Critical issue at stake: Pollution
Industries, cities and towns as well as increased population have resulted to environmental damage. People depend with the environment directly or indirectly; as people industrialize, development of cities and towns, they increasingly are affecting the salinity of the environment.
Nature is very unforgiving; if people destroy nature today, it will destroy their current or future generation. Some effects of environmental damage can be felt almost immediately while others have a long-term effect. The most sure things are that environmental damage will affect the life of human beings in one way or another. Industries depend on nature for their raw materials and produce wastes disposed into the environment.
Sociologists have suggested sociological approaches to preserve and conserve the environment (Irwin, 2001). This review paper discusses how industrialization, development of cities and increased consumption of goods and serves by increased population have affected the environment; it will also look into sociological approaches that can be used to preserve and conserve the environment.
Dimension of the problem
The world is fighting back from effects of global warming; air pollution has reached to a level that it has affected weather patterns and threatened human, animal and plant lives. It is estimated that between 1906– 2005, earth’s surface temperatures raised by 0.74 ± 0.18 °C.
Other than environmental damage, industrialization, cities, towns and population has lead to congestion and the resultant implications are heath hazards. As people live together, in cities/towns and along industries, there is an increase in social problems like robbery and immorality.
Evaluating evidence of the problem (chapter 2 and 3 of “The Environment a sociological introduction” by Philip W. Sutton)
Industrialization
Industries depend on raw material from nature to manufacture goods and services. Some materials are exhaustible while other are not, in case the rate of use of these materials is not monitored, then the nature of capitalist is that they are likely to over-exploit the materials for their own profit again. Available resources are never enough so they need to be utilised in the best possible way.
In course of production, industries produce waste materials, which are disposed to the environment. When these materials are not disposed in an appropriate manner, they are likely to pollute the environment, for example if solid waste is disposed on land, it may have chemical components that pollute land and when it gets its way to underground water, they pollute the waste. Gaseous wastes from factories also pollute the environment.
Cities and town developments
One of the major reported problems with modern cities and town is disposal of waste material issues. Policies set by developer and city councils to deal with waste management are not effective and most of the time they are overcome by the rate at which these cities and towns are developing.
There is need to have adequate waste control measures so that the wastes do not injure the same environment that give human kind life. Some people also have the selfish tendency of misusing the available resources thus limiting the rate at which future generation will utilize the resources.
Consumption
The world population in both in developing and developed countries is increasing and the trend is likely to continue. As people increase, the demand for utilities also increases resulting to strain in available resources; needs have also triggered clearing of some natural environments like forests to create land for settlement and economical functions.
As people try to feed the population, the need for more resources have resulted to a more environmental constrain. When environment is constrained and there are no appropriate measure implemented to ensure that nature is restored, it means that future generation will have to suffer lack of resources for their needs and developments.
Sociological approaches to environmental restoration and conservation: Experiencing the environment
Sociological approaches can be used to conserve and preserve the environment. These approaches involve the general population in conserving the environment either directly or indirectly. Governing bodies may guide the programs or they may be implemented at individual levels some of these approaches include:
- Creating an environment of sense
Environment should be recognized as one resource that should be protected by current generation for their benefit and the benefit of future generation. Creating an environment of sense means having leadership programs that guide on how the environment should be utilised. Resources should be controlled and efficiency in production enhanced. Government and international civil societies are better positioned to pioneer such programs.
- Ecological identification
Ecological identification involves creating awareness to the public on the need to take individual responsibility of conserving the environment. Campaigns that facilitate and train people on how they can play a role in managing the environment should be embarked on. Firms should also be given incentives to produce goods that are eco-friendly as well as automate their process to have minimal pollution and wastes.
- Ecological citizenship
It is an approach where the responsibility of taking care of the environment is place on every member of the society. Communities should be accountable of their use of the environment and ensure that they compel other players to be eco-friendly.
For example, a negative attitude should be created on those commodities and companies that are not eco-friendly in their processes and products. By so doing consumer power will compel such companies to produce environmentally friendly goods. It is the responsibility of firms, governments and individuals to protect the environment (Sutton, 2007).
Type of evidence given
The data was analysed from “The Environment a sociological introduction” by Philip W. Sutton chapters three and four. The text offers statistical, contextual and historical information on effects that industrialisation has on the environment. It also reflects on how the world can adopt sociological perspective and tools to solve environmental problem.
Represent-ability of data
The information given in the two chapters is from a universal angle where similar results can test positive to areas that have less concern with the environment as they industrialize, modernise and grow in population. The remedies given are applicable to all environments despite prevailing conditions.
Interpolation of data
Although different readers can have different interpolations, what comes out is that there are negative effects of industrialisation, development of cities and towns as well as population increase; however, the test offers some sociological remedy to such problems.
Conclusion
Industrialization, emergence of cities and increased consumption has resulted to environmental damage; the three parameters are unavoidable as people modernize and devise measures to feed an increasing population. They are social economic factors that have resulted to social problems.
When the environment is damaged, current and future generation are likely not to meet their needs. The best remedy for a social problem is having sociological approach to solving created problems. To preserve and conserve the environment, some sociological approaches that can be used; they include creating an environment of sense, ecological identification and ecological citizenship. For efficiency in the sociological approach discussed, there is need for collaboration among all stakeholders.
References
Irwin, A., 2001. Sociology and the environment: a critical introduction to society, nature, and knowledge. Massachusetts: Wiley-Blackwell.
Sutton, P., 2007. The environment: a sociological introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press.