Sociological Perspectives on Environmental Problems
What has the biggest impact on environmental problems? Well from a functionalist sociological perspective one may argue that the systems that are within our society such as agricultural and industrial modes of production are at fault. These modes are destabilizing forces in the ecosystem, as well as replacing natural complex systems with systems that are artificial and produce crops at a higher rate. A conflict sociological perspective would argue that environmental problems are created by humans competing for power, income, and their own interests. Now from an environmental scientist perspective, they may argue that individuals and institutions are held responsible for the environmental problems that are present as well as natural forces.
From a functionalist sociological perspective, they argue that crops require constant attention in the form of cultivation, fertilizers, and pesticides, all foreign elements to the natural environment. This means that due to these new forms of producing crops, food, etc., comes to show that because of the new systems that are present and are used, are causing environmental problems in the world. Because of industrialization, people are chasing fewer natural resources because they do not obtain the same amount of the product that they need. Functionalist sociological perspectives, argue that “Human activities have become a dominant influence on the Earth’s climate and ecosystems” (Kanter 2007). This is now occurring because humans are relying on new systems as forms of production and unnatural ways of obtaining what they need.
Conflict sociological perspective argues that environmental problems are occurring because humans are competing for power, income and their own interests are at the core of these environmental problems. These problems are often framed in terms of costs and interests. The conflict sociological perspective shows that the capitalist economic system is a primary source of over populating the natural world and stripping it of its resources. The increase of consumption leads to increased production and energy. Once there is an increase of consumption, production and energy, environmental damage is also increased. Conflict sociological perspectives show that we have environmental problems because we have but put an economic value on our environmental and have ignored the natural resources the environment has provided us with. This sociological perspective shows that humans are greedy when wanting to obtain resources and are willing to strip the environment that surrounds us just to have more than what is actually needed.
Although sociology and environmental science are two different disciplines and focus on different things, one can say that these disciplines tend to have the same opinion of individuals and the institutions that are present. Though they are not directly related to one another, sociologists have a perspective on why we have so many environmental problems. These perspectives tend to point fingers to individuals that are greedy and stripping the environment of its natural resources. Industrialization has pushed people away from natural systems and has moved them to using new systems that produce at higher rates and use unnatural chemicals, pesticides, etc., to make crops and food larger. Sociology offers their perspective on environmental problems and focuses on two different perspectives that give two different conclusions on why environmental problems are occurring.
