Technology and the planet presentation
- 1. TECHNOLOGY AND THE PLANET
- 2. TECHNOLOGY: PROGRESS OR DESTRUCTION • As we have been studying in this class all semester, technology is a double- edged blade. Technology can be attributed to many great things like the evolution of health care, space travel, and deep sea exploration. With the technology we have at our finger tips today, the possibilities are endless. There seems to be almost nothing that we cannot do or any place we cannot conquer. • For the past few decades we have begun to realize the impact this technology is having on our planet. We eagerly reap the benefits of this technology, giving little thought to the consequences of our actions. Are we getting close to the point of no return?
- 3. PROGRESS • There is no denying the benefits of technology when it comes to health care. • With stem cell research and cloning, scientists are now able to regrow human tissue and organs. The implications of this technology in terms of disease management, organ transplant lists and rejections are staggering (Trusolino,2010). • We have diagnostic tools for early detection, tracking progression and even treating many illnesses. »
- 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT • Medical technology generates massive amounts of waste that has to be disposed of. • Unused medications and bodily fluids end up in our water causing contamination and the need for water treatment plants. • Then there is the paperwork to be shredded and the worn-out, outdated machinery that has to be disposed of.
- 5. NUCLEAR POWER • The invention of nuclear technology revolutionized energy. It has allowed for many scientific miracles. It is used for diagnostic testing, radiation and destroying bacteria.
- 6. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT • This technology can be extremely dangerous to people and the environment. • Even with proper safety precautions mother nature can wreak havoc (japan earthquake) (Anderson, T.) – • Radioactive waste • Weapons for global destruction
- 7. DEFORESTATION • Allows us to be able to harvest raw materials on a large scale. • Mass building production, paper products, furniture, clearing land for urban development.
- 8. GLOBAL IMPACT • Loss of habitat and unbalanced ecosystems • Extinction of many wildlife species (Bala, 2010) • Trees provide shade, shelter, protection from elements • Trees absorb carbon dioxide and help clean the air • Waste-keep building new-vacating buildings and leaving them to rot
- 9. PESTICIDES/INSECTICIDES • Pesticides and insecticides provide perfect looking produce and help eliminate the bug problem as a convenience for us. • Food is now travelling long distances to be sold locally and must be preserved to survive the trip.
- 10. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT • Chemicals contaminate soil, air and water sources • They disturb natural habitats and can eradicate many useful, necessary pollinating insects • Throws off ecosystems
- 11. MACHINERY • Technology has made improvements in our daily lives. Many machines reduce the physical wear and tear on the human body, save time and enable people to do lots of work in a short time for example farm equipment. • Food can now be mass produced and sold wholesale.
- 12. IMPACT • Machinery eventually becomes worn out and breaks creating large amounts of scrap metal that is hard to dispose of. • It funs on gasoline and diesel which creates air pollution and contaminates soil (Volti, 2014). • Too much overproduction-everywhere you look, an enormous number of cars, trailers, etc., sit unused on a lot waiting to be purchased. At times it looks like there might be about 10 cars made for every human on earth.
- 13. END RESULT • Sadly, most of our natural resources are non-renewable and while being aware of this, we continue to deplete and pollute daily. • Global warming is causing severe weather patterns and destroying natural habitats (Root, 2003). • Technology has gone unchecked for so long and created several serious complications that it may not be possible to recover and save the planet.
- 14. REFERENCES • Anderson, T. (2011). Survey of 2011 Tohoku Earthquake tsunami inundation and run-up. Geophysical Research Letters. • Bala, G. C. (2010). Combined climate and carbon-cycle effects of large scale deforestation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United tates of America, 104(16). • Perkins, J. H. (1982). Insects, experts and the insecticide crisis. New York: Plenum Press. • Root, T. P. (2003). Fingerprints of Global Warming on wild animals and plants. Nature Internationally Weekly Journal of Science. • Trusolino, L. B. (2010). MET signalling: principles and functions in development, organ regeneration and cancer. Nature Reviews: Molecular Cell Biology, 834-848. • Volti, R. (2014). Society Technological Change.