Society, Environmental Change, Pollution, and Environmental Justice

All flashcards

Environmental sociology

The study of how social organization and human activity interact with the environment.

Human ecology

The study of relationships between people and their built and natural environments.

Carrying capacity

The maximum amount of life an area can sustain under its conditions and resource limits.

Tragedy of the commons

Depletion of a shared resource when users benefit individually while sharing the costs of damage.

Environmental racism

The disproportionate burden of environmental hazards on minority communities.

Quiz questions

1. What does climate change refer to?Answer: Long-term shifts in temperatures and climate patterns.
2. What does a product's water footprint represent?Answer: The water used in producing that product.
3. Why do industrializing countries raise fairness concerns in climate negotiations?Answer: They argue that wealthy nations benefited from earlier industrialization and should support cleaner development.
4. Why can informal recycling of electronic waste be hazardous to workers?Answer: Workers may handle toxic materials without adequate protection.
5. What started the underground fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania?Answer: A trash-burning pit fire spread into an abandoned coal mine and ignited a coal seam.