Tyler Konkol Social Problems Social Problems and Issues within a Society 4-10 1. The larger and more complex a society is, the more problems they have. 2. Certain conditions accepted as “the norm” a. Can be elevated to the level of a “social problem” i. EX: Slavery 3. Social Problems a. Slavery b. Segregation c. Pollution (Environmental) d. Women’s Rights e. Global Warming f. Terrorism 4. Population a. A growth in population while “spaceship earth” stays the same size. 4-11 5. Many Other problems are claimed to be a run-off effect of over population. a. Scarcity (Fighting for land, food, or control) b. Political fights (Parties fighting for control – EX: Russia) c. Starvation (Lack of available food) d. Crime (With lack of available food, people begin to attack their fellow citizens.) 6. Spaceship earth is finite (Limited) 7. Carrying capacity – how many organisms something can support without possibility of crashing 8. Natural system of checks and balances a. One species grows due to an increase in THEIR food source (EX: Rabbits) b. Its predator then also increases due to their food supply being increased (EX: Wolves feeding on rabbits) c. Both species would have an increased consumption of thief food source. With this the species would then begin to die out because they over-ate their food source. They would balance eat other out again to the point where there are just enough rabbits for just enough wolves to survive. 9. Scientists predict that spaceship earth can handle approximately 12-15 billion people. 10. A child born in a developed country does 30 times more damage to the earth compared to a child born into a poor-less developed country. 11. Population growth a. Birth rates – death rates ± migration rates b. Birth rates – death rates = natural rate of increase/decrease 12. Causes of the worlds high population problem a. Birth rates staying constant
b. Death rates drastically decreasing due to medical advancements and increased standards of living. 4-12 13. Reasons for high birth rates a. Religion (Certain religions against birth control and abortions) b. Customs / Traditions (Used to having large families: for work) c. They don’t know how many will survive (Infant mortality) d. Limited access to contraceptives (Poor countries, also deals with religion) e. Status of women (Women in most LDC’s are not educated) f. Lack of economic development (Also goes with status of women and access to contraceptives) 14. Things a population period shows a. Potential for future growth b. Comparison for males/females c. Comparison for age groups d. Gives insight for government planning (EX: Social security, schooling, and other social programs) 4-13 15. Natural rate = birth rates – death rates 16. Urbanization 17. Future population determined by BIRTH RATES 18. Reasons LDC’s are having kids. a. High infant mortality rates ( Need to have enough kids survive) b. Religion (Beliefs in NO contraceptives) c. Lack of family planning services d. Customs and traditions (Male dominated communities, also used to having large families. Large families are their “social security.) e. Lack of economic development f. Education (Mainly of women) g. Status of women (Seen as child bearers and caretakers) 19. People tend to group up to form large populations in one area. When populations grow to large, the people/species/organisms start to turn on each other. 20. Explosion of population growth a. In LDCS i. Religion ii. Infant mortality iii. Wealth through family size 21. Main institution that addresses world-wide problems: United Nations a. Global government b. Work out world problems i. Environmental issues ii. Population problems iii. Human rights – gender equality iv. Political problems 22. Template for success – (Model) a. Ways to bring birth rates down
i. Education (Mainly women) ii. Raise the status of women iii. Family planning increased 1. Make contraceptives more readily available 2. Gender selection iv. Economic development – Try to develop those poor countries. v. Lower infant mortality rates (Couples wont have to have a lot of kids because they’ll know the ones they do have will survive) 4-19 Pollution 1. Leading fishing country; Japan. 2. Chinas demand for oil has pushed the prices of oil (per barrel) to over 70$ a. To much demand could cause world-wide inflation 1. Natural System – Both physical and biological a. Natural i. Trees converting CO2 into oxygen b. Biological i. Producers – Plants ii. Consumers 1. Carnivores – Meat 2. Herbivores - Plants 3. Omnivores – Both iii. Decomposers 1. Fungi 2. Bacteria 2. Social System – Beliefs in what we consider “the norm” 3. Technological System a. Agriculture system b. Transportation system c. Industrial system 4. Environmental Crisis a. Interdependence – Everything relies on everything b. Complexity c. Diversity – The wider the range of specials the easier and longer we will be able to survive. 5. Carrying capacity a. Population b. Pollution c. Resource depletion 6. Synergistic – Two or more things interacting to produce a greater outcome 7. Time Delay – You wont see effects until a later time 8. Persistence – How long it will remain in the environment. 9. Threshold effect – Natural system of breakdown can no longer handle or take on everything. (To much pollution interferes with the natural process of breakdown)\ 10. Trigger Effect – One thing sets off another (Chemical reaction)
4-20 1. Level of pollution = Population Size X Per-capita Consumption (amount/type of consumption: social system) X Environmental Impact (per unit of production) 4-21 1. Ozone layer depletion leads to an increased occurrence of UV rays. 2. Carbon Dioxide and Methane trap heat 3. Air Pollution Sources a. 75% Transportation b. 20% Industries c. 5% Municipal house-holds 4. California has the highest pollution regulations/laws. 5. Surface Ozone is a very large threat in the summer 6. Ozone is a secondary pollutant 7. Property value affected by pollution – (The closer you are to a mill, the less the value your house or property would be) 8. Remediation a. Control technology b. Hybrid / Alternative vehicles c. Fuels – (Alternative – Methanol) d. New ways of commuting (Car pooling, mass transit, non-motor transport) 9. Carbon Monoxide – reduces the amount of oxygen your blood can carry. 4-24 Lead – Paint, Gas, Pencils, and pipes – (Harmful, especially with children) Nitrous oxide – From the burning of fossil fuels (Most come from motor vehicles) 1. Ozone – (Worst health wise) Good up high – bad near by a. Reduction of immune system b. Breaks down tissue c. Oxidizes metals d. Violate Organic Compounds + NO2 = Ozone (Needs sunlight) 2. Ozone depletion a. Caused by CFC (Aerosol cans, Freon, and cleaning supplies) b. Excess UV light can destroy the bottom of the food chain (Which could lead to a globalized crash in plants/animals. Would slowly eating away at the food chain members started at the bottom – Algae) 3. Global Warming a. CO2 = 50% (Deforestation leads to less CO2 recycling) b. CFC = 15% c. Methane = 20% d. N02 = 10% 4. Acid Rain – Caused from particle matter floating up into a cloud and interacting with moisture molecules. Causes health hazards and kill plants. 5. Indoor Pollution a. Hair Spray b. Plastics deteriorating 6. Particulate Matter
a. Nitrite – sewage amounts (animal/human waste) b. Nitrate – Agriculture stuff (Fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals) 7. Non-point = run-off (Cannot really tell where pollution is coming from: Agriculture) 8. Point source = Can tell exactly where pollution is coming from: End pipe Water Pollution Quantity – Less than 1% of the world’s water is available to us as potable water. Quality – Water that is actually non-hazardous to humans. 1. Measuring water quality a. Indicators i. Excessive nutrients – plant decay dissolves oxygen ii. Thermal pollution – Over heating/cooling of water to the point where it effects the environment it’s released in to b. Biological Oxygen Demand – Measure of the amount of oxygen consuming material in water c. Coliform Count – amount of bacteria in water d. Chemical test – tests for mercury, pcp’s, and dioxins 2. Nature uses FOUR natural processes to clean water a. Sedimentation – The natural cleaning of water by flowing through the ground b. Bio-Degradation c. Biological Accumulation d. Dilution i. Diluting a substance so much that they hope it doesn’t make a notable impact on the environment ii. Dilution is the ultimate solution to pollution! 4-27 Carcinogenic – Cancer causing Mutagens – Mutation (Extra finger) Teratogens – FAS (Fetal Alcohol syndrome) effects. 1. Types of pollution a. Nutrients – nitrates, phosphates, and sewage. b. Sedimentation – run off c. Pesticides d. Organic compounds e. Inorganic solutions f. Thermal g. Disease causing agent – coliform h. Radioactive material 2. Eutrophication – aging process of water 3. Biological magnification – Contaminants passed on through food chain. Concentration goes up as it passes through a new level of the food chain.
4. Viscosity – think/think property of something – flow rate 5. Radioactive material has half lives of 1,000’s of years. 6. Treatment of water a. Primary – separates floating solids and sludge from contaminated water b. Secondary – requires water to be treated through bio-degradation c. Tertiary – takes out ammonia and phosphates. Water is normally run through a “plant system” which naturally removes hazardous nutrients. 7. Nitrites = animal waste and human waste 8. Nitrates = agriculture bi-products 5-02 Solid Waste – any unwanted material that is not liquid or gas 1. Where solid waste comes from. a. 87% - Agriculture / Mining byproducts b. 9% - Industry (byproducts) c. 4% - Municipal solid waste (MSW) 2. Past answers to taking care of solid waste a. Collect it b. Transport it c. Landfill it 3. Waste management/removal/transportation has become a global business. 4. Planned Obsolescence – planning for things that will become obsolete later on 5. Technological assessment – look at impact of future products before actually producing them 6. Bottle law – People are paid deposits when you return recyclable containers like milk, soda, and alcohol bottles. 7. 4.5 LBS of waste per person, per day. 8. Sanitary Landfills - Sanitary landfills are sites where waste is isolated from the environment until it is safe. 9. Methane – Greenhouse gas that had led to increase in global warming 10. Bio Reactor – uses leachate to help speed up the process of bio degradation a. Japan uses far more reactors than anyone else in the world b. They are forced into having them, due to limited land availability 11. Input approach – change attitudes/views on what we view as “waste” a. Examples of remediation i. Plastics 2x4’s instead of wood ii. Turning paper waste into fertilizer b. Source reduction i. Conservation – using less to make more ii. Product design – design products that will degrade and aren’t persistent 12. In 2003, about 30% of the worlds waste was being recycled 13. Recycling a. Composting – Leaves behind humus (can be used as fertilizer) b. Pre-cycling – Shopping with recycling of the waste-product in mind. i. Buying products not made of plastic
ii. Buying products that are easily recyclable 14. Waste-to-energy approach – (Incineration) provides a 10 to 1 reduction of waste while still creating power off the released heat. 5-4 1. Nuclear power – plants have 30-50 year lifespan, but have ever-lasting decommission effects. 2. Decommission – plant is closed and entombed (Sealed for good to counter-act any release of nuclear waste) 3. Takes 100,000’s of years to change nuclear waste to the same toxic level as background radiation/waste. 4. Fission = breaking apart of atoms to create energy 5. Fusion = the combining or joining of two or more atoms to create energy 6. Source point reduction – reduce waste at production level 7. Remediation of waste materials a. Source reduction b. Recycling c. How to make it less hazardous d. Storage 5-8 1. Agriculture a. Goal for modified crops – reduce if not totally eliminate the need for chemicals b. Pesticide treadmill – Crops need an increase in toxins to deal with mutated bugs/diseases. An increase in pesticides while the end effect is decreased. (More is put on, but still helps less) c. Mendel the monk – experimented with pea-pods and cross breading d. Proprietary products – owned by a company (Genetically modified seeds) i. Must be bought from this company each year. 1. EX: Seedless water melons do not develop seeds you can plant for next year. e. Mono-cropping = planting only 1 single crop in a designated area i. EX: 160 acres of corn planted ii. Can be easily affected by pests (corn boars – bug) f. Super bugs – These bugs mutate to become resistant to pesticides. 5-9 g. Genetically modified – laboratory modified seeds/animals (Things that cannot naturally grow on their own) 2. Chemical based Agriculture a. 45% of global food production is lost to pests i. 12% post-harvest (Funguses and rodents) b. United states only as a 42% loss of food production to pests i. 9% lost post-harvest
3. Increasing yields a. Fertile soil (Natural vs. fake environment) b. Water (Irrigation) c. Quality seeds (No defects) d. Pest control system i. In the past, farmers relied on the natural system to take care of their crops. ii. Based on the predator/prey concept 4. Genetic resistance – pests build up a resistance to pesticides (Pesticide treadmill) 5. 