Chapter 20 Power Point

1. 20 POPULATION, URBANIZATON,
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
 Sights like this are common for anyone who
lives near the water, creating problems not only
for the residents but for the health of
ecosystems.

2.  Fracking, another work for hydraulic
fracturing, is a method used to recover gas
and oil form shale by drilling down into the
earth and directing a high-pressure mixture
of water, sand, and proprietary chemicals
into the rock.
 It also includes drilling horizontally into the rock
to create new pathways for gas to travel.

3.  Problems associated with fracking:
 It requires huge amounts of water.
 Once mixed with fracking chemicals, it is unsuitable for
human and animal consumption.
 The chemicals used in the fracking mix are
potentially carcinogenic.
 May pollute ground water
 It may cause minor earthquakes by undermining
the seismic stability of an area.
 Gas is not a renewable source of energy.

4.  Advantages of fracking:
 It reduces unemployment and contributes to
economic growth.
 It allows energy companies access to previously
nonviable and completely untapped oil and gas
reserves.
 It boosts domestic oil production and lowers
energy costs.
 It expands the production of low-emission
industrial energy.

5.  This is a Marcellus shale gas-drilling
site in Lycoming County,
Pennsylvania.

6.  There are important societal issues
connected to the environment and how and
where people live.
 Environmental sociologists study how
humans interact with their environments.
 The world’s population reached 7 billion
between 2011 and 2012.
 Can our planet sustain such a population?

7.  How do sociologists study population and
urbanization issues?
 Functionalists focus on the way all aspects of
population, urbanization, and the environment
serve as vital and cohesive elements, ensuring
the continuation of society.
 A conflict theorist might ask how nations’ lack of
family planning affects their overall population in
comparison to core nations that have lower
fertility rates.
 A symbolic interactionist might research the way
family-planning information is presented to and
understood by different population groups.

8. DEMOGRAPHY AND POPULATION
 Demography – is the study of population.
 3 of the most important components that affect
demography are:
Fertility
Mortality
 migration

9. Measurement of Fertility
 The fertility rate of a society is a measure
noting the number of children born.
 Generally lower than the fecundity number, which
measures the potential number of children that could be
born to women of childbearing age.
 Sociologists measure fertility using the
crude birth rate (the number of live births
per 1,000 people per year).
Crude birth rate = (live births x 1,000)
total population

10. The Hutterites

11.  The mortality rate is a measure of the
number of people who die.
 The crude death rate is a number derived
form the number of deaths per 1,000 people
per year.
Crude death rate = (# of deaths x 1,000)
total population

12.  Migration refers to the movement of people into
and out of an area.

13.  Migration may take the form of immigration
(movement into an area to take up
permanent residence), or emigration
(movement out of an area to another place
of permanent residence.)

14.  Migration might be voluntary, involuntary, or
forced.

15. World Population Growth
 The world’s population is growing at a rate of 83
million people per year, as a result of high birth
rate in poorer countries and low death rates in
developing countries.
 The growth and the distribution of the world’s
population—almost 7 billion—vary greatly among
the nations of the world.

16. Population Growth
 Population composition is a snapshot of
the demographic profile or a population.
 It includes:
 Sex ratio: the number of men for every hundred
women
 Population pyramid: a picture of population
distribution by sex and age

17.  This population pyramid shows the
breakdown of the 2010 U.S. population
according to age and sex.

18. World Population Growth Though
History

19. Demographic Theories
 Malthusian theory
 Thomas Malthus felt that there were 3
factors that could control human
population that exceeded the earth’s
carrying capacity (how many people
can live in a given area considering the
amount of available resources.
 War
 Famine
 Disease

20. He called these “positive checks” because
they increase mortality rates and kept the
population in check.
They are countered by “preventative
checks” which control the population by
reducing fertility rates (birth control)

21.  3 reasons sociologists believe we are
continuing to expand the population of our
planet:
 Technological increases in food production have
increased both the amount and quality of
calories we can produce per person.
 Human ingenuity has developed new medicine
to curtail death from disease.
 The development of widespread use of
contraception and other forms of family planning
have decreased the speed as which out
population increases.

22. The Malthusian Perspective

23.  Paul Ehrlich studied the Malthusian theory
but said it is the environment, not the food
supply, that will play a crucial role in the
continuous health of the planet’s population.
 He advocated fro a goal of zero population
growth.
 The number of people entering a population
through birth or immigration is equal to the
number of people leaving it via death or
emigration.

24.  Cornucopian theory asserts that human
ingenuity can resolve any environmental or
social issues that develop.
 It states that if we need more food, agricultural
scientists will figure out a way to grow it.

25.  Demographic transition theory suggests that
future population growth will develop along a
predictable 4-stage model.
 Stage 1. birth, death, and infant mortality rates
are all high, and life expectancy is short.
 This is characteristic of preindustrial US.
 Stage 2. birth rates are higher, while infant
mortality and death rates drop. Life expectancy
also increases.
Afghanistan is currently in this stage.

