Environmental Sociology An Introduction

International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)
Volume 7 Issue 6, November-December 2023 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470
Environmental Sociology: An Introduction

Paul A. Adekunte1, Matthew N. O. Sadiku2, Sarhan M. Musa2
1
International Institute of Professional Security, Lagos, Nigeria
2
Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, USA
ABSTRACT How to cite this paper: Paul Paul A.

Environmental Sociology deals with the interactions between Adekunte | Matthew N. O. Sadiku |
societies and their environments. It focuses on the social dimensions Sarhan M. Musa "Environmental
of either the natural environment or the human-built environment Sociology: An Introduction" Published
in International
with the aim to investigate the human, economic, and political causes
Journal of Trend in
of climate change, as well as the effects climate change has on many Scientific Research
aspects of social life, like behavior, culture, values, and the economic and Development
health of populations experiencing its effects. (ijtsrd), ISSN:
The environmental problems caused by social factors which 2456-6470,
negatively impacts the society need all efforts to solve, and as well as Volume-7 | Issue-6, IJTSRD61270
December 2023,
the consideration for environmental ethics, which will border on
pp.660-671, URL:
moral and ethical relationship of human beings to the environment. www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd61270.pdf
This paper provides an introduction on environmental sociology, and
discusses its impact on humanity and solutions. Copyright © 2023 by author (s) and
International Journal of Trend in
KEYWORDS: Environmental Sociology, Environment, Climate Scientific Research and Development
Change, Environmental Ethics, Metabolic Rift, Environmental Journal. This is an
Degradation, Carrying capacity, Environmental racism, Open Access article
Environmental Refugees, Environmental Justice distributed under the
terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
INTRODUCTION
Environmental sociology is the way humans interact Each of us is affected by pollution be it air, land, and
with their environments, which closely relates to water one way or the other, hence, we should
‘human ecology’ focusing on the relationship remember the “tragedy of the commons” [2]. Human
between people and their built and their natural activities lead to pollution of soil, water, and air,
environment. An important aspect of environmental compromising the health of the entire food chain.
sociology is the concept of ‘carrying capacity’ which While everyone is at risk, poor and disadvantaged
is the maximum amount of life (or population) that a neighborhoods and nations bear a greater burden of
particular or given area can support or sustain. This the planet’s pollution, a dynamic known as
also applies to grazing lands, rivers, and to the earth environmental racism [3].
as a whole. The main focus of environmental sociology is the
‘Global warming’ also referred to as ‘climate change’ relationship between society and the environment in
is as a result of long-term shifts in temperatures due general, placing special emphasis on the social factors
to human activity and in particular, the release of that cause environmental problems, the societal
greenhouse gases into the environment. There is impacts of those problems, and efforts to solve the
generally, global short-term variations of climate problems. Environment is the study of the public in
change which include both higher and lower the largest possible sense of people, other animals,
temperatures, despite the overarching trend toward land, water, air all connected, with emphasis on
warmth, leading to extreme weather. There are more understanding the origins of, and proposed solution.
increasing record breaking weather phenomena, from Efforts must also be made to sustain the environment
the number of Category 4 hurricanes to the amount of for both the present and future generations.
snowfall in a given winter. These extremes, while
WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY?
they make for dramatic television coverage, cause Environmental sociology is mainly concerned with
immeasurable damage to crops, property and even the reciprocal relationships between environment and
lives [1].
@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID – IJTSRD61270 | Volume – 7 | Issue – 6 | Nov-Dec 2023 Page 660
