Social Problems: CH14 The Environment
If you were interested in reducing the largest contributor of landfill waste, which of the following programs should you support?
A paper recycling program. Since 25% of landfill waste is paper, a paper recycling program would be most helpful.
______ refers to any significant change in the measures of climate (temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns) lasting for an extended period of time.
Climate change
In the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Mississippi River, what stretches more than 5,000 miles long?
Dead zone
What agency is charged with providing leadership in the nation's environmental science, research, education, and assessment efforts?
EPA
Which agency focuses on the nation's environmental science, research, and education?
EPA
What movement is based on the principle that all peoples and communities are entitled to equal protection of environmental and public health laws and regulations?
environmental justice
A company, that is known to be a polluter, plans on the move into a low-income neighborhood because the land is cheap, and the neighborhood is primarily African American. The town likely does not have the resources to prevent the company from moving in. What term best describes this example?
environmental racism
What term best describes any environmental policy, practice, or directive that differentially affects, or disadvantages individuals, groups, or communities based on race or color?
environmental racism
Which term best describes the interactions between our physical and natural environment and our social organization and behavior?
environmental sociology
Which perspective states that environmental problems arise from the system itself?
functionalist perspective
What term best describes the ongoing rise in the global average temperature near the Earth's surface, contributes to climate change?
global warming
Which of the following is a natural cause of climate change?
volcanic eruptions
According to functionalists what is a necessary side effect of the improved quality of our lives?
waste, pollution, and the destruction of our natural resources
Which of the following was true of the Biosphere 2 project?
Biosphere 2's $200 million budget was not enough to create a viable ecosystem for eight people
According to functionalists, if we wanted to reverse environmental problems then halting population growth would solve the problem.
False
Between 1950 and 2014, the world urban population grew more than twenty-five times.
False
Environmental problems, such as climate change, exist due to the natural cycles of the earth
False
Human beings are not an integral part of the ecosystem.
False
The field of environmental sociology is primarily concerned with animals rather than humans.
False
What wave of environmentalism is most concerned with land conservation and the protection of wildlife species?
First wave
Marco follows the functionalist perspective and he suggests that reducing technologies' impact on the environment and curbing population growth will help reduce environmental problems. What is he missing?
He must also reduce and/or greatly curb affluence.
What impact does the removal of forests for wood and/or for farming have on the planet?
It leads to higher amounts of greenhouse gases in the air.
How is climate change related to wildfires?
It leads to warmer, drier conditions, and droughts.
People who are low income have a higher chance of living near a toxic site. What other characteristic has been correlated with higher chances of living near contamination?
Race
What was the first city in the nation to ban the use of petroleum-based shopping bags in 2007?
San Francisco, CA
Joe wants to reduce his use of fossil fuels, so he rarely uses his car. What else could he do to limit his reliance on fossil fuels?
Shop locally
A toxic site has been discovered in a small town and meets the specific criteria for clean-ups. What typically happens next?
The site is added to the national priority list (NPL).
Which of the following explains why a community may tolerate environmental problems in their communities?
They are gaining some benefits and comforts from the industry.
Baby Boomers and older Americans are more likely to report they try to live in environmentally conscious ways all the time than Millennial and Gen Z adults.
True
City mayors have become local climate change advocates, implementing local sustainability goals, along with environmentally responsible planning and consumption.
True
Conflict perspective scholars argue that the capitalist system encourages pollution, simply because air and water are treated as infinite and free resources.
True
During his presidency, Donald Trump and his EPA Chiefs reversed or revoked more than 100 environmental rules and regulations.
True
Humans create environmental problems through intentional efforts to exploit or manage nature.
True
Our reliance on automobiles has been blamed for much of the increase in smog levels.
True
The EPA is concerned about small particulate matter, 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller because these smaller particles are able to pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs, causing respiratory problems.
True
Theorists working within the interactionist perspective address how environmental problems are created and defined.
True
Which of the following is a reason for the pollution in high pollution countries?
absence of regulatory controls
Which of the following greenhouse gases are primarily attributable to human activity during the past 150 years?
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide
Which term refers to any significant change in the measures of climate (temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns) lasting for an extended period of time?
climate change
A group of mothers in a small town begins collecting information about the health of residents because they believe they may be exposed to hazardous materials. What is called when they begin collecting their own data and just like the women before them?
housewife data
What do we acknowledge when we use a sociological perspective to understand environmental problems?
human activities are deteriorating the environment which also negatively impact people
Biologists Paul Ehrlich and Anne Ehrlich, present a formula for environmental problems. What is missing for the equation, Environmental Damage = (People) × (___________) × (Technological Damage)?
level of affluence
Who is most likely to reside near toxic sites?
low-income people and people of color
What term best describes the awareness of the economic value of nature?
natural capitalism
What can be blamed for much of the increase in smog levels?
our reliance on cars
The largest source of waste for Americans before recycling is ______.
paper and paper board
The quality of the air we breathe is subject to what two sources of pollution?
particulate matter and smog
Before recycling which material do Americans waste the least?
rubber and leather
What wave of environmental activism adopted an ecological approach to our natural environment, recognizing the interrelationship between all living things and using science as a tool for understanding and protecting the environment?
second wave
As a result of the Love Canal incident, the EPA created what program to clean hazardous waste sites?
superfund program
Under which act is timber cutting, mechanized vehicles, mining, and grazing activities restricted?
the 1964 Wilderness
Which act has been controversial because it preserves the interests of the species above economic and human interests?
the Endangered Species Act of 1973
Why do humans create environmental problems?
to exploit or manage nature