Population, Urbanization, and the Environment - Introduction (SOCI 1306)

Population, Urbanization, and the Environment SOCI 1306 Introduction Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a process that involves drilling into the ground and forcing a high-pressure solution of water, sand, and special chemicals into the rock in order to extract gas and oil from shale. Fracking raises a lot of issues, despite the fact that energy firms see it as a lucrative revolution in the sector. To begin with, fracking needs a lot of water. The cost of water transportation to the environment is substantial. Water that has been contaminated by fracking chemicals is no longer fit for human or animal consumption, yet between 10 and 90 percent of it is thought to find its way back into the water cycle. Secondly, there is a chance that the chemicals in a fracking mix cause cancer. Groundwater close to the extraction site may get contaminated by these chemicals (Colborn, Kwiatkowski, Schultz, and Bachran 2011; United States 2011). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is still researching fracking, despite industry leaders' claims that such contamination is unlikely and that, in the event that it does happen, it is accidental and related to unavoidable human error rather than an expected risk of the practice (Environmental Protection Agency 2014). The third worry is that fracking weakens an area's seismic stability, which leads to small earthquakes; nevertheless, conventional oil and gas production is the primary source of induced earthquakes (USGS n.d.). Lastly, the fact that petrol is not a renewable energy source is a drawback for those who are against the continuous use of fossil fuels. Fracking does have certain benefits. Supporters of the idea point to data indicating that it lowers unemployment and boosts economic expansion (IHS Global Insights 2012). Fracking increases local oil output and reduces energy prices by giving energy corporations access to previously unfeasible and unexplored oil and gas deposits (IHS Global Insights 2012). Lastly, fracking lessens the airborne environmental effects of industrial energy as natural gas has less emissions than coal. The fact that coal consumption has fallen dramatically adds complication to the cheaper natural gas production. In comparison to natural gas, the production of coal is more costly and has more environmental consequences. Additionally, the coal industry is mostly located in a few states, including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. The industry's job chances had already been reduced by automation; decades before fracking became popularity, coal firms had started replacing workers with robots on a large scale (Vavra 2017). Despite generating more coal than in past decades, the United States employed fewer workers than in earlier times. Almost a million people were employed by the coal industry at its height, and the towns that sprang out of it stimulated other industries. Approximately 50,000 individuals were employed in the business in 2015 (Money Illusion 2016). Another element causing the industry's ongoing problems is the low cost of natural gas. Coal businesses are closing all the time, and whole districts are overflowing with recently laid off people who have nowhere to go. While perusing this chapter, contemplate how the growing world population may reconcile environmental apprehensions with prospects for industrial and commercial expansion. Consider the extent to which the necessity to reduce the United States' reliance on foreign energy sources justifies water contamination. Does the environmental damage that comes with hydraulic fracturing outweigh the economic gains? Given that fracking is further diminishing a similar sector, coal, should we give its workers any further assistance or compensation? There are significant societal challenges related to the environment and how and where people live, as the debate over fracking demonstrates. Demography, or the study of population and its link to urbanization—the study of social, political, and economic interactions in cities—is how sociologists first investigate these problems. Environmental sociologists focus on the study of human-environment interactions. We are at a point of conflict in many of these places today, as we have been many times in history. Between 2011 and 2012, there were seven billion people on the planet. When will eight billion be reached? Is such a population sustainable on our planet? More garbage is produced than ever before, including food waste that might be composted, old cell phones with harmful chemicals, and Starbucks cups. It's possible that you have no idea where your waste goes. Trash problems are a global concern, although they are frequently worse in cities. The environment and society face additional issues as a result of cities and city life, which makes human-place interactions crucial. How do sociologists research issues related to urbanisation and population? Functionalist sociologists can concentrate on how the environment, urbanisation, and population all work together as essential components to maintain social stability. They might research how immigration and emigration are fuelled by population increase worldwide and how they fortify international relations. Alternatively, they might study how migration influences environmental problems. For instance, how have forced migrations and the ensuing adjustments to a region's capacity to accommodate a new population impacted the displaced individuals as well as the relocation site? The ways in which different urban neighbourhoods specialise to meet demands related to culture and finances is another area of study for a functionalist. A conflict theorist who studies how inequality is created and perpetuated may investigate how the absence of family planning in peripheral countries impacts population growth relative to core countries, which typically have lower fertility rates. How, meanwhile, could inner cities become into ghettos, almost completely deprived of employment, educational possibilities, and other resources? Environmental racism and other types of environmental injustice can be studied by conflict theorists as well. Which segments of the New Orleanian community, for instance, responded well to the hurricane Katrina evacuation order? Which region was hardest hit by the flooding? And both before and after the evacuation, where (and under what circumstances) were residents of those places housed? Symbolic interactionists who study everyday interactions between groups and individuals might look into things like how different population groups receive and comprehend information about family planning, how people experience and comprehend urban life, and the language people use to persuade others of the existence (or nonexistence) of global climate change. For instance, some politicians want to portray research on global warming as pseudoscientific hoax, while others maintain that it is a verifiable truth.