alienation
Decreasing importance of social ties and community and the corresponding increase in impersonal associations and instrumental logic
altruism
Unselfish concern for the wellbeing of others and helping behaviors performed without self-interested motivation
anthropocentric
Literally "human centered"; the idea that needs and desires of human beings should take priority over concerns about other species or the natural environment
Anti-Malthusians
Contemporary researchers who believe the population boom Malthus witnessed was a temporary, historically specific phenomenon and worry instead that the worldwide population may shrink in the future
biodiversity
The variety of species of plants and animals existing at any given time
biosphere
The parts of the earth that can support life
bystander effect or diffusion of responsibility
The social dynamic wherein the more people there are present in a moment of crisis, the less likely any one of them is to take action
civil inattention
An unspoken rule governing interactions in public places, whereby individuals briefly notice others before ignoring them
community
A group of people living in the same local area who share a sense of participation and fellowship
conservation era
Earliest stage of the environmental movement, which focused on the preservation of "wilderness" areas
demographic free fall
Decrease in fertility rates among populations that have industrialized their economies as children become an economic liability rather than an asset
demographic transition
A theory suggesting the possible transition over time from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates, resulting in a stabilized population
demography
Study of the size, composition, distribution, and changes in human population
Earth Day
A holiday conceived of by environmental activist and former senator Gaylord Nelson to encourage support for and increase awareness of environmental concerns; first celebrated on March 22, 1970
ecological footprint
An estimation of the land and water area required to produce all the goods an individual consumes and to assimilate all the wastes she generates
ecoterrorism
Use of violence or criminal methods to protect the environment, often in high-profile, publicitygenerating ways
emigration
Leaving one country to live permanently in another
environment
In sociology, the natural world, the human-made environment, and the interaction between the two
environmental justice
A movement that aims to remedy environmental inequities such as threats to public health and the unequal treatment of certain communities with regard to ecological concerns
environmental movement
A social movement organized around concerns about the relationship between humans and the environment
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
A government agency organized in 1969 to protect public health and the environment through policies and enforcement
environmental racism
Any environmental policy or practice that negatively affects individuals, groups, or communities because of their race or ethnicity
environmental sociology
The study of the interaction between society and the natural environment, including the social causes and consequences of environmental problems
family planning
Contraception, or any method of controlling family size and the birth of children
fertility rate
A measure of population growth through reproduction; often expressed as the average number of births per 1,000 people in the total population or the average number of children a woman would be expected to have
global (or solar) dimming
A decline in the amount of light reaching the earth's surface because of increased air pollution, which reflects more light back into space
global warming
Gradual increase in the earth's temperature, driven recently by an increase in greenhouse gases and other human activity
grassroots environmentalism
Fourth major stage of the environmental movement; distinguished by the diversity of its members and belief in citizen participation in environmental decision making
Green Party
A U.S. political party established in 1984 to bring political attention to environmentalism, social justice, diversity, and related principles
greenhouse effect
The process in which increased production of greenhouse gases, especially those arising from human activity (e.g., carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) cause the earth's temperature to rise
greenhouse gases
Any gases in the earth's atmosphere that allow sunlight to pass through but trap heat, thus affecting temperature
growth rate
Expression of changes in population size over time figured by subtracting the number of deaths from the number of births, then adding the net migration
human exceptionalisms
The attitude that humans are exempt from natural ecological limit
immigration
Entering one country from another to take up permanent residence
infant mortality
Average number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births in a particular population
internal migration
Movement of a population within a country
life expectancy
Average age to which people in a particular population live
Life span or longevity
The uppermost age to which a person can potentially live
mainstream environmentalism
Beginning in the 1980s, the third major stage of the environmental movement; characterized by increasing organization, well-crafted promotional campaigns, sophisticated political tactics, and an increasing reliance on economic and scientific expertise
Malthusian theorem
The theory that exponential population growth will outpace arithmetic growth in food production and other resources
Malthusian trap
Malthus's prediction that a rapidly increasing population will overuse natural resources, leading inevitably to a major public health disaster
migration
Movement of people from one geographic area to another for the purpose of resettling
modern environmental movement
Beginning in the 1960s, the second major stage of the environmental movement; focused on the environmental consequences of new technologies, oil exploration, chemical production, and nuclear power plants
mortality rate
A measure of the decrease in population due to deaths; often expressed as the number of deaths expected per 1,000 people per year in a particular population
natural increase change
In population size that results from births and deaths; linked to a country's progress toward demographic transition
Neo-Malthusians
Contemporary researchers who worry about the rapid pace of population growth and believe that Malthus's basic prediction could be true
net migration
Net effect of immigration and emigration on an area's population in a given time period; expressed as an increase or decrease
new ecological paradigm
A way of understanding human life as just one part of an ecosystem that includes many species' interactions with the environment; suggests that there should be ecological limits on human activity
NIMBY
short for "Not In My Back Yard"; originally referred to protests that aimed at shifting undesirable activities onto those with less power; now sometimes used without negative connotations to describe local environmental activists
nonrenewable resources
Finite resources, including those that take so long to replenish as to be effectively finite
pluralistic ignorance
A process in which members of a group individually conclude that there is no need to take action because of the observation that other group members have not done so
pollution
Any environmental contaminant that harms living beings
renewable resources
Resources that replenish at a rate comparable to the rate at which they are consumed
social atomization
A social situation that emphasizes individualism over collective or group identities
social ecology
The study of human populations and their impact on the natural world
sustainable development
Economic development that aims to reconcile global economic growth with environmental protection
treadmill of production
Term describing the operation of modern economic systems that require constant growth, which causes increased exploitation of resources and environmental degradation
urban legend
Modern folklore; a story that is believed (incorrectly) to be true and is widely spread because it expresses concerns, fears, and anxieties about the social world
urbanites
People who live in cities