3 field strategy – rotation of crops to allow natural nutrient re-growth. Having 1 field be dormant (Not planted) for a growing season to recover its nutrients naturally. No need for fertilizers 6. Runoff – erosion 7. Leachate – seeping of chemicals through the ground into ground water 8. Drifting – contamination through air particles (chemicals) 9. Human health risks a. Cancer b. Immune system deficiencies c. Birth defects (Blue baby syndrome) 10. Environmental impacts of food production a. Water pollution (Surface and ground water) b. Soil pollution (Disappearance of top soil through erosion and overfarming) c. Habitat extinction – clearing land for farming or grazing d. Deforestation – clearing forests for farming/grazing land e. Desertification – land slowly developing into a desert state. Fertile top soil is blown away. Nothing can grow 11. Ideal pest control a. Selective – only targets one pest without effecting near-by organisms b. Non-persistent – does not stick around (breaks down) c. Pests cannot form a genetic resistance to it d. No acute/chronic health risks i. Acute – happens shortly after exposure (Short term) ii. Chronic – takes a long period of time for it to emerge (Lasts a long time, generally more serious) e. Cost effective (Benefits out-weigh cost) 12. Integrated pest management approach (EPA approved) a. Use less chemicals is its ultimate goal 13. Ways to grow food without the use of chemicals a. Organic – Food is grown naturally with out the need for fertilizers or pesticides (Much more expensive to consumers) b. Modified – genetically altered i. Farmers will be dependent on chem.-labs for seeds each growing season ii. Disrupts natural system of growth
14. Ways to grow food a. Chemically b. Organically c. Modified 5-10 1. Prostitution a. “Johns” – guys who pay/look for prostitutes b. Prostitution is legal in Nevada and Taiwan c. Class system within the prostitution community i. High class = call girls or escorts ii. Low class = “crack whores” d. Nuclear relationships – mother/father + siblings family e. Idea society – extended families (Most beneficial) 2. Biological control – natural system (organic) a. What is in our food? i. Chemical residue (pesticides) 1. Produce (Pesticides and nitrates) 2. Milk – BGH (Bovine growth hormone) ii. Vitamins – overdoses iii. Coloring iv. Artificial tastes or flavorings v. Emulsifiers = anti-separation chemical (Used in mayo) 5-11 1. Eco tourism – people from different areas traveling to try and save another. (People touring to the rain forest to try and prevent deforestation) 2. Extinction is believed to result when a species can no longer out live other changed species (evolved) 3. Background extinction – part of the natural system 4. Speculation – change in an organism after a long period of time where species evolves to replace the current form, when that current form can no longer survive 5. Indicator species – Normally on bottom of the food chain, easily susceptible to changes a. Frogs b. Bees 6. Roles of technological system – solid waste that doesn’t degrade 7. Roles of social system a. Anthropocentric – human centered view (Humans come first) b. Biocentrism – Everything has a right to exist (People from India) c. Ecocentric – Saving the entire ecosystem (Indian culture) 8. Premature extinction 9. The greater the diversity, the greater chance of survival there will be a. Economic reasons
i. Renewable resources (plants/animals) ii. Sustainable growth iii. Animals bring in tourists (deer in Wisconsin) iv. Plants/Animals used in medicine 10. Poverty linked to extinction – poor people are more likely to attempt things to survive, regardless if the choices they make negatively effect the environment a. Poaching b. Clearing of forests to farm 11. Effluence – waste 12. Affluence – Wealth a. The wealth create a market for exotic things such as “seal coats” and “ivory” b. Poor people in poor countries are exploiting their resources to meet the needs of these few wealthy people. c. Use the money to pay back loans 13. Land and extinction a. Colonialism – land distribution since settlement b. Land redistribution c. All the poor people have no land to themselves i. Go out and become “squatters” (People who go and farm a area of the forest and move on to another area once all the nutrients from the ground have been used up) ii. Normally only stay on that land for 3-4 growing seasons 5-12 1. Massive deforestation has been caused by mans activities in 3 areas a. Agriculture – over farming land beyond natural recovery b. Grazing – Clearing of precious forest land for animals c. Logging – destruction of the worlds largest CO2 “filter” (The rain forest) 2. Sustainability – way for an animal to keep reproducing while still allowing for natural extinction. Also with out risking extinction (Not letting numbers get to low) 3. Diversity a. Eco tourism b. Medicine – 75% of people rely on plants for medicine 4. Classifications a. Endangered i. So few alive ii. Possibility to become extinct iii. Protected by law b. Threatened i. Abundant in natural environment but still declining in numbers ii. Protected by law c. Extirpated i. Was once natural in an area, but still alive in another
5.
