Technology and the Environment!
Technology has been created to enhance humans’ way of living. Cars were invented to make transportation easier and faster, factories were built in order to create materials or items for humans in a rapid and functional such as tables and chairs. Not only did technology help with creating the basic components, but creators also got to the point where they integrated technology as part of entertainment: Jukeboxes were created for music, computers and laptops that became a must have in every household, smart phones that serves a mini computer where you can access the internet and even play some games while you’re bored. We all can agree that technology has indeed made our life easier, but do we know the process of creating those products? Do you know the amount of toxic emissions factories produce just to come up with spare parts or components just to make up the fancy laptop or smart phone you have now?
Technology consumes a lot of energy and resources, mostly land and power, and when factories are constructed they cause a huge amount of air, noise and water pollution (How Technology Harms the Environment). The noise pollution will probably scare of animals which will force them to migrate into another habitat, but what is worse is that the toxic substances, that either rises in the atmosphere through the chimneys, or gets to be discharged in the oceans, actually harms and most of the time kill organisms, especially the fishes, since they get affected by several pollutants such as phosphates, nitrates, sulfuric acid and lots of different harmful chemicals.
A big example of how technology played a major role in affecting the environment is when the industrial revolution happened in the UK. Although the Industrial Revolution changed UK’s social and economic system and transformed UK into a powerful country, it still has caused a great damage to the environment. It has led to the depletion of natural resources, especially since deforestation was conducted, in which forests were cleared in order to have wide spaces to build factories (The Industrial Revolution), so instead of trees emitting oxygen, factories started to emit poisonous gasses, and soon the cities were filled with smoke, also known as smog –which is smoke and fog combines- and thousands have died from respiratory illnesses (The London Smog Disaster).
Moreover, technology is one of the main factors that contribute to global warming, as factories produce greenhouse gasses –carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides- which causes the stratospheric ozone layer to deplete. The depletion of the ozone layer could increase the chances of skin cancer and cortical cataracts, which is highly dangerous to humans. Furthermore, the toxic atmosphere makes the rain acidic, which damages crops and causes respiratory problems and other illnesses to humans (Natural Gas and the Environment).
Even though science and technology saved humans from epidemic diseases like plague
Impact of Technology on Planet Earth
Bayan Hasan
London's Smog in 1952
and cholera, and the mortality rate has gone down, this still has worked to a disadvantage. The steady increase of human population leads to the increase in the consumption of resources, also more humans equals to more pollution (Agarwal). And as more humans continue to pollute Earth, the environment we are living in will become even more toxic and hazardous which can lead to the extinction of some species.
To conclude, technology’s sole purpose was to make human life easier, but what inventors did not know about is the fact that it could also harm the environment and at the same harm humans and other organisms and disrupt bio diversities in the process. However, it is still not too late to make use of technology to save the environment, we can invent cars that do not require petrol, we can manufacture factories that are eco friendly. After all, we only have Earth to live in, if we can’t protect it and save it from disruption, where will we go?