What Is The Influence Of Social Constructionism On The Environment

Social Constructionist Perspective on Environmental Problems Social constructionism originated as an attempt to come to terms with the nature of reality. It emerged over thirty years ago and has its origins rooted in sociology and has been associated with qualitative research. Social constructionism is essentially an anti-realist, relativist stance. The influence of social constructionism is a very current issue and an understanding of its core concepts is important in evaluating its impact on the methodology (Robbins, Hintz, & Moore 118).
Given its current and profound influence, constructionism needs to be understood so that one can better evaluate the nature and validity of the arguments surrounding its use. The terms constructivism …show more content…
However, this is looking at human and environmental interaction on a very small-scale. A much more widely known problem that mankind is a part of, whether they claim to be or not, are the effects of global warming. Global warming is the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants (David, Burns, & Bender). With An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore attempted to educate and launch a movement to end climate change associated with global warming. He did indeed inform the public on human activities that cause global warming by guiding the audience through the science of how the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by these human activities results in the warming of the earth, impacting all facets of our lives including ocean and agriculture productivity, droughts, flooding of major cities, and storm frequency. In the film, Gore shows pictures taken fifteen to thirty years ago of glaciers that have existed for the last ten thousand years or more and compares them to pictures taken in the last year or two. It is shocking to see the rate at which the glaciers are disappearing. The film also shows the famous “snows of …show more content…
While it is not possible to attribute any specific storm, like Katrina, to the effects of global warming, major storms spinning in both the Atlantic and the Pacific since the 1970s have increased in duration and intensity about fifty percent. Global warming has also contributed to a 20 percent increase in rain over the last 100 years. However this increase in precipitation is not uniform and some areas of the world have suffered from drought. It was striking to see the role this drought plays in the horrors now going on in Africa, which is generally written off in the imperialist press as the inevitable nightmares of “uncivilized” people that the West has no responsibility for. Famine is killing many children and putting millions of lives at risk in the Niger area. In Darfur, a horrific genocide is being carried out. While the causes leading to the genocide and famine are complex, a contributing factor to these horrific situations is changes brought on by global warming. Lake Chad, which was once the sixth largest lake in the world, has shrunk to one-twentieth of its former size, with sand dunes covering its bed. The disappearance of the lake has led to collapsed fisheries, lack of irrigation and crop failures, and millions displaced by hunger (David, Burns, &