In Leon Guerrero's Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action she describes an array of societal issues, framing

each in the context of the three different theoretical perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. One of the topics Leon Guerrero analyzes is the environment. ddressing each sociological perspective, she loo!s at "hat environmental problems currently exist, ho" they have been created, and ho" they are perpetuated. #he functionalist perspective vie"s these ecological issues on a macro level. $nvironmental problems are inherent to the system in "hich "e live% unfettered population gro"th combined "ith our current modes of production "ill inevitably &destabiliz'e(& the ecosystem )Guerrero, p. *+,-. #herefore, functionalism contends there are three ma.or factors that need to be changed in order to mitigate environmental degradation: population gro"th, level of affluence, and technology. #he most appropriate solution for these problems lies in social policy, because both social innovation and social advocacy "ould struggle to change all these issues holistically. /opulation gro"th could be directly limited by la", such as 0hina's one1child policy. 2imilarly, level of affluence, "hich directly correlates "ith consumption, could be capped in a number of "ays. #axation could be made more progressive )i.e. the tax rate increases as the taxable base amount increases- and the top tax rates could be increased far past the average 3+4 cap. Governments could implement polices promoting a more socialized distribution of "ealth, although this "ould be met "ith resistance in conservative, capitalist countries li!e the 5nited 2tates. 6inally, technologies that result in drastic environmental damage could be banned or heavily regulated, forcing scientists and businessmen to see! greener alternatives. 0onflict theory, on the other hand, is 7uic! to point out the specific in.ustices existing "ithin our society that cause environmental problems. 0ompetition for capital and po"er as "ell as selfishness breed these issues. 2uch characteristics are intrinsic to capitalism, and thus the economic structure is to blame too. Guerrero notes that, & higher standard of living has been confused "ith consumption: 8ore is better& )p. *+*-. Indeed, social norms and ideals about level of affluence perpetuate ever1increasing consumption, "hich is both unsustainable and unnecessary. /erhaps the best solution in this context "ould be social advocacy. 9ust as the &green trend& made things li!e plastic "ater bottles dclass, a similar movement could promote less consumption in the upper class and discourage superfluous purchases. It is arguable that this movement is already under"ay% many :o:o's )bourgeois bohemians- in the upper class have already sought to limit their consumption. 6inally, there is the symbolic interactionist perspective, "hich tends to focus on the process of environment issues ; ho" they are formed, defined, and changed. Leon Guerrero cites interactionist 9ohn <annigan's six factors necessary for the successful construction of an environmental problem. 6irst, there needs to be scientists "ho discover and confirm the existence of an issue. 2econd, this discovery must be passed on to &='popularizers' "ho can frame and pac!age the 'problem' to .ournalists, political leaders, and other opinion ma!ers& )p. *+>-. #hird and subse7uently, the issue must receive attention in the media that ma!es it seem both important and urgent. 6ourth, in the vein of the interactionism perspective, there must be &=dramatization of the problem in symbolic or visual terms& )p.*+>-. 6or example,

environmental problems can be framed in "ays that ma!e them more graspable? palpable to the general public by ma!ing them analogous to something of common !no"ledge )e.g. &each day "e produce enough trash to e7ual the "eight of the $mpire 2tate building&-. 6ifth, economic incentives must be introduced )i.e. social policies- that re"ard positive action. 2ixth and finally, <annigan says there must be &=the emergence of an institutional sponsor "ho can ensure legitimacy and continuity of the problem& )p. *+>-. n example of an institutional sponsor that monitors climate change is the Intergovernmental /anel on 0limate 0hange )I/00-. In the case of this sociological perspective, it seems both social innovation and social policies "ould be the most apt "ay to solve our ecological issues. Interactionists could "or! "ith the media or other institutions to create symbolic representations of the problem. $conomic incentives, such as 0alifornia's tax deductions for driving an electric vehicle, could be introduced on both federal and state levels offering more far1reaching re"ard. In sum, functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism each provide their o"n uni7ue lens "ith "hich to vie" environmental issues in the context of society. Leon Guerrero explicitly outlines each of these.