10 Things You Need to Know About Environmental Sociology

Environmental Sociology is the study of the relationship and interaction between social beings and the environment in which they live, be it a social or a natural environment. Though environmental sociology, a part of environmental science has more than one conceptual definition given by intellectuals, it is a contemporary concept that has come into the picture due to the social recognition of environmental problems and problematic social conditions within society.

This Story also Contains

1. What is Environmental Sociology?
2. 10 Things to Know About Environmental Sociology Courses
3. Conclusion

In this article, we will learn about the environmental sociology course, its importance, and much more. If you are interested in gaining further knowledge in this field, you can go through the Environmental Certification Courses listed on our website.

Read on to learn 10 things about environmental sociology. Before we begin let us know what environmental sociology courses are, and why it is important.

What is Environmental Sociology?

Environmental sociology is the study of the connection between the natural environment the societies. Studying these interactions is important in determining environmental problems by finding appropriate solutions. The scope of environmental sociology is wide and the issues in economic sociology are economy, population, health, politics, law, and environmentalism.

Environmental sociology lets people engage in discussions about understanding the environment, and what needs to be done to understand the issues, and aspirations related to the environment. Environmental Sociology is a very important concept in environmental studies and for people who are concerned with the environment and society,

10 Things to Know About Environmental Sociology Courses

This interdisciplinary field draws on concepts and theories from sociology, ecology, geography, and environmental studies to shed light on the complex dynamics between humans and their surroundings.

1. Three Dimensions of Environmental Sociology

The three dimensions of environmental sociology are given below:

• The material dimension deals with the effects of the materialistic consumption of society along with the economy and advanced technology on the natural environment.
• The ideal dimension deals with the impact of social experiences, cultural practices, and beliefs on different environmental conditions
• The practical dimension is all about what we as human beings can contribute to this field. It suggests that rather than only studying the issues related to the sociology of the environment, we need to improve it.

2. Existential Dualism

The importance of the nature and scope of environmental sociology could be understood with the help of theories related to sociology and the environment. The initial theory is existential dualism. Several unique cultures and evolving traits have given rise to the duality of the human race. According to Buttel and Humphrey, one perspective is that human beings live in the ecosphere along with other creatures.

From another perspective, humans are supposed to be different from other creatures because of their unique capabilities, cultures, beliefs, and institutions. Typically, biologists and ecologists put more emphasis on the first perspective while social scientists signify the second perspective. This difference in perspective formed the initial paradigms of environmental sociology.

3. Societal-Environmental Dialectic

The environmental sociology course will enable students to get familiar with the societal environmental dialectic concept. It is a concept that firstly states that the human urge to expand economically will be considered more desirable than ecological concerns.

Secondly, the government is supposed to prioritise human health and economic disasters at the expense of the most alarming environmental problems. Lastly, environmental degradation, in the long run, could become so severe that the government would be forced to respond to such a serious situation with sustainable policies in the economy.

4. Treadmill of Production

In the year 1980, Schnaiberg again gave a conflicting theory on the interaction between human beings and their environment. The theory is that though an economy needs to grow, attract investments, and crave more profitability, ecological concerns are harmful to the survival of human society.

This identifies the need to economically grow continuously and will increase the need for more future growth. Hence, economic growth is desired throughout society but environmental degradation would lead to a common consequence that will damage the long-run economic growth.

Also Read: 20+ Online Environmental Science Courses to Pursue in 2024

5. Human Exemptionalism Paradigm (HEP)

The Human Exemptionalism Paradigm signifies the fact that humans are unique species that have been exempted naturally from environmental forces. During the sociology courses, students will understand that this paradigm was shaped in the Western world became popular at the time of the Industrial Revolution, and continued to be present until the second half of the 20th century.

6. New Ecological Paradigm (NEP)

The 21st century marked the addition of a new paradigm related to the concept of the scope of environmental sociology. The New Ecological Paradigm claimed that though humans have exceptional characteristics such as culture, beliefs, values, and technology, they will remain as one of the parts of the global ecosystem interdependently.

Humans living in their physical environment depend upon the biological environment finitely. Due to this, the biophysical environment has the potential to impose both biological and physical restraints on the affairs of human beings. Not only that human affairs are in many ways influenced by natural factors other than cultural and social factors.

7. Environmental Movements

Another important thing that students will learn in sociology certification or environmental certification courses is about environmental movements. Sociologists developed links between the range of environmental and social issues like natural hazards, social impacts, outdoor creation, and resource management. New movements as compared to older ones are mostly cultural and social rather than political.

These movements were intended to give a different identity and transformation to the people who willingly adopt alternative lifestyles to improve the natural as well as the social environment.

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8. Western Modernity and Environmental Sociology

The Cartesian separation of society and nature is a concept still firmly rooted in an environment in sociology. This separation forms one of the foundations of Western modernity. Western modernity is a concept that is linked to the capitalist, colonial, and patriarchal dimensions of the West.

This model of society identifies both human beings and the natural environment as entities that are present in the anthropocentric cosmos in which humans are the only true actors.

9. Modern Trends in Environmental Sociology

In the modern era, graduates in environmental sociology courses have started reassessing the IPAT model's utility in this field. This is particularly to examine the important forces which are generating environmental problems at the global level. Some of these environmental problems are climate change and tropical deforestation. IPAT is an accounting equation that shows proportionality between each of the three causal factors and their sustainable impact.

10. UN’s 2030 Agenda

In 2015, the General Assembly of the UN adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included in the program named UN’s 2030 Agenda. It was made with a principle in mind which is “leaving no one behind”. The main goal of this initiative is to achieve sustainable development worldwide. It has provided an emphasis on inequality, education, accessibility of human settlement, growth, and employment as well as proper monitoring and data collection of the SDGs.

The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda focuses on sustainable development which can solve the issues related to environmental sociology to some extent. The UN’s 2030 Agenda links social, environmental, and economic targets which sends a message that the social sciences and the need for more multidisciplinary research and development programmes are genuine ones.

Providers Offering Environmental Science Certification Courses

• eskill India Environmental Science Certification Courses
• Futurelearn Environmental Science Certification Courses
• OHSC Environmental Science Certification Courses
• Coursera Environmental Science Certification Courses
• NIOS Environmental Science Certification Courses
• Swayam Environmental Science Certification Courses
• Saylor Academy Environmental Science Certification Courses
• edX Environmental Science Certification Courses

Conclusion

Environmental sociology is also known as the sociological study of socio-environmental interactions These interactions present the problem of incorporating human cultures with the rest of the environment around them. We hope that this article on 10 important things that one can know about Environmental Sociology has been covered well in this article by the Careers360 team.