26.  Stage 3. Birthrates decline, life expectancy
continues to increase and death rates continue
to decrease.
Mexico’s population is at this stage.
 Stage 4. Birth and death rates are low, people
are healthier and live longer, and society enters
a phase of population stability. The overall
population may even decline.
Sweden is considered to be in this stage.

27. Stages of the Demographic
Transition

28.  Nations are categorized as high fertility,
intermediate fertility, and low fertility.
 The UN anticipates the population will triple
between 2011 and 2100 in high fertility
countries.
 Sub-Sahara Africa
 Countries with intermediate fertility rates are
expected to grow about 26%.
 United States, India and Mexico
 Low fertility countries will population declines of
approximately 20%.
 China, Australia, and most of Europe

29.  Projected Population in Africa This graph shows the
population growth of countries located on the African
continent, many of which have high fertility rates.

30.  Projected Population in the United States
The United States has an intermediate fertility
rate, and therefore, a comparatively moderate
projected population growth.

31.  Projected Population in Europe This chart
shows the projected population growth of
Europe for the remainder of this century.

32.  The United States is the most popular
destination for migration.
 From 1990-2013, the number of migrants living
in the US increased from 1 in 6, to 1 in 5.
 In 2013 the US was home to about 46 million
foreign-born people, while only about 3 million
US citizens live abroad.
 Of foreign born citizens emigrating to the US,
55% originated in Latin America and the
Caribbean.

33.  As of 2012, about 11.7 million foreign born
people resided in the US without legal
status.
 Almost ¾ of those recently surveyed believe that
illegal immigrants should have a path to
citizenship provided they meet other
requirements. (speaking English and paying
restitution for the years they lived here illegally)
 55% of those surveyed who identified as
Hispanic think a pathway to citizenship is of
secondary importance to provisions for living
legally in the US without the threat of
deportation.

34. URBANIZATION
 Urbanization is the study of the social, political,
and economic relationships in cities.
 Someone specializing in urban sociology studies
those relationships.

35. THE GROWTH OF CITIES
 Gideon Sjoberg states there are 3
prerequisites for the development of a city:
 Good environment with fresh water and a
favorable climate
 Advanced technology which will produce a food
surplus to support non-farmers
 Strong social organization to ensure social
stability and a stable economy

36.  According to anthropological research, the first
cities were established around 3500 B.C.E in
Mesopotamia.
 Rome was most likely to largest with about 650,000
inhabitants

37. 40%
20%
100%
80%
60%
0%
1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Rural Urban
Percent of U.S. Population
 As this chart illustrates, the shift from rural to
urban living in the United States has been
dramatic and continuous.

38. URBANIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES
 Urbanization in the US proceeded rapidly
during the Industrial Era.
 More and more opportunities for work appeared
in factories, and workers left farms to move to
cities.
 There was an influx of poor workers into the US
cities and certain demographic groups have
made their way to urban centers to seek a better
way of life.

39.  In 2013, the number of refugees, asylum-
seekers, and internally displaced people
worldwide exceeded 50 million people for
the first time since the end of WWII.
 Refugee: an individual who has been forced to
leave his or country in order to escape war,
persecution, or natural disaster.
 Asylum-seeker: those whose claim to refugee
status has not been validated.
 Internally displaced person: have fled their
homes while remaining inside their country’s
borders.

40.  Suburbs are the communities surrounding
cities.
 Close enough for a daily commute in
 Far enough away to allow for more space
 Exurbs are communities that exist outside
the ring of suburbs.
 Typically populated by even wealthier families
who want more space and have the money
resource to lengthen their commute.

41.  Together, the suburbs, exurbs, and the
metropolitan areas all combine to form a
metropolis.
 New York was the first megalopolis in the
US.
 A huge urban corridor encompassing multiple
cities and their surrounding suburbs.

42.  The suburban sprawl in Toronto means
long commutes and traffic congestion.

43.  Problems that suburbs face:
 White flight refers to the migration of
economically secure white people from racially
mixed urban areas and toward the suburbs.
 Occurred throughout the 20th century due to causes as
diverse as the legal end of racial segregation.
 Current trends include middle-class African
American families following white flight patterns
out of cities, while affluent whites return to cities
that have historically had a black majority.

44. URBANIZATION AROUND THE WORLD
 During the Industrial Era, there was a growth
worldwide.
 The development of factories brought
people from rural to urban areas, and new
technology increased the efficiency of:
 Transportation
 Food production
 Food preservation

45.  Gentrification occurs when members of the
middle and upper classes enter and
renovate city areas that have been
historically less affluent while the poor urban
underclass are forced by resulting price
pressures to leave those neighborhoods for
increasingly decaying portions of the city.

