Sociology of Environment

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Sociology of Environment

• Social Bases of Environmental Concern
• Week 3 9-14-05

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Overview

• Welcome
• NY PIRG Representative
• Business Items
• Freudenburg Visit Monday 9-19 4pm 441 Eggers
• Overseas Study in South Africa (Environmental
  Course)
• Presentation
• A Brief History of US Environmental Movement
• Downs Model
• Rise, Fall and Rise of US Environmental Concern
• Discussion of Readings
• The Current Environmental Movement What is
  going on? Is it Dead?

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Presentation

• A Brief History of the US Environmental Movement
• European Roots
• England - Malthus 1798 Limits to Growth
• Germany Forest Management in 1600
• Conservation Preservation Movement of the late
  19th Century
• US Govt. Response to waste/destruction of Nat.
  Res.
• Conservation and Wise Use Management (USFS)
  Pinchot
• Preservation Movement John Muir (Sierra Club)
• Yosemite Park in California 1864 Yellowstone NP
  1st in nation 1872
• Establishment of US Park Service
• Teddy Roosevelt 1900-1910 First Environmental
  President
• Conservation and preservation movements continue
  today

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A Brief History of US Environmental Movement Cont.

• New Deal Era (pre WWII The Great Depression
  1930s)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt President 1932-1945
• The Dust Bowl in the Great Plains 1930s
• Flooding of the Mississippi River Valley 1920s
  30s
• No New Land in the West safety valve gone
• Land Rehabilitation Programs TVA, CCC, SCS
• Soil Management
• Reforestation Programs (millions of young men)
• Dam Construction (Flood Control / Electricity)
• New Deal Americas experiment in socialism,
  e.g. active Federal Involvement US Govt.
  involved in environmental mgt. to improve human
  welfare

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A Brief History of US Environmental Movement Cont.

• Post WWII Recreation Boom- 1950s
• Huge Economic Expansion Economy Soars
• Post WWII spending Forced Savings from War
• Beginning of the Baby Boomers Generation
• Era of Wealth and Mobility (cars highways)
• Rise of Leisure Time
• Middle Class America Discovers the Great Outdoors
• Take family hiking and camping
• CCC men with their families return to the trails,
  trees planted, campsites worked on during the
  1930s.

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A Brief History of US Environmental Movement Cont.

• Modern Era 1962 to 2001??
• Rachel Carsons Silent Spring pesticides/
  Health
• Human Arrogance pollution of air water rapid
  urban and industrial development
• Smoke Stacks earlier seen as a sign of
  progress now seen as a sign of health threats/
  environmental degradation
• Santa Barbara Oil Spill 1969
• Earth Day 1970 No longer just resource
  management/ Preservation BUT fears of pollution
  human health, survival of all species/ planet
  earth
• General Public Engaged with Environmental Issues
  A shift from Elites/ Intellectuals to Common
  Citizens

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A Brief History of US Environmental Movement Cont.

• Present Era 2001 - ?
• Something Different Going On Now?
• Organized Anti-Environmental Force
• Extractive Industries (oil/gas/coal/timber etc)
• Chemical Industry
• Anti Environmental Administration/ Congress
• Q Short-term Aberration or Beginning of New
  Phase?
• Rise of State Government - Environmentalism

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Presentation

• The Downs Model of Natural Decline
• (AKA - Issue-Attention Cycle)
• Premise All social movements have natural life
  cycle born, grow, mature and die whether
  successful or not
• E.g. Temperance Movement (prohibition)
  1918-1933.
• 1970 Anthony Downs predicted that the
  environmental movement would meet the fate
  experienced by most social problems brief moment
  in the sun and then fade from public attention
  replaced by newer problems

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The Downs Model of Natural DeclineCont.

• Downs Model 5 stages
• 1 Pre-Problem Stage
• Problem recognized by experts but not public
• 2. Alarmed Discovery Stage
• Dramatic Event/ Crisis triggers public interest
  enthusiastic support for solving it
• 3. Cant Be Easily Solved Stage
• Realization of problem difficulty/complexity
• Public enthusiasm dampens
• Government responses with agencies/programs

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The Downs Model of Natural DeclineCont.

• Downs Model 5 Stages Cont.
• 4. Gradual Decline in Intense Public Interest
  Stage
• Disillusionment with costs of solutions
• Boredom with issue
• Decline in Media Coverage
• Government Involved / Managing Problem
• 5. Post-Problem Stage
• New Issue center of Public Attention
• Old issue fades away/ occassional upsurge up
  interest but heyday over

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Presentation

• The Rise, Fall, Rise and ????? Of US
  Environmental Concern
• Pubic Concern Data Polling at the individual
  level (data sporadic until 1970 and then again in
  early 1970s
• American Presidents 1968 2005
• 1969-1974 Richard Nixon
• 1974-1977 Gerald Ford
• 1977-1981 Jimmy Carter
• 1981-1989 Ronald Reagan
• 1989-1993 George HW Bush Bush I
• 1993-2001 Bill Clinton
• 2001- Now George W. Bush Bush II

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Rise, Fall, Rise and ???? Of US Environmental
Concern Cont.

• 1965 1970 Dramatic Rise in Public Concern for
  the Environment
• 1970 1st Earth Day Major Event
• 1971- 1982 or so Public concern for the
  environment falls steadily (on a number of items)
• Downs (1972) says Environmental Movement passes
  from 2nd into 3rd stage (Cant be easily solved)
• Why? What is going on at this time?