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
society. Environmental sociology as a relatively new hazards and disasters, social impact assessment, and
field emerged due to the increased societal response housing and the built environment.
of the seriousness of environmental problems,
Sociological interest in environmental issues started
amongst which are: poverty and inequality, racial and
to spread internationally, and by the late 1980s and
gender discrimination, crime and delinquency etc.
1990s environmental sociology was reinvigorated in
Environmental issues are material products of the United States but was being institutionalized in
ecosystem processes, production and consumption countries around the world and within the
patterns, and human metabolic functions etc. International Sociological Association.
Environmental sociology is about the investigation of
The major accidents at Three Mile Island, in Bophal
the social causes of environmental problems,
(India), and Chernobyl dramatized as well as brought
unpacked political and economic interests at play in
to the fore technological hazards and helped generate
environmental conflicts, highlight inequitable
sociological interest in the environmental and
exposures to pollution and natural resource decline,
technological risks facing modern societies [6].
and the evaluation of the impacts of environmental
policy, and so on. According to Stewart Lockie, Since the early 1990s, Crumley and Balee who as
environmental sociology is better re-defined as the advocates of historical ecology argued that: (1) nearly
application of our sociological imaginations to the all landscapes on earth have been affected by humans
connections among people, institutions, technologies to differing degrees, (2) both human and natural
and ecosystems that make society possible. phenomena that physically manifest in landscapes or
immaterially in cultural memory can be studied as an
Scholars and researchers in sociology have aligned
integrative whole, and (3) knowledge of home-land
with the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) which is in
use and change through time can and should be
line with the ideas of early preservationists and
applied to contemporary issues (e.g. global climate
conservationists Aldo Leopold et al., who have called
change, indigenous sovereignty). This collaborates
for a healthy balance between human economic
the fact as opined by Latour that humans and
activities and the needs of ecosystems, arguing that
landscapes are inseparable, interrelated wholes, and
human social systems must reduce their demands and
also that humans play a keystone role in socio-
impacts on the nonhuman nature [4].
ecological systems [7].
HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL
The term ‘Metabolic Rift’, was coined by John
SOCIOLOGY
Bellamy Foster [8], which was the development of
The three major functions of an environment, are the
Marx’s earlier work in the Economic and
environment’s ability to: (1) provide a ”living space”
Philosophical Manuscripts on species-being and the
or habitat for human population, (2) recycle “waste
relationship between humans and nature.
products” production, which are of greater quantity
and variety especially those produced by man, and (3) Metabolism is Marx’s “mature analysis of the
provide the “sustainable base” i.e. resource base, alienation of nature,” and represents “a more solid-
however, the overuse, or the misuse, and and-scientific-way in which to depict the complex,
mismanagement of all of the above will result in dynamic interchange between human beings and
various forms of “pollution” as are prevalent today nature, resulting from human labor” [9].
worldwide [5]. Historical environmental sociologist Mark D.
Environmental sociology emerged as a subfield in the Whitaker in analyzing China, Japan and Europe over
late 1970s in response to the emergence of the 2,500 years in his book Ecological Revolution (2009),
environmental movement in the 1960s. But prior to argued that environmental movements are very old –
the 1970s, there were scattered sociological attention being expressed via religious movements in the past
to natural resource issues, environmental sociology (or in the present like in ecotheology) that begin to
developed in that decade as sociology’s own response focus on material concerns of health, local ecology,
