The area in which we live, work, socialize and do many other
things is known as the environment and that “is a term used to encompass all
living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth”
("Environment," 2010). Human
behavior has the ability to affect the environment in either a positive or
negative manner and the field of environmental psychology was developed to help
individuals gain understanding the relationship between human behavior and the
environment. Environmental issues are a
main concern in relation to human behavior and the environment as
environmentalist seek to bring about changes to improve environmental
conditions. Environmental issues “are
concerned with human actions that affect the biosphere that humans and other
species inhabit” (Grant, 2011).
Pollution is an environmental problem that I observe in my local
community and I plan to evaluate at least two strategies for promoting positive
environmental behavior. As a part of my
evaluation I will explain how positive and negative consequences can increase
pro-environmental behaviors, I will also describe at least one positive and one
negative example of how technological advances have impacted the environment and
I will assess the influence of environmental policies.
Environmental Issue: Pollution
Pollution is defined as “unwanted or detrimental changes in a
natural system. Usually pollution is
associated with the presence of toxic chemicals in some large quantity, but
pollution can also be caused by the presence of excess quantities of heat or by
excessive fertilization with nutrients” (Freedman, 2011). Pollution comes in many forms such as air,
water, and noise and each one of these is a major contributor to the changes in
the environment that often results in a negative effect. Pollution has a negative impact on plants
animals, air and water and can cause many health problems. In this paper the
focus will be on air pollution because it has the potential to cause harm to
humans as well as the environment.
Air pollution is “the release of chemicals, particulate matter or
other airborne substances into the atmosphere in large enough quantities that
are harmful to humans, animals or natural ecosystems” (McCreery, 2011). Air pollution contains chemicals that are
produced naturally as well as substances that are man-made and is considered to
be a very serious problem in the world.
Air pollutants are broken down into two categories, primary and
secondary. “Primary air pollutants cause
pollution following their direct release into the environment from the
generating source. The substance
released may already be present in some quantities, but it is considered a
primary pollutant if the additional release brings the total quantity of the
substance to pollution levels” (Rehkopf, L, 2011). Examples of primary pollutants can range from
volcano ashes, vehicle exhaust, “smoke, soot, dust and liquid droplets released
into the air either by the burning of fuel or other industrial or agricultural
processes” (Rehkopf, L, 2011). Secondary
pollutants are produced “when two or more primary pollutants react in the
atmosphere and cause additional atmospheric pollution” (Rehkopf, L, 2011). Smog
is an example of a secondary air pollutant that occurs when vehicle exhaust and
industrial pollution mix with sunlight. Urban air quality and indoor air
pollution is considered to be two of the worst air pollution problems in the
world and in order to solve these problems individuals must first understand
the effects therefore prompting a search for methods to solve them.
Strategies for promoting positive environmental behavior
The United States congress developed The Clean Air Act which “is a
federal law that attempts to improve air quality by regulating air pollution”
(Kedzior, 2011). The Clean Air Act was
first developed in 1970 and enlisted the Environmental Protection Agency to
develop National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to provide protection to
public health and welfare by regulating emissions of hazardous air pollutants. The Clean Air Act contains six titles that
refer to methods to improve air quality.
The first title focuses on six of the most common air pollutants,
“sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, lead, and
particulate matter” (Kedzior, 2011). The
title requires that the Environmental Protection Agency set levels of amount of
exposure for each state and implement a “plan that describes measures for ensuring
compliance. Noncompliant states must
implement specified control measures and are subject to possible penalties”
(Kedzior, 2011). The second title
“regulates the emissions of motor vehicles, aircrafts, and other moving
sources. It also supports requirements
related to the emissions of vehicle-assembly plants, adoption of low-sulfur
diesel fuels , and in certain metropolitan areas, use of reformulated gasoline and vapor recovery
nozzles” (Kedzior, 2011). Title two has
encouraged automobile makers to create fuel efficient automobiles as well as
automobiles that only require electricity to operate. The third title “controls the emission of
hazardous or toxic pollutants connected with serious illness, including lead,
mercury, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)” (Kedzior, 2011). Title three has led to the elimination of
lead-based paint being used in homes and businesses as well as the creation of
recyclable batteries that prevent from batteries being thrown in the
trash. The fourth title “provides
oversight of industrial emissions related to acid deposition (acid rain). Controls measures aim to reduce sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides to half of 1980 emission levels” (Kedzior,
2011). The fifth title “introduces a
program for issuing and trading pollution emission permits. The permit-trading program is run by
individual states and allows for temporal and spatial distribution of pollutant
emissions within and between industries” (Kedzior, 2011). The sixth title “regulates the production and
use of ozone-depleting chemical substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons”. The sixth title requires the Environmental
Protection Agency “to establish a program to gradually phase out all
ozone-destroying chemicals and support, the development of ozone-friendly
substitutes” (Kedzior, 2011).
