Social Problems

Environmental Quality as a Social Problem

Environmental problems arise both directly and indirectly from people's social institutions, social behavior, and cultural values. Conditions of population growth, affluence and poverty, technological and industrial development, domestic and international economic activities, and patterns of consumption all affect the use--and abuse--of land, energy resources, and natural resources such as plants and animals, as well as the quality of soil, water, and air. Top problems of environmental quality today include deforestation, global warming, biodiversity loss, and hazardous waste. The solutions to these and environmental problems involve social change.