to the emergence of environmental problems. The and economic protest against state policy and its
nascent environmental sociology of the 1970s was extractions. He argued that both the past and the
quickly institutionalized via formation of interest present are similar, saying: “that we have participated
groups within the National Sociological Associations with a tragic common civilizational process of
– this provided an organizational base for the environmental degradation, economic consolidation,
emergence of environmental sociology. This paved and lack of political representation for many
the way for scholars with interest in all aspects of the millennia which has predictable outcomes.”
physical environment i.e. from environmental Furthermore, he argued also that a form of
activism to energy and other natural resources, natural bioregionalism, the bioregional state is required to
deal with political corruption in present or in past BIOFUELS
societies connected to environmental degradation Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% -
[10]. far more than previously estimated, this was
THE FOCUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL according to a confidential World Bank report
SOCIOLOGY obtained by The Guardian. The same paper has
The main focus of environmental sociology is the previously reported that the British study stated that
relationship between society and the environment in plant fuels have “played a ‘significant’ part in
general, placing special emphasis on the social factors pushing up food prices” to record levels – which
that cause environmental problems, the societal although was not released [15].
impacts of those problems, and efforts to solve the The high demand for biofuel is responsible for
problems i.e. dealing with social aspects of today’s global food crisis. Greenhouse gas emission,
environmental problems and environmental issues which is linked to industrial production, is the cause
[11]. of global warming as shown in Figure 2, and has
In sociology, the environment is the study of the consequently led to such environmental disasters as
public in the largest possible sense of people, other decreases in biodiversity, tsunami, hurricanes,
animals, land, water, air: all connected, emphasis on drought, and acid rain etc. This has subsequently
understanding the origins of, and proposed solution. resulted in social displacement, mass migration, and
In other words, the environment consists of the air, alteration in the size and composition of the
water, and land or the earth, which is affected by population, disease and poverty – which are all
man’s activities [12], as shown in Figure 1. sociological in nature [16, 17, 18].
Environmental sociology is also concerned about THE SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF
sustainability of the natural environment. INDUSTRIALISM
SOCIAL FACTORS CAUSING From ecological viewpoint, people form an integral
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS part of the environment that actively and often
Environmental factors causing environmental interact with environmental components [19]. Human
problems are air/land pollution, drinking water beings belong to a higher category of organism as
contaminants, pesticides, hazardous waste, traffic well as have more complex brain, and a more
exposure and others. Social factors include area-level sensitive nervous system cum capacity to think and
socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity are manipulate its environment, enabling man to survive
also evaluated as potential modifiers of the and realize his roles. Human beings depend on the
relationship between pollution and preterm birth. environment for his basic needs like food, shelter, and
Preterm birth has been associated with air pollution clothing. The environment therefore forms a
exposure. The NICHD Consecutive Pregnancy Study fundamental and vital unit for human survival and
(2002-2010) contains detailed clinical data on development. This is why the availability of resources
deliveries for more than 50,000 women with at least such as petroleum, biodiversity, etc. are important
two pregnancies during the study period – the details determinants of a society’s industrial and economic
of this can be obtained from the study conducted by future, its political power and social circumstances of
Laughton S. K. et al. [13]. citizens [20].
ASTE MANAGEMENT Our environment is continuously exploited and

