copyright © 2004 by nelson, a division of thomson canada limited. 1 chapter16 sociology and the...

Copyright © 2004 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited.

1

ChapterChapter 1616 Sociology Sociology and the Environmentand the Environment

by John Hanniganby John Hannigan

Copyright © 2004 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited. 2

• Sociologists originally ignored the environment as a subject of study.

• The environment became a sociological issue only in the 1970s due to urban decay, pollution, overpopulation, and resource shortages.

• A major focus of concern became the conflict between environmentalists and their opponents in industry and science.

SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENTTHE ENVIRONMENT


ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE CONFLICTVALUE CONFLICT• Two main environmental paradigms

shape the way people see the world.

• The dominant paradigm values wealth creation and the domination of nature.

• The alternative environmental paradigm gives non-material values prominence and takes the view that humans should live in harmony with the environment.

COUNTER-COUNTER-PARADIGMS PARADIGMS OF THE OF THE ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT



• The idea of sustainable development sought to bridge the gap between the two paradigms.

• Its proponents argued that it is possible to have continued economic growth without harming the environment.

• Many environmentalists are critical of this concept, emphasizing the difficulty of maintaining a balance.

BRIDGING THE GAP?BRIDGING THE GAP?


• In North America, concern for environmental issues seems to have remained stable for the last two decades.

• Environmentalism is most common among highly educated, young, urban liberals.

• Most people say they are pro-environment without doing much about it unless action is cheap and convenient and doesn’t require any change of habits.

ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDESENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES


ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDESENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES


• The environmental movement in the United States was created in the nineteenth century by well-to-do professionals.

• In Canada, it was associated with state initiatives undertaken by civil servants.

• Now it is largely an upper- and new middle-class movement, especially popular among cultural and social specialists.

• Often such people work in public service-oriented jobs and are personally involved in environmental issues with their clients.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT: SOCIAL BASE MOVEMENT: SOCIAL BASE


THE ENVIRONMENTAL THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT: MOBILIZATION IMOVEMENT: MOBILIZATION I

People pass through four stages in getting mobilized:

• they see themselves as victims;• they make individual appeals to

government;• they become disillusioned with the

slow pace or absence of official action; and

• they get organized.


• To convince people to participate, movement members develop frames within which environmental events are interpreted.

• The three major elements of frames are:• diagnostic (identifying a problem and

assigning blame);• prognostic (offering a solution to the

problem); and• motivational (a call to take collective

action).

THE ENVIRONMENTAL THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT: MOBILIZATION IIMOVEMENT: MOBILIZATION II


• Value-oriented environmentalists try to change the way people see the world.

• Success-oriented environmentalists try to stop actions that harm the environment.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT: IDEOLOGICAL MOVEMENT: IDEOLOGICAL DIVISIONS I DIVISIONS I


• Deep ecology environmentalists emphasize that humans are only one species and have no special rights or privileges.

• Ecofeminists believe that the oppression of women and the environment are due to the same male-centredness of social life.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT: IDEOLOGICAL MOVEMENT: IDEOLOGICAL DIVISIONS IIDIVISIONS II


• Political economists argue that environmental problems derive less from the decisions of individual consumers than the relentless economic development pursued by industrial capitalists and the state.

• The treadmill of production refers to the inherent need of our economic system to yield profits by creating consumer demand, regardless of the environmental consequences.

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY THE POLITICAL ECONOMY PERSPECTIVE IPERSPECTIVE I


• The state encourages the treadmill of production by providing businesses with economic incentives and access to natural resources.

• Recent public demands for environmental control have led governments to seek compromise positions.

• The unsustainable development pursued by many developing countries has led to conflict with northern environmentalists.

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY THE POLITICAL ECONOMY PERSPECTIVE IIPERSPECTIVE II


RISK AND ASSESSMENTRISK AND ASSESSMENT• Risk refers to the probability that a particular

hazard will actually occur. • Increasingly, risks are environmentally related

and calculated by experts.• Sociologists are particularly interested in:

• the organizational basis of risk;• the community perception of risk; and • the social distribution of risk.


• Increasingly, the source of risk has shifted to large-scale organizations that are almost beyond individual control.

• Technological accidents in nuclear power facilities, petrochemical plants, etc., are the normal and inevitable consequences of profit-driven, high-risk systems.

• The way organizations respond to accidents often amplifies risk.

ORGANIZATIONAL BASIS OF ORGANIZATIONAL BASIS OF RISKRISK


• Environmental risk perception is strongly related to public trust in authorities’ ability to manage danger.

• It is also linked to people’s participation in family, neighbourhood, and community affairs.

• “Minimalists” deny risk and are usually social isolates, childless, and property-focused.

• “Maximalists” believe risks are substantial and are typically young, health-focused parents.

COMMUNITY PERCEPTION OF COMMUNITY PERCEPTION OF RISKRISK


• Marginal groups (racial and ethnic minorities, women, low-income urban dwellers, residents of poor local areas) bear most environmental risk.

• They are the primary victims of pollution because they live closest to the sources of pollution.

THE SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION THE SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION OF RISKOF RISK


THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS I• Environmental problems do not arise spontaneously

but are discovered, presented, promoted, and kept alive by policy entrepreneurs.

• There are three central tasks in constructing environmental claims: assembling, presenting, and contesting. To secure public attention and support, policy entrepreneurs have to surmount a series of hurdles related to these tasks.


• Recent research suggests that environmental issues rise and fall in response to several factors:• the clarity and viability of evidence;• the ability to sustain a sense of dramatic

crisis; and• the rise of competing environmental problems.

• Powerful people can strongly influence what gets defined as an environmental issue.

THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IIENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS II


SUPPLEMENTARY SLIDESSUPPLEMENTARY SLIDES


RENEWABLE RESOURCES RENEWABLE RESOURCES WORLD PROJECTED PERCENT WORLD PROJECTED PERCENT CHANGE, 1990–2010CHANGE, 1990–2010

-35

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

fishcatch

irrigableland

crop land rangeland,pasture

forests

% decrease

Annual Mean Global Surface Air Annual Mean Global Surface Air Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Concentration, 1866-2002Concentration, 1866-2002

13

13.5

14

14.5

15

1866 1934 2002 Year

Mean Temperature, C382

352

322

292

262

232

202

CO2, parts per million

x

x

x

xx

x

xCarbon dioxide concentration

Surface air temperature


Worldwide Damage Due to “Natural” Worldwide Damage Due to “Natural” Disasters, 1970-2002 (in 2002 $US)Disasters, 1970-2002 (in 2002 $US)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

$US billions

Year

Trend line



ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IN CANADA?ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IN CANADA?TOTAL PARTICULATE MATTER IN THE ATMOSPHERE BY NATIVE CANADIANS TOTAL PARTICULATE MATTER IN THE ATMOSPHERE BY NATIVE CANADIANS AS PERCENT OF PROVINCIAL/TERRITORIAL POPULATIONAS PERCENT OF PROVINCIAL/TERRITORIAL POPULATION

0

20

40

60

0 2 4 6

Total particulate matter, short tons per capita

Native Canadians as percent of population

Northwest Territories

Yukon

Alberta

SaskatchewanManitoba

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