SOCIOLOGY CH. 15 PT. 3

Question 1

a U.S. government agency established in 1969 to protect public health and the environment through policies and enforcement

Answer 1

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Question 2

the process in which increased production of greenhouse gases, especially those arising from human activity (e.g., carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) cause changes to the earth’s atmosphere

Answer 2

greenhouse effect

Question 3

gradual increase in the earth’s temperature, driven recently by an increase in greenhouse gases and other human activity

Answer 3

global warming

Question 4

the increase in extreme weather patterns linked to global warming

Answer 4

climate change

Question 5

the study of the interaction between society and the natural environment, including the social causes and consequences of environmental problems

Answer 5

environmental sociology

Question 6

term describing the operation of modern economic systems that require constant growth, which causes increased exploitation of resources and environmental degradation

Answer 6

treadmill of production

Question 7

a way of understanding human life as just one part of an ecosystem that includes many species’ interactions with the environment; suggests that there should be ecological limits on human activity

Answer 7

new ecological paradigm

Question 8

literally “human centered”; the idea that needs and desires of human beings should take priority over concerns about other species or the natural environment

Answer 8

anthropocentric

Question 9

the attitude that humans are exempt from natural ecological limits

Answer 9

human exceptionalism

Question 10

a social movement organized around concerns about the relationship between humans and the environment

Answer 10

environmental movement

Question 11

earliest stage of the environmental movement, which focused on the preservation of “wilderness” areas

Answer 11

conservation era

Question 12

beginning in the 1960s, the second major stage of the environmental movement; focused on the environmental consequences of new technologies, oil exploration, chemical production, and nuclear power plants

Answer 12

modern environmental movement

Question 13

beginning in the 1970s, the third stage of the environmental movement; characterized by enhanced organization, improved promotional campaigns and political tactics, and an increased reliance on economic and scientific expertise

Answer 13

mainstream environmentalism

Question 14

an annual event conceived of by environmental activist and former senator Gaylord Nelson to encourage support for and increase awareness of environmental concerns; first celebrated on March 22, 1970

Answer 14

earth day

Question 15

beginning in the 1980s, fourth stage of the environmental movement; distinguished by the diversity of its members and belief in citizen participation in environmental decision making

Answer 15

grassroots environmentalism

Question 16

short for “not in my back yard”; originally referred to protests aimed at shifting undesirable activities onto those with less power; now sometimes used without negative connotations to describe local environmental activists

Answer 16

NIMBY

Question 17

a U.S. political party established in 1984 to bring political attention to environmentalism, social justice, diversity, and related principles

Answer 17

green party

Question 18

a movement that aims to remedy environmental inequities such as threats to public health and the unequal treatment of certain communities with regard to ecological concerns

Answer 18

environmental justice

Question 19

any environmental policy or practice that negatively affects individuals, groups, or communities because of their race or ethnicity

Answer 19

environmental racism

Question 20

economic development that aims to reconcile global economic growth with environmental protection

Answer 20

sustainability

Question 21

an estimation of the land and water area required to produce all the goods an individual consumes and to assimilate all the waste an individual generates

Answer 21

ecological footprint