Waste management (or waste disposal) involves the overstressed with little or no efforts to preserve or
activities and actions required to manage waste from conserve it for future generations and for healthy
its inception to its final disposal i.e. from the point of living, due to our environmentally unfriendly
collection, transport, treatment to disposal of waste, activities. It has also been discovered that newer
coupled with monitoring and regulation of waste chemical pollutants which pollute the nation’s rivers
management process. The five types of waste are and underground water generated new health
[14]: concerns. Synthetic organic compounds were
 Liquid waste – this is mostly from households discovered in many drinking water sources [21].
and industries. Hence, the law of progress is accompanied by the
logic of retrogression i.e. attempts to solve one
 Solid rubbish – these are from households, problem leads the society into another complicated
commercial and industrial locations. one, which implies that depletion of natural resources
 Organic waste – originates from households. and pollution by man/society goes to affect the
 Recyclable rubbish. environment and which consequently comes back to
 Hazardous waste. affect the society. Industrialization or industrial
development can result to pollution of land, sea, and worsened drought, oppressive temperatures, and
air. Others include the emission of CO and CFCs rising sea levels could, by the mid twenty-first
(chlorofluorocarbons) which are used among other century in some scenarios, displace a large enough
things in aerosol and fridges, because when CFCs are number of “environmental refugees” to challenge the
released into the ozone layer and exposed to sun’s ability of surrounding nations to accept them. The
radiation, they decompose and release chlorine coined word: “environmental refugees” by Essam El-
compound, which in turn breaks up this layer. The Hinnawi is used to describe individuals fleeing their
ozone layer helps to screen the earth from the harmful homelands or habitats because of drought,
radiation from the sun which can cause cancer, affect desertification, and other environmental factors,
food production and leading to global warming. placing stress on essential resources. An estimated 25
Ozone depletion is associated with global warming million people were classified in 1995 as
and the disruption of photosynthesis [22]. environmental refugees, more than the number of
Bush burning, use of firewood and coal which are refugees due to civil war or religious persecution –
practiced and common in developing or less this is a consideration from security perspective [25],
industrialized societies, have devastating effects on and therefore the urgent need and concerted effort by
the environment and human health, as shown in governments to formulate policies to ensure food
Figure 3. Industrialization in itself is not a total security among others.
‘scientific curse’ as it has been used to achieve TOP TEN CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL
successes in the fields of medicine and healthcare, DAMAGE
warfare technology, transport, communication, A great number of environmental degradation is
education, personal hygiene and health education. going on all around us which cause damage to our
Wastes have been turned to wealth by recycling environment, the top ten of such causes are [26]:
industries and while some garbage hitherto regarded
 High quantity of exhaust gases – this is known to
as useless can now be turned into re-usable products,
be the biggest reason by far for all kinds of
none recyclable ones can be incinerated or composted
environmental damage which is the exorbitant
in relatively safer ways [23].
amount of gases, harmful to the environment
Effects of global warming according to scientists which are released by various industries. Prime
could be catastrophic with great consequences to among these gases are CO, SO2 and NH3 which
environmental, economic, and health if the current are main culprits for ozone hole and global
trends continue, leading to the following smattering warming among many others.
outcomes [24]:
 Deforestation – this is the cutting
 Melting glaciers, early snowmelt, and severe
down/harnessing of forest resources, to clear land,
droughts that will cause more dramatic water
for wood and for other various reasons, and this
shortages and increase the risk of wildfires in the
ranks second to exhaust gases. The singular major
American West.
problem it causes is that it decreases the number
 Rising sea levels leading to coastal flooding on of trees, which clean the environment, provide
the Eastern Seaboard, especially in Florida, and in oxygen, and also affect rain patterns. Hence, the
other areas such as the Gulf of Mexico. clarion calls for tree planting campaigns so as to
 Forests, farms, and cities will face troublesome replace those cut or lost.
new pests, heat waves, heavy downpours, and  High number of industries such as mining –
increased flooding. All of the factors will damage mining cause major pollution due to releases of
or destroy agriculture and fisheries. Disruption of particulate matter which qualifies as Respirable
habitat such as coral reefs and Alpine meadows Particulate Matter (RPM). The particulate matter
could drive many plant and animal species to which can enter the lungs and can harm the entire
extinction. respiratory system. This form causes the worst
direct harm to humans, also particulate matter can
 Allergies, asthma, and infectious disease
come from indoor pollution, as can be seen in
outbreaks will become more common due to
cooking on traditional ‘choolahs’ and cottage
increased growth of pollen-producing ragweed,
industries like ‘bangle-making’.
higher levels of air pollution, and the spread of
