Environmental Sociology

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Honestly, what is nature? how do we define something so encompassing, yet not so encompassing? What I mean is, nature feels like its all around us, the grass beneath your feet, the water we drink, the birds we hear singing in the morning. But are those things really natural? Grass that grows wild in the wilderness where no one can mow it or spray it with weed killer seems natural, but the grass that covers the rolling hills of golf courses doesn't seem natural. the large oceans that surround us and the small rivers that run through creeks in our back yard are natural, but is the water that comes in your aquafina water bottle natural? defining nature is by no means black and white.     Defining nature becomes a large tasks because it almost becomes philosophical, as both Aristotle and Plato proved in the past. I personally, use to think that I could very  easily tell you exactly  what was natural and what isn't, but i'm also one that is very deep in my conventions. I would easily say that water was a natural thing. it was here before humans and created by some unknown higher power. but when that water is running from my faucet or in my over priced aquafina bottle, i don't think of it as natural, mostly because I have to pay for it and its unfortunately tainted by capitalism. its an odd thing to charge us for something that is natural. I think that that is exactly what forces it out of the definition of natural. trees seem natural, but once we take that wood and put it into the form of a bed, is it natural? i don't really view my queen size serta bed as natural in anyway. Once an outside source is acting on something,  it no longer becomes natural. so, that leaves me asking, is anything really natural?     I'm left confused, and feeling that really nothing is natural at all. But when I think of the Guarani who reside on the borders of Paraguay, i can't help but think that they live a beautiful and natural lifestyle, although they are adding change to the land and nature around them. it just seems that somewhere along the line, we changed the land around us too much, and took it too far. we  went beyond necessity and instead dominating nature in order for personal gain. When I was young I didn't understand why we had to pay for everything. I wanted to know why we couldn't live in a world where we just traded and gave things away, only taking just what we need. but not after too long i was unfortunately tainted by our society and grew accustomed to our luxurious, comfortable, and convenient lifestyle. when we have become so accustomed to our lifestyles, is it even possible to turn back the clock? 
Honestly, what is nature? how do we define something so encompassing, yet not so encompassing? What I mean is, nature feels like its all around us, the grass beneath your feet, the water we drink, the birds we hear singing in the morning. But are those things really natural? Grass that grows wild in the wilderness where no one can mow it or spray it with weed killer seems natural, but the grass that covers the rolling hills of golf courses doesn't seem natural. the large oceans that surround us and the small rivers that run through creeks in our back yard are natural, but is the water that comes in your aquafina water bottle natural? defining nature is by no means black and white.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Risky Business

This diagram displays the solar geo-engineering project of putting
reflectors in the atmosphere and its hopeful benefits.

During the summer pools are crowded throughout the country with people lounging in chairs basking in sun rays. Not all of these people may be wearing the proper amount of sunscreen to protect them from the sun’s harmful rays however they are all wearing stylish sunglasses to protect their eyes from those rays. Solar geo-engineering or solar radiation management scientists have proposed a project that would have the same objective as when we put on our sunglasses. Solar geo-engineering scientists are working on a way to be able to put a ring of sunlight-scattering particles. This ring of sunlight-scatting particles would reduce the amount of solar radiation hitting the planet and thus

counteract some of the global warming that is induced by the greenhouse gases. Solar geo-engineering may help in cooling down the planet however there are many uncertainties and risks such a project.

If solar geo-engineering could help prevent or slow down global warming in any way wouldn’t that be reason enough to keep going forth on the project? Maybe not if you analyze the risk. If scientists go forth with this project the Earth’s climate patterns would be affected. Tropical regions near the equator are heated more by the sun than higher latitudes of the Earth. If there are reflective sun rays in the atmosphere that create a cooling effect, they could also reduce the sunlight in those tropical regions. Reducing the sunlight in the tropical regions could offset the climate change and thus reduce the amount of rainfall in the tropics. Two-thirds of all rain falls in the tropics. The tropics

This diagram displays how the solar geo-engineering reflector in
the atmosphere would block the sun rays.