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Rise, Fall, Rise and ???? Of US Environmental
Concern Cont.

• Mid to Late 1970s One of the most difficult
  time in modern US History (Ford Carter
  Administrations)
• Rapid Inflation (Stagflation)
• Governmental Fiscal Crisis
• OPEC Oil Embargo Oil/Gas Prices soar (gas lines
  at service station 1st time in US history)
• Known as the Energy Crisis
• Downs Energy replacing Environment as a public
  concern
• Another Explanation for falling public concern
  for the environment? Role of Government?

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Rise, Fall, Rise and ???? Of US Environmental
Concern Cont.

• The 1980sthe Rapid Rise of Environmental Concern
• 1981- Ronald Reagan Landslide Victory
• Reagan ran on a conservative platform
  deregulation/ market freedom smaller government
  reduced taxes, etc.
• Reagan advisors reading the polling numbers-
  Environment is no longer a popular issue/ Dead
  Issue Must support his deregulation rhetoric
• Reagan Administration takes on an aggressive
  Anti-Environmental Campaign/ Deregulation
• James Watt (Interior) Lobbyist for coal industry
• Anne Gorsuch Burford (EPA) Corporate Lobbyist
• Donald Hodel (Energy) Parisian Appointee Wealthy
  Dentist

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The 1980sthe Rapid Rise of Environmental Concern
Cont.

• Reagan Mandate to Appointees Not to enforce
  environmental rules and regulations less
  government interference Open public lands for
  development slash environmental budgets
• American Public Response OUTRAGED
• Public Concern for the environment (polling)
  sky-rocketed
• Public Support for Environmental NGOs
  (organizations) rapidly rose as ordinary
  citizens rise up
• Watts and Gorsuch Burford forced resigned in
  1985
• Public Concern for Environment Record High 1990
• Other issues as well Ozone Layer Global Warming
  fears Exxon Valdez, etc.

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The 1980sthe Rapid Rise of Environmental Concern
Cont.

• Downs Model So What Happened?
• Clearly Downs predictions where wrong?
• How might we think about what happened?
• What miscalculations did the Reagan
  Administration make?

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The Present 1990s - 2005?????

• 1989-1993 George HW Bush (I) Runs as an
  Environmental President Fails
• 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment
  Development (Rio Conference)
• A World Event
• Public Polls slight drop in public support for
  environment flattens out at 60 approval rating
• Clinton/ Gore Administration 1993-2001
• Membership Support of Environmental NGOs
  plummet

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The Present 1990s - 2005????? Cont.

• 2001 George W. Bush (II) Elected Re-elected in
  2004 - present
• Revives Reagans Conservative Efforts
• Smaller government, less taxes, pro-free markets,
  etc.
• September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks
• Economy weak
• Quiet assault on environmental programs and
  legislation
• Clear Air Initiative
• Healthy Forest Initiative, etc.
• Polling numbers flat on environment 60 No
  Public Outrage as during Reagan

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Discussion (of Readings Beyond)

• Your Thoughts on the State of the Environment/
  Environmentalism Today
• Is the environment being discussed much these
  days? (other people classmates, in media, etc.)
• If yes, what is being talked about?
• If not, why not?
• What environmental issues worry you? If any?
• Do you think it matters to have an
  Administration/ Congress willing to engage these
  issues? (Senator Inhofe)
• What do you think needs to be done? Or what needs
  to happen to generate more concern? Is concern
  the right word

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Discussion Cont.

• Statement on Environment from Senator James
  Inhofe, OK. Chairman of the Senate Environment
  and Public Works Committee
• EnvironmentI believe our environment should be
  protected. As the Chairman of the Senate
  Environment and Public Works Committee I believe
  scientifically based, well thought-out
  environmental regulations can provide benefits to
  the American people. However, too many times
  current environmental regulations are not based
  on science. As a result, they usually do harm and
  put undue restrictions upon the freedoms of many
  Americans. Additionally, poorly designed
  environmental regulations have been a large
  contributor to the energy problems we now face.
  If we rethink environmental regulation, we could
  be in a better position in the future and find
  ourselves in a place where we can have far
  greater environmental protection, more reliable
  and diverse energy sources and a strong economy.
  The political agenda of extremists must not
  dictate our efforts to provide common sense
  protections that are based on science.

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Discussion Cont.

• Brechin Freeman Article
• How should we attempt to explain the George W.
  Bush Anomaly or Paradox?
• Lag time Phenomenon
• Change in Media Coverage Ownership
• Redefined Issue Salience
• Perceived Threats Political Authoritarianism
• Lessons from the Reagan Administration?
• Dont take Environmentalism On Directly

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Discussion Cont.

• The Death of Environmentalism Global Warming
  Politics in a Post-Environmental World
  (Shellenberger Nordhaus)
• What did you think of the article?
• What do they mean by Death of Environmentalism?
• What is their basic argument?

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Discussion Cont.

• Vision and Values
• Vision vs. Policies
• Special Interest vs. Basic Interests
• Policies vs. Politics / incremental progress

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Next Class Monday 9-19-05

• Social Bases Continued
• Who is concerned about What? US and Globally
• Readings
• Web Blain Response to Death from
  Environmentalism
• CR Taylor American Environmentalism
• BK1 Foster Chapter 5 Let Them Eat Pollution
• Chapter 6 The Limits of Environmentalism without
  Class
• CR Rodriques Advocating for the Environment