conditions favorable to pathogens and  Chemical effluents - these are by-products of
mosquitoes, as shown in Figure 4. industries which poses as threat to the
environment, leather and tanning industries,
According to the report by the Environmental
petroleum industries and chemical manufacturing
Refugees Globalization 101, a combination of
industries create major waste products which are policies can lead to land pollution and
released directly into nearby streams without degradation of the worst kind. Extraction from
treatment, creating water pollution and causing mines renders them unusable for habitation and if
harm to aquatic life. rehabilitation work is not carried out, the piece of
 Transport – the increased number of cars and land is sure to lose all its values and becomes
vehicles on the road due to increase in population unusable. Land classification is one of the major
and spending power of people, has directly led to activities that help in proper land use, and it
more pollution. Vehicular pollution is the cause of should be followed with utmost care.
smog, and as well as hydro-carbons released from THE ROLE OF POVERTY AND THE
engines, creating lower layer ozone harmful or ECONOMY IN ENVIRONMENTAL
injurious to humans. DEGRADATION
 Unprecedented Construction – Urban Heat Island The politics of the global imperial era are having a
is a direct cause of unprecedented construction consequential impact on the environment, mainly in
activities that are being carried out right now, third world countries.
which causes trapping of pollutants. Urban Heat The powerful administration of the imperial powers
island is an effect caused due to trapping of solar transparently sought to enrich their home countries
radiation by concrete and cement which are with resources, which came from the exploitation of
materials which trap heat extremely well. land, mines, forests etc. of the colonies, without
Construction causes removal of vegetation cover thinking of the environmental consequences and long
which usually allows for better exchange of heat. term impacts/effects on the colonies.
This heat island effect causes constricted
The enhanced profitable extraction of resources was
circulation of air, which traps pollutants released
one of the main objectives of the colonizing powers,
in urban areas and does not allow for mixing of
from the first Spanish colonies to the last British and
the air, thus decreasing the air quality.
Portuguese colonies. The Industrial Revolution
 Secondary Pollutants – These are not directly actually fueled the need for colonial resource
emitted, but are created when primary pollutants extraction.
react amongst themselves. Major amongst them is
Industrialization and imperialism went hand in hand,
the creation of ozone from reaction between non-
in which industrialization worked as a powerful tool
burnt hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides. There are
for imperialism. As the dance between
various other secondary pollutants and the
industrialization and imperialism grew faster, less
reaction between these pollutants cause reactions
care was paid towards environmental concerns. This
that lead to formation of ozone holes.
continued till the mid-20th century.
Stratospheric clouds are the main reaction sites
for such pollutants. Parati defined imperialism as a process whereby the
dominant politico-economic interest of one nation
 Ruinous Agricultural Policies – Overloading the
expropriates the land, forest, raw materials and
land with fertilizers, overgrazing and shifting
resources of the powerless nations. This was what
agriculture are ruinous agricultural policies that
happened during this period. It was during the
degrade land, creating soil erosion that leads to
mercantile era and mainly after the peace of
slitting in major rivers and reservoirs. Soil
Westphalia when countries started adopting this idea
degradation is a continuous cycle and it ultimately
of occupying territories to get raw materials and
leads to desertification and degradation of land
resources for the production of goods, which would
quality by allowing the direct action of eroding
lead to more accumulation of capital and
agents on cultivable land.
consequently the advancement of the nations to fuel
 Population Explosion – Increase in population their economy. Colonizers occupied the territories
usually creates a load that the environment has to and started mining their resources and minerals for
support, not only in terms of food and lodging or the benefit of the colonizer nations. The common
shelter, but also in terms of the volume/quantity suffering among all postcolonial nations is poverty
of waste it generates and the ability of the and instability. Despite the paternalistic justification
environment to support the growth. given by colonial powers, they developed their
nations because of the surplus extracted from the
 Unplanned Land-use Policies – Land models are
resourceful countries of Africa, Asia, Latin, and
available these days which help in proper
South America which has adversely affected the
planning and use of land resources. However,
standard of living of these countries even to this day.
failure to use these models and land management
The people of the third world countries have WAR for this method and stated that ‘the goal of
experienced (and are even still experiencing) some of WAR is to reduce environmental and related
the most intense poverty and political instability. human health impacts at the design stage’. The
According to World Bank statistics, over 900m WAR tracks pollutants through the entire
people are making less than $1.90 a day, the majority production process in order to obtain accurate
of which are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. measurements.