now have an immense amount of sunlight therefore it is able to evaporate the rainfall. However if there is less sunlight there will be less evaporation and thus less rainfall. This is just one risk that solar geo-engineering poses on the Earth. There are several more risks that could occur and several uncertainties altogether on the project. Do the benefits of solar geo-engineering really outweigh the risks? We should consider precautionary principle if there are major risks that could possibly outweigh the benefits. The mathematician, Peter Saunders advocated for the precautionary principle. He stated, “All it actually amounts to is this: if one is embarking on something new, one should think very carefully about whether it is safe or not, and should not go ahead until reasonably convinced it is. It is just common sense”(Bell 251).

Solar geo-engineering could be the solution to global warming. However precautionary measures should be taken if solar geo-engineering projects right now pose serious threats to the environment or human health. For society to understand the risks of solar geo-engineering, society needs to engage in reflexive modernization. Reflexive modernization is, “a form of modernization in which we think critically and engage in democratic debate about science and technology” (Bell 246). The goal is for society to raise questions and create a dialogue that breaks down the barriers between laboratory science and society’s knowledge of that science. Society needs to understand both the benefits and the risks before we do something drastic to the environment. Solar geo-engineering would help slow down global warming however there are some obvious risks to it. We need to ensure these benefits are going to outweigh any risk that creates a threat on humanity’s health and the environment before we put this project in motion.

Sources:

Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. Print.

"Climate Science Info Zone." Backup Plan: Sunglasses in Space - - Science Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2015

"Future of Solar Geoengineering Far from Settled." MIT News. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

"Should We Use Geoengineering to Cool the Earth? An Interview with David Keith." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.

"Join the Fight" Sincerely, the Bottom of the Rung

Development of anything in our modern world starts with participation. This participatory turn occurs when citizens looking to grow come together for town meetings, focus groups, and committees to help one another look for the next best thing. Our environment has been on the forefront of the turn and yet there is still a lack of significant development. We are still fighting to block pipelines from being built in our forests and pollution being poured in our rivers, but the cost is heavy. Michael Bell says “A local community organization may have a fierce commitment to saving a nearby forest, say, or to ending the fumes coming from the vicinity’s factory. But the company that owns the forestland or the one that owns the factory likely has people working 9/5, and maybe even 24/7, representing its interests” (270). The cost is high for those of us who want to fight back because we are at the bottom of the rung, compared to the major corporations and organizations with mottoes that directly require them to dump their trash elsewhere.

We have to support the little guys, starting from the bottom, but it’s hard to do at the national level. The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program has spent the last twenty years awarded over $24 million dollars to community-based organizations that support healthy environmental contact. “EPA recognizes the critical role of helping communities with localized strategies to avoid, lessen, or delay the risks and impacts associated with our changing climate” (EPA.gov). The EPA, among other environmental agencies, helps to push the precautionary principle, acting against threats early, into the light. The support provided for the bottom, these community based programs for example, is a step in the right direction but we need mega corporations, from the top, to participate and provide assistance. It’s important to remember too that just because a corporation supports renewable resources and provides products that do not harm the environment as much, they need to be committed to all aspects of the environmental agenda.

15 Best Companies for the Planet:

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-best-companies-for-the-environment-2009-9?op=1

What can we do? Unless your uncle owns a mega corporation that you could inherit soon, maybe we should start a little smaller. Build your own grassroots organization in your community!

Do Your Research: This goes beyond typing in "Global warming" into your Google search. Try looking into local problems and start there. This obviously does not mean you should only focus locally, if you have big ideas, go for it!

Find Your Focus: Is there a trash problem in your community? Are there ponds or lakes that are being polluted? Would your community benefit from a garden? Find something you can attack head on and rally around it to get it done.

Attract Members: Find like-minded people with ambitious purposes. Together you will not only be able to spread the burden of work that needs to be done but a team can help bring new ideas and resources to the organization.

Get Organized: Have meetings and make sure you know the agenda beforehand. Keep track of all of your information and be sure to have it available to all members of the group. Plan ahead and keep everyone on the same page.