6.
7.
8.
d. Watched i. Some problems with abundance of distribution ii. Non-legal category Causes of extinction a. Habitat loss i. Deforestation ii. Destruction of coral reefs iii. Wetlands being filled iv. Plowing of grasslands b. Commercial hunting and poaching i. Food for survival “subsistence” ii. Sport – fun or leisure activity iii. Commercial – hunting for profit iv. Poaching – illegal hunting for profit c. Predator and prey control d. Pets and decorative plants – 100 tropical fish may need to be captured just so 1 will survive into the store e. Pollution f. Introduction of alien species – mussels or things on the bottom of boats that could destroy other animal’s habitats g. Population growth (Numbers) h. Affluence (Increase in resource use) i. Poverty i. Deforestation ii. Over-grazing iii. Poaching Species approach – trying to maintain numbers a. Zoos – banking genetic material for mating b. Biocentrism approach Ecosystem approach a. Saving natural habitats b. Conservation – using less (in general) Wildlife management approach a. Management to keep sustainability b. Laws to regulation hunting c. Balancing of predator/prey relationship
5-16 1. Montreal treaty – global attempt to reduce CFC’s 2. KATO – countries must reduce emissions of greenhouse cases (US hasn’t signed on yet) 3. Non-paliferation – spread of nuclear weapons
5-17 1963 – President Johnson declared war on poverty Poverty is relative Education is a key to a non-poverty life Things for a better live (poverty free) a. Education b. Family life and influences c. Business cycles 5. TANF – Temporarily assistance to needy families (with children) 6. Percentages of poverty a. By race i. White – 8.6% ii. Black – 24.7% iii. Hispanics – 21.9% iv. Asians – 9.8% b. By geography i. Rural – 39% ii. Inner city – 14% iii. Suburban – 26% iv. Urban – 22% c. By Sex i. 42% Males ii. 58% Females d. Nationality i. 11% of native born ii. 21% of non-native born 7. Life chances – opportunities where you’re allowed to grow (maybe rise to a higher social level) 8. Health care for those in poverty a. Less healthy b. Receive less adequate treatment (cannot afford it) c. Tend have much more serious illnesses d. Live shorter life spans 9. Education a. Less education b. Often attend low-quality schools(inner city) – Less likely to go to college 10. Housing a. Poor are more likely to live in substandard housing (overcrowded, vermin infected) b. Houses lack basic plumbing and heating 11. Justice system a. Poor are more likely to be arrested, indicted, convicted, and are normally given longer sentences b. Crimes centered around property theft and assault c. High crime rates and drugs 1. 2. 3. 4.