Poverty also is known to play a critical and important  Industrial efforts – Some companies choose to
role in armed conflicts, since those suffering from redesign their entire industrial process in order to
poverty easily join armed conflicts, which is a source maximize P2 opportunities. Managers focus more
of environmental degradation. All these world wars on what enters and moves through the entire
and nuclear wars have negatively impacted the process, instead of only focusing on the output.
environment, with the Second World War causing The P2 strategies that financially benefit
more significant impact due to the explosion of companies are the most likely to be implemented.
nuclear bomb. The state of the world today, which is
The excessive exploitation and overuse of
the suffering from limited resources, is the
environmental resources, overcrowding due to
consequent effect of the exploitative measures of
overpopulation and the massive generation of waste
powerful kings and empires. As Harm de Blij stated,
products are the principal causes among others of
“The emergence and diffusion of modern humanity is
environmental pollution. The various forms of
a drama whose scenes are still being reconstructed
pollutants which enter into bodies of water, air, and or
and whose backdrops are still being painted” [27].
land find their way into the food chain which impact
PREVENTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL negatively on the wellbeing of humans and living
POLLUTION organisms. Some of the preventive measures that can
Pollution Prevention (P2) is a strategy for reducing be taken to mitigate or reduce the negative effects are
the amount of waste created and released into the as follows:
environment, particularly by industrial facilities,
 International and national concern to tackle the
agriculture, or consumers. P2 is also viewed as any
menace of pollution by the enacting or
practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents
formulation of policies/laws to reduce or
pollution. Reducing the amount of pollution produced
eliminate the pollution of our environment by
means less waste to control, treat or dispose of. Less
exhaust gases like CO, SO2 and NH3 causing
pollution means less hazards posed to public health
ozone hole and global warming among many
and the environment. Many large corporations view
others. To this effect, the governments of various
P2 as a method of improving the efficiency and
countries must have the political will to rise up
profitability of production processes by waste
for the protection of the environment.
reduction and technology advancements.
 Deforestation i.e. the cutting down of trees must
In the United States of America, legislative bodies
be stopped or discouraged. Also tree planting
have enacted P2 measures, such as the Pollution
campaigns are to be carried out to replace those
Prevention Act of 1990 and the Clean Air Act
already lost.
Amendments of 1990.
 Industries must be checkmated through
The following approaches can be adopted [28]:
government regulations to reduce harmful
 Voluntary approaches – Governmental
Respiratory Particulate Matter (RPM), and other
organization often collaborate with businesses
chemicals to safeguard human health and aquatic
and regulatory agencies to create a structure of
life. The release of heated water into rivers raises
guidelines. There are four types of voluntary
the water temperature leading to the death of
approach programs: public voluntary programs,
aquatic or marine life such as fishes, plants etc.
negotiated agreements, unilateral commitments,
and private agreements.  The need to ensure good agricultural practices
where overgrazing, shifting cultivation should be
 Governmental approaches – Environmental
discouraged and or minimized, while the use of
Protection Agency (EPA) has published waste fertilizers too should be minimal.
minimization guidelines that comprise of 5 major
steps, as shown in Figure 5.  Human population need be checked, since any
particular environment has its own “carrying
 Waste reduction algorithm – The EPA makes capacity,” beyond which it will negatively impact
available software that employs the Waste the environment. This can be in terms of great
Reduction Algorithm. They use the acronym
amount of wastes generated, shelter and food  Use water sparingly or economically by installing
shortages and so on. water-efficient shower heads and faucets.
 Proper land-use policies should be put in place to  Install energy-efficient appliances such as
enhance proper land planning management and light/fluorescent bulbs that consume less energy.
use of land resources, otherwise land pollution Also turn off the lights when not in use.
and degradation of the worst kind can occur.
 Ensure that sinks and hoses are not dripping.
 Alternative source of biofuels – other sources of
 Do not excessively water plants.
energy should as a matter of urgency be sourced
which could be sun or solar energy, wind etc.  Make use of fans more often than air conditioner.
This is due to the fact that the high demand for  Make use of filters for chimneys.
biofuel is responsible for today’s food crisis.
Furthermore, greenhouse gas, especially CO2 or  Avoid usage of crackers especially during
methane, that trap heat above the earth and cause carnivals, anniversaries etc.
greenhouse effect (which is the gradual warming • Implement afforestation.
of the air surrounding the earth as a result of heat
being trapped by pollution), and leading to global Furthermore, other strategies include:
warming, decrease in biodiversity, drought, acid • Awareness – this is required to render and
rain, hurricanes etc. The resultant effect can lead distribute information on the consequences of
to social displacement, mass immigration environmental pollution e. g. climate change on
