SOCY 211

LEARNING ACTIVITY 9

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS:

STUDY UNIT: 6

LECTURER: MS. K. PHAJANE

J.E. COETZEE

33760845

TEL: 0795043183

14 MAY 2021

1. Introduction

Environmental problems pose a particularly malicious threat to humans and human societies. However, what we as humans often overlook, is that environmental problems are significantly less exogeneous to human society in nature than we realise. Herein will thus lead a discussion on the anthropogenic nature of environmental problems and how these problems need to be evaluated in order to determine their anthropogenic nature, accompanied by an example from the South African context. First, however, a brief overview of the criteria that makes an environmental problem a social problem and thus anthropogenic in nature.

2. Defining environmental problems

What is it that makes an environmental problem anthropogenic? According to Charon and Vigilent (2008:6), social problems typically possess three characteristics: 1) their causes are social in nature (a social or anthropogenic aetiology); 2) they possess the capacity to do harm to great multitudes of people; and 3) they pose a threat to the existing structures, continuity, and perception of a society. Parrillo (2019:5) contends much the same but adds an additional criterion which revolves around the problem in question standing in contrast with the socially dominant group’s values, norms, or standards.

As such, if one were to look at the contemporary array of environmental problems such as global warming (and its subsequent climate change), water pollution, ocean acidification and destruction of habitat both aquatic (corral reefs) and terrestrial (deforestation), it becomes easy to see that a great number of the pressing environmental problems human society faces are, indeed, anthropogenic in nature. In other words, these problems are by and large the direct consequence of human activity (industrialisation, trading, development and urbanisation, agricultural expansion etc.). Thus, this fits the first, social-aetiological criterion of social problems. Secondly, it is reasonable to assume that global warming, ozone depletion or the depletion of drinkable water, for instance, would arguably both negatively affect vast multitudes of people across the world, and pose a serious threat to the continuity of human society as such, as well as its existing structures, norms, and values. It then becomes quite evident that environmental problems can be seen as anthropogenic in nature when applied to the same criteria according to which social problems are judged and classified as such.

3. Application to an example from the South African context

If the above were to be applied to an example from South Africa, the abound polluting of the country’s sources of freshwater by raw sewerage and urban and industrial refuse could be of particular relevance. Logically speaking, if the existing freshwater resources of a water scarce country are being polluted and rendered otherwise undrinkable, it would indisputably pose a substantial threat to both the entire population, as well as the continuity of the entire national society. Diseases such as cholera and malaria would pose a great risk to the health of citizens; water shortages in isolated settlements would be life-threatening; and the inability for the agricultural sector to secure usable water for livestock and crops would endanger national food security and nutrition thus opening up a wide variety of other problems. As such, anthropogenic environmental problems can have potentially devastating consequences for a country’s people as is evident in this example.

4. Conclusion

Thus, environmental problems are more often than not anthropogenic in nature, and as a result may be seen and thought of as social problems as well – given that they match the criteria according to which these problems are judged. However, it must also be said that although many environmental problems threatening human society are anthropogenic in nature, not all problems emanating from the environment exist as a result of human activity. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis are just a few of the natural disasters that occur well outside of the realms of human control. As such it is thus especially important to utilise the above-mentioned criteria of a social problem when attempting to determine whether a problem originating from the environment is anthropogenic in nature or not.

5. Reference list

Charon, J.M. & Vigilant, L.G. 2008. Social problems: Readings with four questions. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Parrillo, V.N. 2019. Contemporary social problems. 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall.