Term
| Political economy approach to understanding nature-society relations |
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Definition
| It is the idea that the structure of the economy and the power-laden relationship (worker/owner) of the economy produces the environment we live in. Looks at production/consumption relationships to understand social and environmental processes. |
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Definition
An economic structure based on
a) Some people privately owning the means of production
b) Those who do not own the means of production selling labor for a wage
c) Accumulating wealth/making a profit |
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Term
| Externalization of costs onto the environment and public health |
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Definition
| To reduce costs firms externalize onto the environment (pollution, dumping, ect) which then effects the health of the surrounding communities. |
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| Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few |
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| Wages of the majority are lowered so much that the majority cannot afford to buy the products being sold, leading to an economic crisis. |
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| When a company makes too much of a product in order to compete. Consumers cannot buy quickly enough to clear the market, leading to an economic crisis. |
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Term
| second contradiction of capitalism |
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Definition
| The more we destroy the environment now, the less the environment will be able to sustain us over time. As we destroy the environment, we will have fewer materials to work with resulting in a spike in prices which will lead to an economic crisis. |
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Definition
Strategies to temporarily avoid economic crisis
a) move to where labor is cheaper
b) externalize costs, move waste to places with less environmental regulations
c) find new markets |
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Definition
| The idea that nature is a product of capitalism. It is the outcome of capitalist human-environment relations. Our environment is a reflection of capitalism and uneven social and environment relationships of capitalism. |
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| Social Construction of Nature |
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Definition
| Areas we designate as nature are based on someone’s/a cultures idea of what nature is. Shapes what nature is and is not and what is/isn’t allowed in nature. |
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| A framework of particular combinations of stories, ideas, beliefs and practices that set the terms of discussion (i.e. what a family is). |
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| A method for analyzing different ideas about nature and how these ideas are made. What is the history and types of knowledge that shapes this idea of nature? Who does this idea of nature benefit? |
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| Taking land from indigenous people to create wildlife reserves and national parks. |
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| People who are kicked off of their land in order to turn the space into an area without humans or any type of human activity. |
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| Enables us to see how differing ideas of nature are products of social processes, beliefs, politics, and history. |
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Definition
| The politics of environmental change, use and control, knowledge and identity. |
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Term
| feminist political ecology |
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Definition
| Examines gender as a critical variable in shaping environmental change, use, control, knowledge and identity. Women have a unique knowledge due to their social roles and being able to see problems in a abstracted, more holistic way. |
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Term
| formal and informal rights |
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Definition
Formal: legal through courts/law (used in regard to men)
Informal: legal via customary laws (used in regard to women) |
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Definition
| From the Old Testament, established humans as the sole earthly creatures made in God’s image, making them superior to all other animals. |
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| The moral responsibility to care for and protect the natural world. Often used in a religious context such as “caring for creation”. |
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| Ethical theory that says the value of a good should be judged solely by its’ usefulness to society. |
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| An ethical standpoint that views humans as the central factor in considerations of right and wrong action in and toward nature. Literally means “human-centered”. |
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| An environmental ethical stance that argues that ecological concerns should over and above human priorities be central to decisions. |
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| Humans, animals and the environment are all deserving of moral consideration, both as individuals and as members of an ecosystem. |
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| The value of a natural object in and for itself as an end rather than a means. |
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| Value of a natural object based on its’ usefulness for human purposes. |
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| The ethical belief that because animals can feel physical (and possibly emotional) pain, we should treat animals humanely and prevent animal suffering and cruelty. |
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| The ethical belief that no species on this earth is superior to another therefore, the use of animals by humans is never morally just. |
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Term
| social construction of animal difference |
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Definition
| The significance of biological differences between humans and other animals shaped by ethnicity, religion, nationality, culture, ect. |
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Term
| What are the two factors necessary to making a profit in capitalist system? |
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Definition
| Some people owning the means of production and others that are willing to tell their labor for a wage |
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Term
| Is gender a biological difference? A socially constructed difference? Both? Explain. |
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Definition
| Gender is both a biologically and socially constructed difference based off of biological differences in men and women as well as social constructions of nature that vary by culture, class, race, and place and are subject to individual and social change. Social roles of women in society as mothers and women in society allows for specific knowledge and a more holistic view of problems rather than focusing on one domain. |
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| How and why does environmental knowledge differ based on gender? Give an example of environmental knowledge acquired based on gender specific experience. |
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Definition
| Gender division of rights and access to resources, are formal rights and informal rights. Gender divisions of environmental responsibilities lead to women adapting knowledge of resources in the home to their outside roles in society. |
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| There has been a global surge in women’s participation and leadership of environmental movements-documented by scholars, journalists, politicians, and administrators. Provide 4 reasons with examples to explain why. |
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Definition
1. declining economic and environmental circumstances: women are becoming more involved in social and environmental movements because they are facing more difficulties ensuring survival, health and well-being of their fams.
2. structural adjustment policies: restructure countries loans if agree to privatization and deregulation to get economy going by creating new markets.
3.increase in consciousness raising and political awareness. Example, asthma rates in cancer alley creates national awareness opt impact industrial pollution has on a child physical and mental development.
4. role of the international women's movement - addresses converging issues of gender, race, class, and culture and to rest women's rights as basic human rights. |
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Term
| You will be given a few scenarios of ethical situations that involve animals and/or the environment. Be able decide what the ethical response would be based on the various ethical theories listed above in the definitions section. There is an example of such a scenario and questions in our environmental ethics power point posted on Blackboard. |
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Definition
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| Is species a biological difference? A socially constructed difference? Both? Explain. |
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Definition
| Species is both a biologival and socially constructed difference. There are biological differences that cause each species to be distinct from one another. It is also a socially constructed. For examples it is socially constructed that animals cannot feel pain. |
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Term
| What are the impacts of potato production on the environment? |
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Definition
| The production of potatoes has a significant impact on the environment. It requires large amounts of water and chemicals, and energy. Transportation, freezing, and processing of the potatoes to become a uniform also require a large amount of energy. In addition, using and growing only one kind of potato (the Russet Burbank), we create a monoculture of a single variety of potato around the world, decreasing the biodiversity of the potato and threatening food security. Pesticide, fungicide, and herbicide use also decrease the biodiversity of the ecosystem in which the potato is grown. These chemicals can also run off into waterways, negatively impacting aquatic and riparian ecosystems. |
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Term
| What is the first contradiction of capitalism? |
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Definition
| refers to the things that can lead this type of economic system in to a crisis and to potentially one day collapse. 1. over-accumulation 2. under-consumption 3. over production |
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Term
| How might this relationship between the farmer and the food company and the relationship between potato production and the environment lead to economic and environmental crises inherent in a capitalist economy? |
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Definition
With the fast-food companies paying the commercial farmers a total of only about $50 per acre, there is an issue of over-accumulation: concentration of the wealth in the pockets of the few. Also, because the farmers are making so little, we are left with the issue of under-consumption, in which the profit of the farmers is lowered so much that they are no longer able to afford to participate in the economy through consumption.
The production of the Russet Burbank potato is environmentally destruction through its heavy use chemicals, water, and energy. Monoculture of the potato, as well as pollution generated through the production of the Russet Burbank, also harms the environment. By externalizing costs onto the environment now, we will have less material (water, healthy soil, healthy ecosystem) to work with later. As resources become scarce, prices will rise and could lead to economic crises. |
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Term
| According to the chapter on wolves, what is masculinity? |
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Definition
| Masculinity is the socially agreed upon characteristics of behavior and traits associated with men in any society. |
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| How did the social construction of masculinity shape the social construction of wolves? |
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Definition
| In the early 20th century, the dominant conception of masculinity was man as a gentleman hunter. The gentleman hunter was a rugged, independent American who thrived in the solitude of nature. He was an excellent hunter, but only killed as much as he could use. Wolves, on the other hand, don’t hunt alone—but in packs. This made wolves appear cowardly to the solitary gentleman hunter. In addition, wolves often kill more than they need. Their scraps bring in a diverse number of animals, improving biodiversity. However, because their hunting practices were different from the gentleman hunter, wolves were seen as wasteful, merciless killers that kill for fun. |
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| Women often have a disproportionate share of responsibilities for getting and managing resources, but often lack formal rights to resources. Why? Explain. |
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Definition
| Women have disproportionate share of responsibilities for getting and managing resources, but often lack the formal rights to resources b/c of their social construction. Women are typically socially constructed to be care takers of the home and family and are limited to formal rights of anything outside that domain. |
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| We socially construct racial, ethnic, and nationality difference based on appearance, such as skin color, hair color, facial features, etc. Be able to explain how racial, ethnic, and nationality differences are also socially constructed based on differing human-animal relations. Be able to provide an example. |
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Definition
| we often socially construct differences between different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups based on their interactions with other animals and how they differ from the way that the dominant group in society interacts with other animals.for example eating dogs is socially acceptable in china, whereas in the united states it is unheard of because we believe dogs to be family members, not a food source. |
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