Provide a sociological explanation for why there is not widespread consensus about human actions as a significant contributor to climate change.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

1. Experts (i.e., scientists) have come to the objectivist consensus, substantiated by empirical data and research, that human activity is directly related to climate change.
2. The constructionist approach to understanding social problems suggests that objectively claiming a problem exists does not necessarily mean it is widely paid attention to by politicians, the media, or the public. Instead, social problems are constructed through a process.
3. The constructionist approach helps us understand why some social conditions get more attention than others. This includes leading us to ask questions about who benefits from and who is harmed by the condition as it currently stands.
4. For example, in the case of climate change, many of society’s most elite and powerful have a vested interest in preserving the status quo of the production of cheap goods, with minimal environmental regulations, so they can continue to realize profits from businesses they own or have investments in.
Learning Objective: 1.3.2 Describe the five stages of constructing a social problem.