20. Population Urbanization, and the Environm

sustainable development

development that occurs without depleting or damaging the natural environment

asylum-seekers

those whose claim to refugee status have not been validated

cancer cluster

a geographic area with high levels of caner within its population

carrying capacity

the amount of people that can live in a given area considering the amount of available resources

climate change

long-term shifts in temperature and climate due to human activity

concentric zone model

a model of human ecology that views cities as a series of circular rings or zones

cornucopian theory

a theory that asserts human ingenuity will rise to the challenge of providing adequate resources for a growing population

demographic transition theory

a theory that describes four stages of population growth, following patterns that connect birth and death rates with stages of industrial development

demography

the study of population

e-waste

the disposal of broken, obsolete, and worn-out electronics

environmental racism

the burdening of economically and socially disadvantaged communities with a disproportionate share of environmental hazards

environmental sociology

the sociological subfield that addresses the relationship between humans and the environment

exurbs

communities that arise farther out than the suburbs and are typically populated by residents of high socioeconomic status

fertility rate

a measure noting the actual number of children born

fracking

hydraulic fracturing, a method used to recover gas and oil from shale by drilling down into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand, and proprietary chemicals into the rock

gentrification

the entry of upper- and middle-class residents to city areas or communities that have been historically less affluent

human ecology

a functional perspective that looks at the relationship between people and their built and natural environment

internally displaced person

someone who fled his or her home while remaining inside the country’s borders

Malthusian theory

a theory asserting that population is controlled through positive checks (war, famine, disease) and preventive checks (measures to reduce fertility)

megalopolis

a large urban corridor that encompasses several cities and their surrounding suburbs and exurbs

metropolis

the area that includes a city and its suburbs and exurbs

mortality rate

a measure of the number of people in a population who die

NIMBY

“Not In My Back Yard,” the tendency of people to protest poor environmental practices when those practices will affect them directly

pollution

the introduction of containments into an environment at levels that are damaging

population composition

a snapshot of the demographic profile of a population based on fertility, mortality, and migration rates

population pyramid

a graphic representation that depicts population distribution according to age and sex

refugee

an individual who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster

sex ratio

the ratio of men to women in a given population

suburbs

the communities surrounding cities, typically close enough for a daily commute

urban sociology

the subfield of sociology that focuses on the study of urbanization

urbanization

the study of the social, political, and economic relationships of cities

white flight

the migration of economically secure white people from racially mixed urban areas toward the suburbs

zero population growth

a theoretical goal in which the number of people entering a population through birth or immigration is equal to the number of people leaving it via death or emigration