Recruit Leaders: Define who can lead, how the decisions are made, and who is the face of them. It's hard to get things done if everyone is the leader, but spreading out the work and placing a face to each system (a social chair, a treasurer, etc.) in the organization will help keep things moving.

Aim High, Celebrate It All: Always reach for the big goals but do not be discouraged if you are only getting small victories. Celebrate all the victories you get, learn from the ones you didn't, and work to keep pushing forward. The environment is tough, you can be too.

Get out there and fight because whether you have noticed or not, the environment is changing and you are a part of it. Make good decisions and focus on the future of the environment, or we won't have one!

http://www.ecohearth.com/eco-zine/green-issues/741-eco-action-how-to-start-your-own-local-environmental-group.html

Renewable Energy

The way that we use energy now isn't an environmentally safe way of using energy. We are using up as much fossil fuels as possible right now without the thought of what happens when there is no more and we drain the earth dry. I, as well as many of you, use fossil fuels like it is my job. I drive almost everywhere that I go, using gas and oil everyday. It is very hard to get out of that habit, especially since I don't have a bike. It is engrained in our society that it is okay for us to use all the fossil fuels possible because it won't affect us when they are all gone.

There are some ways to get the same amount of energy through renewable energy. Most renewable energy comes from the sun. Solar panels are the best way to capture the sun and convert it into energy. This energy can be used to heat homes, create electricity, and dry clothes without using a dryer. The suns energy will never run out and we can use it as much as possible. We need to think about switching to solar power rather than the use of fossil fuels to make it through everyday.

Another type of renewable energy comes from the wind turbines. These are already in use, driving from Arizona to California every Christmas with my dad I saw them lined up all down the highway. I always thought they were the coolest things because of how big they were. Now I think they are even better because I understand that they are used to make electricity without the use of fossil fuels.

These sources of renewable energy have many benefits. They are clean sources of energy, the conventional way was harmful to the environment and these renewable resources act with the environment to help human life. The renewable energy investments are spent within the United States, this gives a boost in the economy. It also creates jobs for the people in the US which also helps the economy. Renewable energy creates energy security. This means that when all non-renewable resources are gone we will still be able to create and sustain enough energy for everyone to use.

It is strongly encouraged to start finding ways to use renewable energy rather than non-renewable. You could even stop driving everywhere, dry clothes outside, or don't have as many electronics. Dong any of these things would help keep non-renewable resources around until the renewable resources are fully built and used.

Acid Oceans

We have all heard of global climate change, and when we think of this we generally think of the sea levels rising or the ice caps melting, but there are so many other things happening with global climate change that go unnoticed.

The ocean is not only affected by the ice caps melting and making the water levels become higher and higher, the ocean is also affected by carbon emissions. Since the Industrial Revolution, the release of carbon dioxide has and continues to increase in the atmosphere. What people do not realize is the ozone is not the only factor being affected by this. The ocean is responsible for absorbing one fourth of the carbon dioxide released into the air. This leads to the problem of ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification is becoming more and more of a problem because we continue to release more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and when we are releasing carbon emissions into the atmosphere, we are also releasing them into the ocean. The absorption of carbon dioxide into the ocean is changing the chemistry of the ocean which in turn is causing many problems for marine life.

The graph shown above is showing the increase in the ph balance at two different locations. Although carbon dioxide is required for the ocean life to live, too much carbon dioxide can be detrimental. This process will begin to affect species such as oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow and deep water corals, and plankton. When these shelled ocean life are at risk, humans are also at risk because such a large portion of the world rely on these animals for their food supply.

Researchers have looked into what will happen to these different shell fish over time, and with the highly projected ph levels in the ocean shell fish's shells are going to begin to deteriorate.

Carbon emissions are continues to cause more and more problems throughout nature, and it is not a realistic goal to completely stop these emissions from happening, it is possible for us to cut down on the carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere. Not only are we affecting the atmosphere we live and breath with, we are also hurting other types of animal life including the ocean as a whole. The ocean is the home to the most amount of species on the planet and we need to make ourselves aware of what we are doing to their home.

