Exam # 1 Study Guide Lectures: 1-10Lecture 1 (January 21)What does Sociology have to do with today’s environmental problems?•Pragmatic: dealing with things sensibly in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations•Problems of Individualism: We know how to “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle” however actions don’t always support this. We act in ways that reflect our wants and interests. Individual action without collective action/mobilization will never produce the same level of changes as a well organized social movement.• The Individual: “Downshifting” (buy less, give up car, stop shopping), there is a danger in focusing on what one “can’t do, rather than on what one can do”, not everyone is willing to give up “‘Merica”, we need to have “Greener” choices to choose from and have those choices require collective action. SOC 220 1st Edition•Environmental Problems: Experts know and can tell us what’s wrong. The same folks can often not tell us: Why we got ourselves into this mess and how we might be able to get ourselves out. •Social Sciences: give us working knowledge of political, cultural, social, economic variablesLecture 2 (January 23) Social Constructivism: An approach that focuses entirely on the Sociologically dependent knowledge of a phenomenon, rather than on any inherent qualities that the thing possesses itself - There is a need to focus on the tangible as well, and a need for collaboration in order to gain a more complete picture of lifeThe Sociological Imagination - Personal problems are transformed into public issues. Using the sociological imagination helps people understand their society and how it impacts their own lives. If we want to understand environmental problems, with the hope of devising practical solutions... “We must understand how these realms interact with each other”The Sociological Momentum •Technological Momentum•Social Structures: Social, economic, political, legal, technological•Gather momentum as time and context changes•Greatest control over tech when it is just introduced•As tech matures and becomes intertwined with tech, it becomes more difficult to change paths•Sociology and the Search Engine: FuelPolicy decisions making walking, public transportation less convenient>less attractive - Automobile has a lot of momentumLecture 3 (January 28)Behavior and Attitudes•How we act alongside of how we feel “cost of positive environmental action”•Cost/Benefit Context Important•Structural changes go a long way to changing behavior•The “right” attitude doesn’t always help if there is no cost effective way to act upon those beliefsOrganizational Change as a Major Goal•Incentivize those behaviors that lessen our ecological footprints, and disincentivize those that do notEnvironmental Sociology•The study of community in the largest possible sense•An emphasis on understanding the origins of, and proposing solutions toSociologists look at:•How consumption, the economy, technology, development, population, and the health of our bodies shape out environmental conditions•Myth of Infinite economical growth (Is our economy still growing)•How does your consumption shape our environment•Focus in the “present” momentImportant Intersections•The central role of social inequality in environmental conflict•The connections between the local and the global•The power of the metaphor of community for understanding these social and ecological dynamics•The important influence of political, economical, cultural institutions, and commitments inour environmental practicesMany problems share similar roots - Not the result of one thingLecture 4 (January 30)- Greenhouse GasesWhat are the problems that we are experiencing globally in regards to the environment?Greenhouse Gases•Any gases in the atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation, within the thermal infrared range•Scientific debate is coming to a close (political and media driven debates continue, largely as a distraction to the issues already at hand)Global Warming•A portion of the sun’s short wave radiation enters the earth’s atmosphere and is absorbed by the earth’s surfaces, where it is transferred into long-wave radiation (heat) and reradiated back to space into space•IPCC concludes, global warming is now “unequivocally” here•Very high confidence that human activities have contributed to the warming•9 in 10 chance that human activities have contributed to the warming•Release of carbon dioxide form the burning of fossil fuels is the biggest and best known culprit•US public knowledge of Climate Change•63% of Americans believe Climate Change is occurring•66% understand how greenhouse gases trap heat•50% understand GW is caused mostly by human activities•45% understand CO2 traps heat from the earth’s surface•75% would like to know more•75% say schools should teach about climate change•Fast Facts•Atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases are rising as well as rate of increase•Since 2000 the annual rate of increase of the world’s CO2 emissions increased @ 2%•Since 2000, it is now 3%, CO2 emissions will double every 25 years at this rate•Present level of CO2 have never been higher in the past 420,000 years•Human emit more than 20 billion tons of CO2•Natural emissions 776 billion (but absorb more than they emit 788 billion) Not enough to offset humans•More than 89% of trapped gases goes into warming the oceansLecture 5 (February 4)•Global Warming Impacts•Ecological Disruptions•Coral Reef dieback•Wildfires•Species extinction•Our Problem/Solution•We suffer from this directly: drinking water shortage, heat waves, drought stress, increased disease, damaging storms•Agriculture•Drought in some regions•Changing soil conditions•Flooding•Climate and Human Crises•Heat Waves•Increased natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc..)•Rising diseases and health problems•Urban Areas:•More than 1/2 of world’s population lives in urban areas •Informal settlements: rarely comply with safety standards, closely combined “housing”,increasingly dangerous as CC continues•Most of world’s poor have no AC, insulation, etc. Heat waves=lethal•Heat island effect: tenements and central districts•Affluent nations can adapt more rapidly to CC•Health services, emergency services, sewer drainage capacity, structures that conform