Chapter 1: Individuals, Societies, and Pragmatic Environmentalism

Introduction

Society tends to make the issue over global warming a depressing topic. There are thousands upon thousands of books over "environmental problems" and "environmental issues". *People are not interested in reading about solutions unless they are convinced there is an issue that needs solving.... According to the 2015 Ipsos poll, kids are widely aware of the terms "global warming" and "climate change." 94% of these kids agree that climate change is real, 85% agree it's because of human activity Issues revolve around sustainability Pragmatic - dealing with things realistically in a practical way

Too Much and Not Enough

Focusing too much/too little on the individual action does not produce results it is the "collective" nature of social life that affects sustainability People recognize the negative impacts of their actions, yet still do them...why? -focusing on what one can't do, rather than what they can -not providing more "green" options to choose from -allocating goods unjustly Poor people are the most affected, yet they are the least responsible. Just because technology is possible doesn't mean it is probable. Think about it, why waste time trying to invent a bunch of new "green" technology (research is creating more pollution) when each individual can make slight changes that could drastically improve the situation!

The Contribution of the Social Sciences

Social constructivism - a sociological theory of knowledge according to which human development is socially situated and knowledge is constructed through interaction with others. sociological imagination - a way of thinking that involves making connections over time and across scales between the particular and the general. If one wishes to understand environmental issues, then the relationship between the social world and the material world must first be understood. We are shaped just as much by the material world as the material world is shaped by us. Review page 6 of the text to read this in fuller context, a visual is provided.

Material Things Have Momentum

Environmental controversies are never about just one thing, context matters for meaning.  sociological momentum - how things become intertwined in our society and change our paths As society organizes itself around doing things based off of certain objects, then those objects gain momentum. For example, as society made more use of the cell phone and its applications, it became part of our daily lives. Same goes for transportation and the internet, these have invaded and became part of our "needs." An example of momentum increasing is how we apply a said object to our society. We now add drive-thrus to restaurants, iPads to the classroom, and there's literally an app for everything....  

Messy Behavior b/t Behavior & Attitude

People will still do the right thing at heart, like recycling...if you make it easy enough.  incentives also will prompt people to recycle, like lower garbage fees Mixed recycling makes recycling even easier, because in certain areas only certain numbers (the one you see in the tiny recycle triangle) can be recycled, whereas in mixed recycling, all numbers are accepted. EASY IS THE MAIN IDEA HERE Changes in structure can cause changes in behavior ;)  

The Journey Ahead

Remember, we are dealing with environmental sociology As you read the book, think about: the pragmatic problem/solution based scenarios organizational structures Important Concepts: ecological complexity environmental sociology sociological drivers sociological imagination sociological momentum Technologically possible versus sociologically probable