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidification%3F

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Ocean+Acidification

http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-ocean-acidification/

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

BP Oil Spill

The Gulf oil spill, or BP oil spill, was one of biggest oil leaks in history. Despite the fact that oil is a naturally occurring substance created by decaying plant matter over millions of years, it is a substance best left underground. We use it to fuel our cars just like how we use coal to power the amenities in our homes such as our oven's, air-conditioners, and lights. Being in the developed nation that we are in, we take these amenities for granted, as it is difficult to quantify the true impact they have on the environment.

Yet, we still drive cars that run on oil, and we still use electricity that relies on coal. We are paying oil companies out of pocket to get ourselves from point A to point B. Quite obviously, companies like BP recognize that there is an enormous demand for petroleum products. Thus, they have built one of the many oil platforms such as the "Deepwater Horizon" oil rig. There were a total of 8 fail-safe procedures in place to help prevent the events that inevitably occurred on April 20th, 2010.

The effects of the oil spill do not limit themselves to the financial costs in such a disaster. The BP oil spill has affected the ecology of the ocean life, down to the very phytoplankton that provide for the rest of the food chain. Due to the fact that crustacean and fish populations are nearly depleted as a result, the financial status of New Orleans has suffered a considerable blow. Michael Bell states, "These disasters not only affect individual people, but can also threaten the social fabric that links us one to another." Thus, it must be realized that there are inherent risks with the technology we create, and we can only have so many more disasters like this on our planet.

Sources:
- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19425-the-eight-failures-that-caused-the-gulf-oil-spill.html#.VSXyqvnF-Sp
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/bps-gross-negligence-caused-gulf-oil-spill-federal-judge-rules/2014/09/04/3e2b9452-3445-11e4-9e92-0899b306bbea_story.html
- http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/04/the_2010_gulf_of_mexico_oil_sp.html
- http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill
- Bell, Michael. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, 1998. Print.

Consequences of Recycling

When you walk by that green recycling can and toss your paper, plastic, can etc. in to it, what are you thinking? Do you even know what you are doing and why? I know, I know, "I am recycling so I can help do my part in saving the environment." I do not believe that many of us have actually thought about what happens to our recyclables and what process goes in to them being recycled. Are we really saving the planet or could we actually be hurting it still?

Yes, recycling is good for the earth and is not all 100% bad, however we do not realize quite how bad it is. The main ways in which recycling hurts the environment are…

Contamination gets around
Air pollution
Paper sludge
Oil refining contamination
It encourages consumption and being wasteful in other ways

When you recycle things that may have toxins or impurities in it and it is made in to something else, the toxins and impurities are usually just transferred over in to the new product. These new products could be soda cans or water bottles that we are putting our mouths on and drinking or eating from. Hundreds of buildings in Taiwan have been constructed using recycled steel which has just been found out to be giving people gamma radiation poisoning for years now. The trucks used for transferring your recyclables and the machines used to recycle them are are creating many airborne toxins. In many areas, recycling plants are proven to be the biggest polluters of that area. The paper that you recycle is all mixed up and cleaned off, so all of the runoff which is called "paper sludge" contains all of the ink and chemicals and is then either burned (releasing toxins into the air) or sent to a landfill where it can run off into your groundwater.

This closely relates to Bell's An Invitation To Environmental Sociology when he talks about virtual environmentalism which is "environmentalism that lies behind and beneath our daily lives" (Bell 283). We are not thinking of what we are really doing when we toss our products in to the recycling can, which is bad in this case. While we think we are saving the earth, we are doing it in such a way that is only increasing our main environmental problems. We need to stand up and find different, more environmentally safe ways in which we can recycle our goods or else we will just keep going around in this continuous circle while the environment, the place we call home, suffers.

http://listverse.com/2013/01/27/10-ways-recycling-hurts-the-environment/

http://www.wm.com/location/california/ventura-county/thousand-oaks/recycle/facts.jsp