Exam 3 - Chapter 15 Facing Environmental Changes

sustainability

a socioeconomic system that can function within the earths ecological constraints

sustainable development

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

environmental sociology

focuses on the interaction between social and natural systems

ecological footprint

the productive area required to provide the resources humanity is using and to absorb its waste

how many earths does our planet need to sustain our current comsumption level

1.75 earths

overshoot

using resources at a pace more than the earths regenerative capacity

wilderness

the highest ideal of nature, a product of Americas frontier mentality. socially constructed

paradigm shift

as a persons world shifts, so does what they view as important

risk perception

the tendency to evaluate the danger of a situation not in purely rational terms but through a lens of individual biases and cultures

attitude-behavior split

when we think one way and act another

demographic transition

when societies begin to have lower birth and death rates after industrialization

externalities

all of the side effects - things people fail to incorporate into their decision making - of economic activities

capitalism

economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and economic activity is driven by the pursuit of profit in a competitive market

treadmill of producition

firms must use and degrade natural resources to sustain their profits. because of the pressure to expand profits, companies keep producing more and more, drawing even more resources, if they dont they will go bankrupt

Eco Marxists

marxists who focus on the environment; believe that if we dont shift our society to a different system we will collapse

Ecological Modernism

the idea that material conditions - like the challenges of sustainability - have led us to reshape our social institutions and to adapt to the environmental changes

conspicuous consumption

idea by thorstein veblen that states the practice of spending money for the purpose of demonstrating or enhancing social prestige

green consumption

allows consumers to “vote with their pockets“ and to engage in social change through the marketplace. If you care about the environment you should shop accordingly

environmental justice

a term used to document social inequality in the enviornmental realm

environmental racism

when environmental hazards are disproportionally born by racial and ethnic minority groups

environmental justice movement

has the goal of ending the practice of using poor and racial ethnic minority areas as dumping grounds for environmental hazards

sacrifice zones

the areas in developing countries where companies have moved dirty parts of their business to appear to be making progress in developed countries

climate justice

highlights the fact that climate change relates to global inequality, in its own creation and impact

environmental injustice

when a group of people is forced to bear an emoitonal burden for the alleged good of society, that the rest of society does not bear

what two movements joined together about the Ward Transformers Co. disaster

Civil Rights Movement and Environmental Movement

climate debt

developed countries have used a disproportionate share of the atmosphere