Pollution

In some ways, pollution problems mark the beginning of the modern world's concern with socioscientific issues. Shortly after the end of World War II, people in the more developed countries (MDCs) of the world began to experience rapid improvements in their standards of living. Although these improvements meant improved health and longer life for many people, the kind of progress that was most easily noticed was more and better goods: automobiles, television sets, refrigerators, electric gadgets of all kinds, and many more "things" became a part of the average American's home . and of homes around the world.

At almost the same time, nations noticed the degradation of their environment: dirty, smelly lakes; hazy, irritating air; garbage-filled open lots; and noisy cities and towns. The first evidence of pollution had begun to occur.

It was not long before people began to realize that the benefits of modern civilization were usually accompanied by certain hazards: a diminished quality of the environment. Today, the range of socioscientific concerns has greatly expanded beyond those troublesome headlines of the 1960's dealing with pollution. It is easy to forget that some of those oldest of socioscientific problems are still with us, some improved, but many as bad as they were decades ago.

The problem of pollution deals with some of these oldest of science-related issues. We need to think about such questions as the following:

created by: Debbie Anholt
updated: 5-5-2000
contact me: anholt@lclark.edu