Environment and the Risk Society
Introduction: In Chapter 17, we learn about Ulrich Beck’s theory (1992) that we live in a “risk society” with human-produced manufactured risks, such as air pollution. People in society attempt to mitigate the risks produced by our industrialized lifestyle. Some are more successful at avoiding the risks than others. In this assignment, you will first read an article about the risk of air pollution in the US, which groups of people are most affected by this risk, and some ideas for mitigating the problem of air pollution. Then, you will apply the sociological concepts of Class Stratification from Ch. 7 and Race from Ch. 8 to analyze which groups of people are most likely to suffer from the risk of air pollution and which of the suggested solutions are most likely to succeed.
Task: Read this article on the unequal impacts of air pollution in the United States: “Air Pollution and Inequality.” (**Note: Click continue reading. You do not have to sign up to read the article**) Next, write a journal entry answering the following questions:
- What are the negative effects of air pollution on American communities?
- How do the sociological categories of race and socioeconomic class affect the impact of air pollution on a specific individual or community?
- Who is most likely to be able to successfully mitigate the harms of air pollution? Who is least likely to escape harm?
- Which of the proposed solutions in the article do you think would be most effective for solving the problem of air pollution. Explain your answers. Which of the proposed solutions would be the most viable to implement?
- Does air pollution or another environmental problem impact your community and surrounding areas? How so?
Grading
- This entry should be at least 1,000 words in length.
