) As an expert in environmental sociology, you have been asked to give a brief s
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Question
) As an expert in environmental sociology, you have been asked to give a brief speech at a major international conference on the future of the world's environment. What will you say? Be sure in your speech to say whether we should be optimistic or pessimistic. Justify your answer sociologically, drawing on material from this course on consumer products and services and how they will impact the environment in the future. Also, please be sure to describe how environmental goods and bads play a role in the future of the world's environment in terms of social-economic status
Explanation / Answer
The world is heading towards global warming due to which average temperature of earth is increasing , melting of glaciers and changing climate is occuring. This global warming is mainly caused by the human activities like burning of fossil fuels, industrial pollution, deforestation. The global average temperature at present has increased about 0.6 degree celisius and is expected to continue to increase in the future. Snow and ice cover has decreased about 10 since the late 1960s and hence the global sea level has risen about 10-20 cm. This change will increase further in the future and thus sea level is expected to rise between 9-88 cm in the coming centuries
Prior to 1179 Industrial Revolution, CO2 concentration in the lower part of the troposhere was slightly less than 300 ppm but at present it has increased to 330 pm. With rapid industrial growth, there is a correspondingly increase in the consumption of fossil fuel such as coals and natural gas. Also with estimated increase in population the concentration of CO2 will become 4-8 times its present level.
Since CO2 helps in regulating the earth's temperature.When the percentage of CO2 exceeds the normal value in the atmosphere, the thick layer of this gas prevents the terrestrial heat from re radiating back into the space. It acts like a glass panels of a greenhouse, allowing shorter waves radiations to pass through, but preventing the long wave terrestrial radiation from passing out in outer space.
After CO2 methane is the second most important contributer of global warming This gas is increasing in concentration at about 1% annually. About 500-27000 years ago it was about 0.7 pm whereas its current concentration in the atmosphere is about 1.7ppm. The source of methane is vegetation or forest burning, live stock raising on a large scale. Other greenhouse gases are CFCs, ozone, water vapour adnd nitric oxide.
SInce the greenhouse gas is increasing at an alarming rate. We should not be pessisimtic but optimistic about the future because by changing some habits in our day to day life we can save the world from the disastrous effect of global warrming. We can consume less as a responsiblity of ours towards future generations as well as to the environment. Some of the companies are developing products and services which are eco friendly and also the customers are willing to pay more for these ecofriendly products rather than the conventional products. It is very important that the companies should include safe water, safe working conditions, fair salary, job opportunities as part of their products and services. Now the consumers are also interests in giving feedbacks,ideas,solutions to companies so that they improve their products and services.
The environmental affect is mostly on the poor people. Most of the people who cannot afford to buy air conditioners and have low economic status are exposed to the outdoor conditions of environment like rise in temperature. Also since they are the people who generally work in extreme working conditions like in factories, mining industries so they are people who are most vulnerable environmental change in the future.The people living near coasts are the poor people which depends on their food and livelihood to the fishing are more exposed to the rising sea level due to the melting of glaciers. The rise in sea level can also lead to tsunami whose consequences are disastrous.
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