(environmental refugees), disease and poverty. human health, and opportunities to improve
health while decreasing carbon emissions. The
 Preservation and conservation of the environment education systems of all countries are to include
to avoid it’s over exploitation. Green Tech Careers, from primary to the tertiary
 Total ban of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and level of education [29].
aerosols. • To develop and create high-impact campaigns,
 Biotechnology advancement in the use of living environmental movements and projects through
things such as cells, bacteria etc. to make drugs, World Health Organization, UNICEF and so on.
destroy waste matter and so on by biotech • Use of the Principle of Environmental Justice –
industries. this looks at the health disparities that are due to
 Sustainability of the environment. the cumulative impacts of pollution exposures and
social stressors especially on low-income
 Proper waste management of both biodegradable
residents/communities, communities of color, as
and non-biodegradable wastes which involves the
shown in Figure 6, and indigenous communities
management of wastes from the point of
who often lack amenities, resources, and
collection to final disposal, as well as the
monitoring and regulation of waste management conditions that support healthy living [30].
process. • Use of the media for information dissemination
To enhance greener environment and clean air free on awareness on effects of environmental
from pollution, the steps to follow are as mentioned pollution.
below: • Youth involvement – they can make their homes,
 Reduce the number of trips you take in your car i. schools, and youth organizations more
e. by making use of public transport, thereby environmentally friendly by adopting more
leading to reduction of CO emission. environmentally friendly practices such as
preserving resources like water and electricity.
 Reduce or eliminate fireplace, wood stove use and
smoking. CHALLENGES OF ENVIRONMENTAL
POLLUTION CONTROL
 Avoid burning of leaves, trash, and other In spite of the tremendous progress made in science
materials. and technology, humanity and the environment is still
 Avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden faced with the problem of pollution.
equipment. This is due to less research being conducted in
 Bring reusable bags in which to carry purchased important areas in the gas and oil industries like –
goods in order to reduce the number of disposed assessing the impact of waste returned to shore for
paper/plastic bags. disposal; identification of sustainable strategies for
operations; and assessing and mitigating against the adverse effects our environment is exposed to by
adverse effects/impacts from atmospheric emissions. humans. Governments at various levels must urgently
formulate workable policies in conjunction with
Concerted efforts should be made and goals set in
order to control air pollution in every country in regulatory authorities/agencies to ensure enforcement
accordance to the Global updated WHO Air Quality by industries, organizations and individuals, since
everybody is exposed to the hazards from pollutants.
Guidelines for Particulate Matter (PM), SO2, NO2 and
Non-compliance to regulatory policies and laws must
O3 [31].
be sanctioned as a deterrence.
In most developing countries, Nigeria in the Delta
area as a case study, there is the lack of emissions Mass education and environmental pollution
inventory/database due to lack of consistent and awareness should be enshrined in our educational
curricular, so that our children and youth would be
systematic measurements [32], in addition to:
 Unavailability of air pollution and GHG more conscious of how they too can contribute to
monitoring stations in the Niger Delta area in greener and clean environment.
Nigeria. This is based on the information from The involvement of all stakeholders to employ a
World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases. holistic and integrated approach to all forms of
pollution to the overall benefit of humanity and the
 Few independent and research-based
measurement data are not readily available for environment for the present and the future generation,
general public use. with use of modern equipment, skilled personnel and
good policy framework should be put in place.
 Lack of collaboration between key regulatory
authorities. REFERENCES
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Figure 1. Air pollution due to smog.

Source: https://api.time.com/5736859/lahore-pakistan-pollution-amnesty-urgent-action/
Figure 2. Air pollution due to heat.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissions_trading
Figure 3. Bush burning.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_bush
Figure 4. Impacts of environmental pollution on humans.

Source: https://en.m,wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Health_effects _of_pollution.png
Figure 5. Federal Agency for Protection of the Environment.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Environmental_Protection_Agency
Figure. 6. Environmental justice.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_justice

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International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)

Environmental Sociology: An Introduction

ABSTRACT How to cite this paper: Paul Paul A.

ASTE MANAGEMENT Our environment is continuously exploited and

Figure 1. Air pollution due to smog.

Figure 2. Air pollution due to heat.

Figure 3. Bush burning.

Figure 4. Impacts of environmental pollution on humans.

Figure 5. Federal Agency for Protection of the Environment.

Figure. 6. Environmental justice.

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