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