Sociology Study Guide Unit 6 The Environment

University:
Concordia University Wisconsin
Course:
SOC 1010 | Introduction to Sociology
Academic year:

2022
Views:

477

Pages:

2
Author:

Lance Gutierrez

The Environment Key Terms: ● Global warming - Earth’s long-term warming as a result of human activity increasing the temperature. (Note: the Earth naturally warms, but human activity is causing it to warm more than normal). ● Climate change - Both the long-term increase and decrease in Earth’s temperature as a result of human activity. ● Pollution - The contamination of the environment. ● Overtilling - Too often turning over and breaking up soil. ● Desertification - The process of fertile land becoming a desert. ● Smog - fog or haze mixed with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants. Climate Change ● Despite climate change being a scientifically-proven phenomenon, its existence used to be often called into question. Now, however, most Americans can agree that climate change is a concerning matter. The disagreement is now about how to address the issue. ● Both 2020 and 2021 research reports conveyed that at least 60% of Americans consider climate change a real and immediate threat. Americans are also more supportive of clean energy and partaking in international efforts. Water ● It is an undeniable fact that we are in the midst of a water crisis: ○ Each year, thousands of children die from diseases caused by unsafe water. ○ About 3 billion people do not have clean water at home to wash their hands ○ The attainment of water can also interfere with other important aspects of a person’s life. ■ For example, children who travel long distances to obtain water for their families are unable to pursue their education. ○ Despite 70% of the earth being made up of water, much of it can’t be used. ○ Water near human communities is often contaminated by human waste, chemicals, radioactivity, etc. Water pollution is a result of factories, population growth, and cities. Soil ● Some effects of soil pollution are the big disappearance of topsoil and the existence of Brown Zones, areas where nothing can grow. Soil pollution includes but is not limited to over-tilling, soil erosion, and desertification. ● During the 1960s Green Revolution, people worked to bring modern farming methods to developing countries. The good news is that these methods increased food production and resulted in many of the hungry being fed. The bad news is that these methods damaged these areas by leaving traditional farmers with less than they started with. ● Dredging beaches to preserve important beachfront property from coastal erosion has caused shorelines to be more affected by storms and killed lots of marine life by damaging beach ecosystems. ○ Examples of these ecosystems include reefs, seagrass beds, and shorelines. Air ● The smog above major cities is sometimes thick enough to prevent grounding aircrafts from navigating through it. It is so bad that citizens have to wear air-filter masks. ○ An example is China. China’s rapidly developing economy and industry have resulted in bad air quality. ● Air pollution is a result of the increased use of fossil fuels and the development of cities. Air pollution builds up in the body and results in more chronic illnesses. It also affects crop quality. In addition it influences cooling and heating costs.