46.  Globally, 54% of the world’s 7 billion
population currently reside in urban areas.
 Most urbanized areas are:
 North America (82%)
 Latin America/The Caribbean (80%)
 Europe (72%)
 Africa is only 40% urbanized.
 Tokyo is the world’s largest city—38 million

47.  In the next 40 years, the biggest global
challenge for urbanized populations,
especially in less developed countries, will
be to achieve development that occurs
without depleting or damaging the natural
environment, also called sustainable
development.

48. Urban Population as a
Proportion of Total Population

49. THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON
URBANIZATION
 Human ecology is a functionalist field of
study that looks at the relationship between
people and their built and natural physical
environments.
 Urban land use and urban population distribution
occur in a predictable pattern once we
understand how people relate to their living
environment.

50.  The concentric zone model is the most
famous example of human ecology.
 A model of human ecology that views cities as a
series of circular rings or zones.

51.  This illustration depicts the zones that make up
a city in the concentric zone model.

52.  The conflict perspective focuses on the way
urban areas change according to specific
decisions made by political and economic
leaders.
 These decisions generally benefit the middle
and upper classes while exploiting the working
and lower classes.

53. THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY
 Environmental sociology studies the way
humans interact with their environments.
 A key factor is the concept of carrying capacity,
which describes the maximum amount of life that
can be sustained within a given area.

54.  Too little land for grazing means starving
cattle.

55. CLIMATE CHANGE
 Climate change is the term now used to
refer to long-term shifts in temperatures due
to human activity, and the release of
greenhouse gases into the environment.
 The year 2013 tied with 2009 and 2006 as the
7th warmest year since 1880, continuing a trend
of increasing worldwide temperatures.

56. POLLUTION
 Pollution describes what happens when
contaminants are introduced into an
environment at levels that are damaging.
 The environment can sustain a limited amount of
contaminants, but once contaminant levels
reach a certain point, the results can be
catastrophic.

57.  Water
 Access to safe water is one of the most basic
human needs.
 Many of the major diseases that peripheral
countries battle, such as diarrhea, cholera, and
typhoid, are caused by contaminated water.
 Although the earth is made up 70% water, only a
finite amount is usable.
 Water close to human settlements is frequently
polluted with untreated or partially treats human
waste, chemicals, radioactivity, and levels of
heat sufficient to create “dead zones” incapable
of supporting aquatic life.

58.  Soil
 Soil erosion and desertfication are 2 of many
forms of soil pollution.
 “Brown zones” are areas where nothing can
grow.
 Dredging beaches has resulted in greater storm
impact on shorelines and beach ecosytems.
 Damaged reefs, sea grass beds, and shorelines and
kill off large swaths of marine life.
 Threatens local fisheries, tourism, and other parts of
the local economy.

59.  Garbage
 Garbage creation and control are major issues
for most core and industrialized nations.
 Critical in the US.
 2 primary means of waste disposal in the US are
landfill and incineration.
 Neither is a good choice when getting rid of dangerous
toxins.
 Styrofoam and plastics do not dissolve in a natural
way.

60.  Air
 Humanity and its growing numbers use fossil
fuels, and increasingly industrialized society is
putting too much stress on the earth’s
atmosphere.
 Besides oxygen, we are often breathing soot,
hydrocarbons, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur
oxides.
 Air pollution accumulates in the body over time
leading to more chronic illnesses.
 It also affects crop quality as well as heating and
cooling costs.

61.  Toxic and radioactive waste
 Radioactivity is a form of air pollution.
 It can enter the food chain, causing damage
from the bottom (phytoplankton and microscopic
soil organisms) all the way to the top.
 Nuclear energy is increasingly considered a
danger to the environment.
 Nuclear waste sites have led neighborhoods
to be part of a cancer cluster without
knowing the cause.
 a geographic area with high levels of cancer
within its population.

62.  Oil on the gulf shore beaches caused great
destruction, killing marine and land animals and
crippling local business.

63. ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
 Environmental racism refers to the way in
which minority group neighborhoods
(populated primarily by people of color and
members of low socioeconomic groups) are
burdened with a disproportionate number of
hazards, including toxic waste facilities,
garbage dumps, and other sources of
environmental pollution and foul odors that
lower the quality of life.

64.  Research shows environmental racism
pervades all aspects of African Americans’
lives:
 Environmentally unsound housing
 Schools with asbestos problems
 Facilities and playgrounds with lead paint

65.  One study found that race is more important
than socioeconomic status in predicting the
location of the nation’s commercial
hazardous waste facilities.
 A disproportionate number of people of color
reside in areas with hazardous waste facilities.
 This study also found that African American
children are 5 times more likely to have lead
poisoning than their Caucasian counterparts.

66.  Environmental racism exists because those
with resources can raise awareness, money,
and public attention to ensure that their
communities are unsullied.
 This has led to an inequitable distribution of
environmental burdens.