Sociology Factories and Environmental Hazards

Question: Discuss about theSociologyfor Factories and Environmental Hazards. Answer: Factories And Environmental Hazards Are Often Located Near The Socially Disadvantaged, Such As The Poor And Racial Minorities Over the past few decades, the rural areas across the globe have been facing challenges due to the enhanced environmental hazards. Macionis Plummer (2012) have discussed that the environmental racism has been increasing across the global platform. By defining the environmental racism, it can be assessed that it is a type of discrimination where low developed areas are facing difficulties due to the environmental hazards. Besides this, most of the low-income or the minority communities have to live in the proximity of the hazardous environmental situation including the toxic wastes, pollution, and the urban decay. However, there are different views of authors on the particular research. Most of the researchers have highlighted that the environmental racism has been increasing followed by the political legislations. However, some authors have identified the fact that the industry and factories choose the low developed areas for the establishment of the business due to the development of the particular areas within the short timeframe. With the establishment of the industries in the low developed geographical locations, the organizations indeed facilitate in enhancing the economic strength in an efficient manner. For example, the Niger Delta area in Nigeria has been experiencing the environmental hazards due to the enormous growth of the oil and gas industry. The local population has been facing difficulties due to the contaminated water by the wastage of the industry. However, the local government of Nigeria has denied reducing the effectiveness of the oil and gas industry due to the enormous contribution of the industry to the local areas. It has been reported that the oil and gas industry of the particular area has been facilitating in the enhancement process of strengthening the national economic structure. According toMacionis J. Plummer (2012), in the recent years, there are much similar to Bhopal disaster has caught the wider public attention. For example, Alaska, Britain, and Ireland had faced huge difficulties in leading life due to the nuclear explosion. Due to the environmental racism or hazards, the world has been departed into two sections including rich countries and underdeveloped countries. From the long period, we have seen the discrimination in the culture across the globe. A high large part of the community in the rich nation or the developed countries has been leading their lives under all sorts of material pleasure, whereas the people and their ancestors of Bhopal are hardly able to imagine about that comfort. While discussing the environmental hazards, we have to mention the situation of Japan during the Tsunami and earthquake. It was reported that over 10,000 people were killed by the Tsunami and thousands of people were missing. Hence, it can be assessed that the en vironmental hazards have created huge difficulties for several nations across the globe. Pulido (2015) have highlighted the fact that the purpose for urbanization has created unbalanced natural resources. Moreover, there are different reasons for the unbalanced environment resources such as population explosion, lack of environmental concern, poor land management policy municipal and industrial wastes. Over the past few years, we have seen that the local government has been focusing on developing the urban areas. The government bodies primarily thought that the urbanization of the city would be the best-fit solution for them in engaging more business into the country. However, the development of the rural areas has also been considered. Nowadays, most of the industries have been identifying the low development areas or the rural areas for expanding their business. In this context, most of the industrialists have been discussing the fact that the establishment of their business into the particular areas would create huge job opportunities for the local communities. Moreov er, they discuss that the industrial revolutionary would be the best possible solution for the enhancement of the national economic structure. On the contrary, most of the business analysts have argued that the industrialists often select the rural areas for the business expansion, as it provides them adequate opportunities to engage the low cost employees in the trade. Taylor (2014) has argued that there are some serious factors indicating the threats to the environmental health of the people. These factors include deforestation, agriculture activities and the industry and technology. Due to the expansion of the industrial growth, most of the organization deforests the rural areas. Hence, it creates huge difficulties for the societal people for leading a healthy life. Deforestation process has largely affected Africa, Asia, and Latin America. By analyzing the recent report, it can be assessed that the forests are disappearing in the discussed areas at the rate of 15 million each ye ar. Due to the particular reason, most of the underdeveloped areas across the globe have been facing challenges in upholding the biological diversity, which is an integral part of the nature cycle. On the other hand, the process of deforestation also causes the global warming through the greenhouse effect. By analyzing the provided article by Greve (2012), it can be evaluated that the global warming has been the major issues for the weather change. Due to the weather-changing atmosphere, the farmers obtain difficulties in cultivating the grains. Consequently, it would create the food crisis in the future, if the particular process occurs at the same rate. The industrial development also enhances the demand for the energy. For establishing an industry into a particular geographical location, the organization needs to utilize the high amount of energy. For example, USA holds the 1st position in utilizing energy. The USA utilizes 20,680,000 barrels of oils per day (Cox, 2012). In most of the African countries, people belong to the minority group. Subsequently, most of the oil and gas industries have been executing their business from these particular areas. For developing the national economy, the local government has focused n collaborating with the oil and gas industry. However, the oil and gas industry creates huge contamination to the water and air by its industrial wastages. For example, most of the communities associated with the industrial areas have been facing several health hazards including breathing issues, bronchitis, and asthma. Besides this, the industrial wastages have been contaminating the water resources. Consequently, the local people are unable to execute their livelihood including fishing. Despite the fact, the expansion of such industry has been growing in an enormous manner. In this context, Darian-Smith (2013) has highlighted the fact that every nation needs to focus on developing the Environmental Protection Agency. The prime role of the environment protection agency would be protecting the environment justice. Environmental justice indicates the fair treatment of societal people regardless of race, nation origin, color, income and status for diminishing the environmental hazards in an efficient manner. Over the past few decades, the environmental injustice has been enhancing in a robust manner. It has been seen that the racism and discrimination against the minorities are indeed centered on the socially dominant group. On the other hand, the environmental discrimination has been increasing in the lower development areas across the globe. With the involvement of the environmental protection agency, the local government would be able to identify the environmental hazards. The industrial growth has both risks and benefits. However, there would be a balance between the financial benefits and the environmental hazards caused by different industries established in the diverse locations across the geographical region. The communities living around the industrial areas often face difficulties in leading a healthy life due to the waste disposal of the organization. The particular process not only creates health issues but also make difficulties for upholding their individual livelihood. In this regard, there are some environmental justice lawsuits have been formed based on the violations of the Civil rights laws. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 claims the environmental inequality. Although the industrial growth creates the initial barriers to the minority population, they accept the particular situation gradually due to the lack of political support or the government contribution. Without having the government contribution, the minority group would not be able to get rid of the situation in an efficient manner. Schlosberg (2013) have discussed that many low-income minorities felt adversely affected by the industrial movement. Later on, these communities are engaged in the industrial development process for enhancing their earnings. However, the environmental hazards have been adversely affecting the health of the population. Hence, it decreases the workability of the local community belonging to the industrial areas. It can be concluded that the particular assignment has highlighted the environment racism. Moreover, the assignment also discusses the impact of the industrial development in the rural areas. In this particular assignment, a different point of views of the authors has been discussed in a detailed manner. Due to the expansion of the industries like oil and gas, most of the rural parts of the world have been affecting. However, the argument on the industrial development has also been included in this particular paper. Many authors have highlighted the fact that the involvement of the industries in the rural area indeed facilitates the local communities to enhance their economic condition in an efficient manner. References: Cox, R. (2012).Environmental communication and the public sphere. Sage publications. Darian-Smith, E. (2013).Laws and societies in global contexts: Contemporary approaches. Cambridge University Press. Greve, M. S. (2012). Environmental Justice or Political Opportunism?.Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development,9(2), 4. Macionis J. Plummer K, (2012) Social Change the Environment (Ch 25) Sociology: A Global Introduction, 5th edition, Pearson Education, Essex, United Kingdom). Pulido, L. (2015). Geographies of race and ethnicity 1 White supremacy vs white privilege in environmental racism research.Progress in Human Geography, 0309132514563008. Schlosberg, D. (2013). Theorising environmental justice: the expanding sphere of a discourse.Environmental Politics,22(1), 37-55. Taylor, D. (2014).Toxic communities: Environmental racism, industrial pollution, and residential mobility. NYU Press.