in this assignment, you will critically assess environmental challenges.
To fully grasp the society-environment relationship requires a critical assessment of environmental challenges, which are by-and-large societal challenges. The political ecology perspective helps to explain and address these challenges by focusing on the political, social, and economic factors that influence human engagement with ecological systems.
Apply a social sciences perspective to critically examine environment and society relations
Describe major concepts that are central in understanding environment and society relations
Explain how social inequality is both a product and producer of environmental problems
For this assignment, write a short critical essay, responding to the questions listed below.
According to Rachel Carson, how can environmental challenges be defined by the “power” that humans have acquired, that makes the current time period unique in the history of life on Earth? (In answering this question, be sure to identify the major environmental challenge that Carson describes.)
What is a current environmental challenge that affects both the environment and people? (In answering this question, identify and describe an environmental challenge that is not covered in-depth in the Module 1 Reading, Lecture, or Media.)
How can a political ecology perspective be used to highlight the power relations involved in that environmental challenge? (In answering this question, be sure to explicitly describe the power relations, who is affected by these relations, and how it can be addressed.)
In your essay, you should also briefly define any terms/concepts that you draw upon from the Module 1 Reading to demonstrate your understanding and use of them.