The Clean Air Act is a strategy for promoting positive
environmental behavior because it requires organizations to engage in using
environmental friendly techniques that “have lowered the levels of six common
pollutants such as particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide
and sulfur dioxide, as well as many other toxic pollutants” (Clean Air Act,
2014). Under the Clean Air Act vehicle
manufactures have been required to produce environmentally friendly automobiles
as well as eliminated the use of lead in gasoline.
Recycling is another strategy for promoting positive environmental
behavior because “recycling is the process of taking materials that are no
longer needed and turning them into new products that can be used” (Vynne,
2011). When individuals recycle is cut
downs on the amount of waste that goes into landfills and incinerators. Recycling allows natural resources to be
preserved and puts a stop to pollution by eliminating the need to use new raw
materials. Recycling has many benefits
that include “reduced environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions,
economic savings, and job creation” (Vynne, 2011).
Recycling has been around for a very long time; however the
importance of recycling has just became a growing trend as individuals have
become more aware of how it affects the environment. Many schools have begun to encourage their
students to recycle by teaching them how recycling helps the environment and
how not recycling can damage the environment.
When learned at an early age children can develop a high level of
consciousness that would result in them being pro-environment. Businesses along with schools have also
implemented policies to encourage their workers to be pro-environment by being
responsible for recycling products.
Recycling promotes positive environmental behavior because it
decreases the environmental problems that are caused by landfills. Recycling teaches individuals how to dispose
of their unwanted items in a safe manner aside from just putting everything in
the trash which would ultimately end up in a landfill and possibly produce
methane because of the rotting of organic matter that could lead to the
production of toxic fumes.
How Positive and Negative Consequences can increase pro-environmental
behavior
Positive reinforcement “refers to the addition of a stimulus
following a behavior that produces an increase in the future likelihood of that
behavior or similar behaviors in similar settings” (Fitzgerald, 2005). Recycling is a pro-environmental behavior
that results in positive consequences because individuals that recycle also
save money because items that are recycled cost less money. Negative reinforcement “also always produces
an increase in the probability of a response, but does so by removing, or
subtracting, a stimulus that is aversive following a behavior” (Fitzgerald,
2005). Individuals that do not adhere to the rules and regulations on recycling
are subject to fines and penalties, which is a negative consequence that can
increase pro-environmental behavior.
Examples of how technological advances have impacted the environment
Technological convergence is the process in which technologies
that currently exist come together to produce new technology. The convergence history in cars is a classic
example of how technological advances have impacted the environment in a
positive and negative manner. “The first
technology convergence in cars was the steam power, and the second was
electrical power, later, technology convergence came about for the gas powered
car, which is still being used today” ("Technological convergence
throughout the eras," 2009). The
technological advance of cars has had a negative impact on the environment
because the exhaust that was produced by cars caused pollution to the
environment. However the technological
advances of cars also has a positive impact on the environment because through
technology and Environmental Protection Agency regulations automobile makers
are inclined to produce more environmental friendly cars that require less
gasoline because they are designed to be fuel efficient.
Influence of Environmental Policies
Environmental policies are defined as “ a government’s chosen course
of action of plan to address issues such as pollution, wildlife protection,
land use, energy production and use, waste generation, and waste disposal”
(McCue, Wolf, & Muhr, 2003). Environmental polices influence human
behavior because it requires individuals to be more conscious of their behavior
in relation to the environment. Environmental
polices set rules and regulations that individuals are required to follow to
demonstrate pro-environmental behaviors.
The Environmental Protection Agency works to develop guidelines that
individuals are required to follow to eliminate pollution and other things that
negatively affect the environment.
Conclusion
Pollution is an environmental issue that I have observed in my
community as well as surrounding areas. Air
pollution not only causes environmental issues it also creates health problems
for individuals that are exposed to airborne pollutants for an extended period
of time. Recycling in conjunction with
the Clean Air Act are strategies that promote positive environmental behavior
because they require individuals to engage in methods that are environmental
friendly and if individuals do not follow the rules and regulations they are
subject to penalties and fines from the United States Government. The technological advances of cars has had
positive and negative impacts on the environment because while the exhaust from
gasoline has a negative impact on the environment, car manufacturers are
diligently working to develop cars that are fuel efficient and produce less
exhaust in the air therefore cutting back on the airborne pollutants that come
for vehicle emissions.
