Global Ecology and Environmental Concerns

Global Ecology and Environmental Concerns

An Environmental Sociology Perspective

This explores the various environmental issues concerning global ecology using Sociology as a framework of analysis . As such , this looked into both transnational and local environment issues and how these created a stir in global governance particularly on issues concerning the South-North Divide

Looking at the issue of environment with a sociological lens is befitting since there are corroborating evidences supporting the claim that human societies and their activities have dangerous impacts upon the global ecology (Dunlap and Catton , 1979 . Such

activities resulted to various forms of environmental destruction such as the loss of biodiversity , forest denudation , air and water pollution , and many others

Vitousek 's article (1992 ) entitled Global Environmental Change : An Introduction perfectly described the pressing environmental issues on a global scale . This study for example pointed out that with the global warming phenomenon , world 's climate is changing . He also asserted that human activities had adversely affected the extinction of species . With all these environmental problems , our consolation is that quite a number of organizations are now emerging to help save the environment . In fact with the mobilization of people , a new discipline emerged

Environmental Sociology was established after recognizing the role of human beings in the destruction and restoration of the environment . The emergence of thousands of environmental organizations from local to national necessitates sociology to offer explanations and theories vis-a-vis the mobilization of groups , organizations , and communities in their efforts to save the environment (Dunlap and Catton , 1979

The popularity of environmentalism came into the fore in the late 1960s when Rachel Carson shocked the world with her published book entitled Silent Spring . Her worked paved the way to the emergence of environmental groups and organizations trying to stop the use of hazardous chemicals specifically the DDT , a chemical which brought perils to the environment in many areas of the United States (Sachs 1993

While it used to be a domestic issue in the past , environmental problems whether local or transnational are nowadays attracting international attention such as in the case of the oil spill incident in Guimaras Island , Philippines in which several nations assisted in the effort of saving the seas from the ill effects of the spill (The Philippine Daily Inquirer , 2007 . There are environmental problems that really affect not just a single nation but a couple others such as the issue of acid rain between China and Korea . In addition , after the ban of DDT , the U .S imported the chemicals to poorer nations so much so that their environments were also affected (Carlson , 1962

In the process , environmental problems especially those that appear to be domestic will really affect the global ecosystem so that environmental problems are really a global concern such as emission of carbon dioxide which has a disastrous effect on global warming . As a consequence , the Kyoto Protocol came into being in an effort to abate carbon dioxide emission

Environmental governance particularly on a global scale has...