Technology and the Environment
The Good of Technology Alone is Insufficient for Significant Global Change in Improving Environmental Conditions
Technology is enabling us to increase the efficiency at which we use our resources by creating appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines which require less water and energy and water/resources than manually performing the tasks. However, with the increase in efficiency, demand and consumption has also gone up, cancelling out the positive impact of decreased need for resources gained from technology. In order to prevent the environment from continuing this downward spiral, we as humans must make behavioural changes as well as technological advances.
The modern society is that of an anthropocentric one, so distinct from the previous Holocene that it was given a new name: the Anthropocene (The Economist, 2011). The Anthropocene is characterized by an increasing emphasis on human welfare and benefit, or in other words, anthropocentricity. Governments, societies, and individuals strive to improve their own economic and social standing relative to other humans by exploiting resources from the earth. This leads to the concept of consumerism. The word "consumer" has become almost synonymous with "person" in present first world societies (Durning, 1992). We increasingly become taken in by the idea that material goods define our success and happiness. However, as found by studies mentioned by Durning (1992), the correlation between consumption and personal happiness is weak. Even so, we continue to demand more for less, purchase pricy brand name products, envy after the rich, and drool over fancy supercars.
The recent exponential growth of science has brought upon many benefits to modern society. Technology has enabled the advance of medicine to the point that the life expectancy in many countries has dramatically increased (Cunningham & Cunningham & Saigo, 2005). It has also allowed for the development of products and appliances
Technology is enabling us to increase the efficiency at which we use our resources by creating appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines which require less water and energy and water/resources than manually performing the tasks. However, with the increase in efficiency, demand and consumption has also gone up, cancelling out the positive impact of decreased need for resources gained from technology. In order to prevent the environment from continuing this downward spiral, we as humans must make behavioural changes as well as technological advances.
The modern society is that of an anthropocentric one, so distinct from the previous Holocene that it was given a new name: the Anthropocene (The Economist, 2011). The Anthropocene is characterized by an increasing emphasis on human welfare and benefit, or in other words, anthropocentricity. Governments, societies, and individuals strive to improve their own economic and social standing relative to other humans by exploiting resources from the earth. This leads to the concept of consumerism. The word "consumer" has become almost synonymous with "person" in present first world societies (Durning, 1992). We increasingly become taken in by the idea that material goods define our success and happiness. However, as found by studies mentioned by Durning (1992), the correlation between consumption and personal happiness is weak. Even so, we continue to demand more for less, purchase pricy brand name products, envy after the rich, and drool over fancy supercars.
The recent exponential growth of science has brought upon many benefits to modern society. Technology has enabled the advance of medicine to the point that the life expectancy in many countries has dramatically increased (Cunningham & Cunningham & Saigo, 2005). It has also allowed for the development of products and appliances
References: 1. The Economist (2011). Welcome to the anthropocene. The Economist, 11. 2. Durning, A. (1992). The conundrum of consumption. How Much is Enough?, 19- 36. 3. Cunningham, W. P., Cunningham, M. A., & Saigo, B. (2005).Environmental science: A global concern. (8th ed., pp. 124-145). McGraw-Hill. 4. Durning, A. (1992). The consumer society. How Much is Enough?, 19-36. 5. Macdonald, D. (2014). ENV222 lecture 7.