12. Jobs a. Low paying jobs with little to no opportunity for advancement in position b. Work dangerous jobs with unhealthy working conditions 13. People in poverty (How they go there/why they stay there) a. Life chances – A chance for someone to rise up out of their low class level (Get a nice education or job) i. Disabled ii. Prejudice iii. Young(age) b. Economic fluctuation i. Money doesn’t go as far ii. Living from paycheck to paycheck c. Education i. Lack of skills ii. Lack of education 14. History of poverty a. Racism b. Industrial revolution – gave way to the first class structure system c. White flight – black people moved into the inner cities and all the white people moved out into suburbs. d. Space age technology e. Agriculture and Medical revolution f. Computer revolution – poor don’t have access to computers (Fall behind on opportunities or information) 5-19 1. Culture of poverty 2. Lower class of socialization a. Train incapacities – limitations on climbing social ladder i. Language ii. The way they dress iii. Relevance of time (Normally not on time) b. Home environment – Lack of role models and responsible parents c. Culture conflicts(Norms) – conflicts between classes\ 3. Sub culture of poverty – non conforming to the “American Lifestyle” 5-22 1. Small % of the people in the US control the highest % of the economical and political power 2. Old money – inherited and comes with the well-known big names (Kennedy, Rocafeller) 3. New money a. Grew up in a mid-class (sometimes low-class) atmosphere. b. Bring their mid-class views to high class living situations. (Don’t spend money on stupid things)
c. Younger d. Worked for their money 4. Rural poverty is harder on people – public services and opportunities are farther away 5. Main difference between urban and rural poverty is “VISIBILITY” (You can see the poverty within the cities a lot easier) 6. Social programs like WIC and Food stamps are administered at the COUNTY level 7. “In the culture of poverty, children learn what they life.” 8. Trained incapacities a. Language barriers b. Differed gratification (Don’t understand concept of saving money) c. Relevance of time d. The way they dress 9. Institutionalized equality (Legal System) 10. Our societies response to poverty a. Target causes and groups that poverty is most commonly found b. Human resource development i. Developing skills ii. Educating people 11. CETA – paid people to go to school (Comprehensive Employment Training Act) 12. Job corps – job training for high-risk youth (Normally through boot camps 13. Neighborhood Camps – jobs for youth, takes them out of a hostile environment 14. Social Insurance programs – protects you financially a. Unemployment insurance – pays workers who lost their jobs b. Workman’s comp – provides cash and medical aide to those who were injured on the job c. Social security – benefits to retired/disabled d. Medicare – medical aid for elderly/dependent e. Medicaid – medical aid to poor 15. Cash incoming support programs a. Welfare – cash to less fortunate i. W2 – Wisconsin’s model for welfare system ii. W2 = Wisconsin Works b. AFDC (TANF) Temp assist. To needy families (children) c. Rent subsidies – assistance programs to families that need help paying rent d. Fuel assistance – helps poor families afford fuel, for work or heating house. 2-24 1. Economically disadvantaged – those who qualify for social programs 2. Standardized testing – funding goes down if the students average scores go down 3. Transfer payments – (Takes money from rich, gives to poor) through taxes
4. Crime – act or omission (something you didn’t do: pay taxes) of an act that the state can apply sanctions to. 5. Sanctions – rewards or penalties for doing/not doing something 6. The greater your conformity is within a community, the less problems you will have 7. Uniform crime report – report made from all data in the US 8. Misdemeanors – minor crimes where punishment is less than 1 year served a. Speeding tickets 9. Felonies – Normally federal crimes and very serious. Punishable by more than 1 year served. 10. Crime: personal or property 11. Types of crimes a. Violent personal – battery and assault b. Occasional property crime – vandalism, shoplifting, auto theft, and unsophisticated crimes. c. Occupational crimes i. White collar – embezzlement, insider trading, fraud, and briberies. (Normally things dealing with money) ii. Blue Collar – Stealing (Normally physical objects) d. Corporate crimes – environmental, embezzlement, insider trading, fraud, and briberies. e. Conventional Crime- (Semi-professional) gangs i. Robberies ii. Larceny f. Organized crime – illegal activities carried out for profit i. Class system (Mafia) ii. Provide goods/services that are not normally available to the public (at that certain time) 1. EX: During prohibition, the mafia provided the public with “speak-easy’s” for illegal alcohol consumption or purchases g. Public order – traffic, drugs, and prostitution h. Conspiracy – 3 or more people working together to carry out a crime i. Juvenile – (Underage’d person lacking intent: didn’t know better) Younger than 17/18 j. Professional Crime – Crime committed by people who are lifetime criminals 12. Response to crime a. Police – having to keep re-arresting criminals because legal system is to lenient b. Courts – Cases are normally resolved through the use of plea-bargains (Accused pleads guilty for a lesser sentence, also to avoid being put on trial) c. Prisons i. Recidivism – rate at which criminals return back to jail after being released
ii. Retribution – punishment iii. Our jail system focuses on retribution instead of rehabilitation(teaching) iv. Probation – Given instead of jail time (Period when you’re watched closely) v. Parole – Period of time where you’re being watched very carefully to prevent crimes. Served after your jail sentence.