volume
• EPA- and 30,000 landfills that contain hazardous
  materials

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Solid Waste The Disposable Society

• Much of what goes into landfills takes along time
  to degrade
• Solution-turn waste into resources
• Recycling

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Preserving Clean Water

• Hydrological cycle-the earth naturally recycles
  water and refreshes the land
• Renews the water supply
• Cleans the water
• Two major concerns related to water
• Water supply
• Water pollution

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Preserving Clean Water

• Water Supply
• Rainfall
• Rivers and lakes
• Underground reservoirs
• Other
• Population growth and the demand for water
• Complex technology and the demand for water

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Preserving Clean Water

• Water Pollution
• Dumping of toxic waste
• Water borne micro-organisms are found in some
  sources of drinking water and carry infectious
  disease
• Typhoid
• Cholera
• Dysentery

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Air Pollution

• Industrial technology and air pollution
• Factory smoke stacks
• Automobiles
• Smoke from coal fired utility plants
• Particles

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Acid Rain

• Acid rain-precipitation, made acidic by air
  pollutants, that destroys plant and animal life
• Power plants and the burning of fossil fuel
• Contaminates water supplies
• Deteriorates physical buildings
• Destroys plant and animal life

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Rain Forest

• Rain forest-regions of dense forestation, most of
  which circle the globe close to the equator
• Deforestation of the rain forest
• Population growth and demand for resources
• Demand to raise the standard of living in
  countries where the forests are located
• Impact on biodiversity

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Global Warming

• Global warming
• Industrial production and the release of carbon
  dioxide in the atmosphere
• Greenhouse affect-rising temperatures
• Impact on plant and animal life

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Declining Biodiversity

• Three problems related to the decline in
  biodiversity
• 1.Biodiversity and the decline in sources of food
• 2.Loss of genetic resources and medicine
• 3.Extinction of species is irreversible

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Structural-Functional Analysis Getting the Big
Picture

• Three sources of pollution from the functionalist
  perspective
• 1.Technology as a source of environmental
  pollution
• 2.Culture as another source of pollution
• Values and attitudes that guide our behavior as
  it relates to the environment

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Structural-Functional Analysis Getting the Big
Picture

• Three sources of pollution from the functionalist
  perspective
• 3.Interconnectedness of social life
• Pollution is a by product of industrial
  production and consumption

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Social-Conflict analysis Highlighting Inequality

• Pollution is rooted within inequality and
  self-interest
• The pursuit of corporate interest and profit is
  the cause of pollution
• Rich countries are overdeveloped and exploit the
  environment

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Social-Conflict analysis Highlighting Inequality

• Environmental racism-pattern by which
  environmental hazards are greatest for poor
  people,especially minorities

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Conservatives Grounds for Optimism

• Conservatives and growing environmental awareness
  and better management of the environment
• Logic of growth model

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Liberals Grounds for Concern

• Neo-Malthusians
• The limits to growth
• Resources are finite
• Better management and conservation of resources

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Radicals Grounds for Fundamental Change

• Support the liberal agenda
• See capitalism and global inequality as a source
  of pollution
• The radical transformation of the global order
  and a reduction of production and consumption