What technologies cause harm to the environment, Earth’s population and the oceans?

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Introduction

Nowadays, people are increasingly using modern technologies. Undoubtedly, they make our life easier and more comfortable than it was before. Technology is the sum of techniques, skills and methods used in the production of goods or services or in the progress of objectives, such as scientific investigation. Technology can be the knowledge of techniques, processes, and the like, or it can be embedded in machines to allow for operation without detailed knowledge of their workings. Systems (e.g. machines) applying technology by taking an input, changing it according to the system's use, and then producing an outcome are referred to as technology systems or technological systems.

History of technologies

The era of technology started when wheel was invented in Mesopotamia in the 4th Millennium BC., which is one of the most important technology and after it, more and more things were invented.

Gradually different things started to be invented but the main era of technology and invention came in the 18 century when industrial revolution started and machines got invented and various types of development and production started. The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain, and many of the technological innovations were of British origin. By the mid-18th century Britain was the world's leading commercial nation, controlling a global trading empire with colonies in North America and Africa, and with some political influence on the Indian subcontinent, through the activities of the East India Company. The development of trade and the rise of business were major causes of the Industrial Revolution. New knowledge has enabled people to create new things, and conversely, many scientific endeavors are made possible by technologies which assist humans in traveling to places they could not previously reach, and by scientific instruments by which we study nature in more detail than our natural senses allow.

At the end of the XVIII century, the General body of knowledge about technology began to distinguish between the traditional descriptive section and a new, emerging one, which was called "technology". Johann Beckmann (1739-1811) introduced the term "technology" into scientific use, which he named the scientific discipline that he taught at the German University in Gottingen from 1772. In 1777, he published the work "Introduction to technology", where he wrote: "a Review of inventions, their development and success in the arts and crafts can be called the history of technical arts; a technology that explains in General, methodically and definitively all types of work with their consequences and causes is much more than that." Later, in the five-volume work "Essays on the history of inventions" (1780-1805), he developed this concept.

If we look back to the mid 20 century, there was no access of internet and it was difficult for people to communicate with each other and had problems in their businesses but with the invention of internet, people could have face to face conversation via Skype, Facebook, live streaming etc. and now people could have online banking which have ended many problems for businessman’s.

Kinds of technologies

1. Communication Technology

Communication technology is probably one of the most common technologies being vastly used in our everyday life. Advancement in technology has enhanced the ways to communicate information from one place to another. It helps us to communicate with each other with more convenience, in less time, and with greater accuracy. Communication technology helps in transmitting data or information by using various devices like telephone, radio, television, and the internet.

2. Construction Technology

Construction technology is related to the equipment and methods utilized to build both advanced and basic buildings and structures. This can include heavy engineering structures like bridges.

3. Product Technology

It is the specific technology used by the manufacturer of the service or product, its manpower, standards, materials, design specifications, procedures and methods.

4. Medical Technology

This is the most effective and beneficial type of technology as it assists in improving and extending human life. Medical technology is a vast field in which innovation has played a significant role in sustaining human health by helping in reducing the pain and speeding up the recovery process.

5. Business Technology

Business technology is the application of information, engineering, data and science for businesses related purposes like achieving organizational and economic goals. This technology helps in the proper and systematic running of businesses and for enhancing different business functions and operations. This typically includes a mixture of hardware and software.

6. Educational Technology

Educational technology aims at enhancing the performance of students by managing and establishing different technological resources and processes in a classroom or any learning environment. The technologically advanced academic discipline prepares students to attain deeper knowledge and understanding of subjects. It assists the students in learning ways of devising solutions to problems with the help of research, utilization of information, evaluation, and design. Educational technology creates a learning environment that aids in improving ways of learning. It helps in motivating students and encouraging individual learning. It provides easier access to educational materials and helps students in learning new languages and subjects through gamification.

7. Information Technology

This technology comprises a set of software and hardware tools utilized to process, transfer and store information. These tools of information technology provide the right individuals with accurate and updated information at the right time.

8. Space Technology

This technology is developed by the aerospace industry or space science to utilize in space exploration, satellites, and spaceflights. It is used to commercialize or explore space like communication satellites and spacecraft. Space technology includes space stations, satellites, spacecraft, and support procedures, equipment, and infrastructure.

9. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also called machine intelligence. It is the intelligence the machines demonstrate, contrasting to the natural intelligence demonstrated by animals and humans. According to computer science, artificial intelligence research is known as intelligent agents study. A device perceiving its environment and taking action which maximizes its chances of attaining its goals successfully can be referred to as artificial intelligence.

Some examples of artificial intelligence include:

• Problem-solving
• Planning
• Learning
• Speech recognition

10. Robotics Technology

Robotics technology is a field which is related to artificial intelligence. It is the utilization of machines, construction, operation, and designing robots for performing tasks that were done by humans. The technologies in this field are utilized to create machines that can replicate the actions of humans and can be used as their substitute.

11. Agriculture Technology

This technology refers to the technologies for machine production that are utilized on a farm. Agricultural pieces of machinery are created for almost all stages of the farming and other agricultural processes. This includes machines for packaging and sorting products, feeding livestock, threshing grain, harvesting crops, protecting crops from weeds and pests, cultivating crops, land irrigation, seed plantation, and soil tilling.

12. Entertainment Technology

Entertainment technology is the utilization of modern technology to create or enhance the entertainment experience. The entertainment industry is too vast and individuals want to be entertained in their own way. Modern technology has been utilized to create musical systems, video games and more to keep individuals entertained.

This type of technology includes:

• Interactive environments
• Computer simulations
• Animations
• Sounds
• Videos
• Costumes
• Show control
• Light field devices
• High dynamic range
• Automation

In the game design and animation, entertainment technology means real entertainment experience which has become possible with the advent of computer-mediated digital technologies. Entertainment technology has traditionally emerged from theatrical stagecraft, which is a significant subset of this discipline.

Effects of technology

Technology has many effects. It has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products known as pollution and deplete natural resources to the detriment of Earth's environment. Innovations have always influenced the values of a society and raised new questions in the ethics of technology. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, and the challenges of bioethics.

Many of the technologies we use every day consume a lot more resources and power than they need to, and using and manufacturing them can create a mess. Here are a few of the ways that technology can harm the environment:

• Pollution - Air, water, heat and noise pollution can all be caused by producing and using technology
• Consuming resources - Non-renewable resources, including precious metals like gold, are used to make technology. Many others, such as coal, are consumed to generate the electricity to use technology. Even some renewable resources, like trees and water, are becoming contaminated or are used up faster than they can renew themselves because of technology.
• Disrupting ecology - Clearing land where animals used to live to build factories and allowing pollution to contaminate the food chain can greatly affect the environment's natural cycles.
• Health hazards - Using toxic materials that can harm our health can cause cancer, and technology addiction can lead to other health problems like obesity and carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Waste - Manufacturing technology creates large amounts of waste, and used computers and electronics get thrown out when they break or become outdated. Called "technotrash," these electronics contain all sorts of hazardous materials that are very unsafe for the environment. They need to be disposed of using special methods.

Carbon emissions, mostly carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, are greenhouse gasses that are produced by people. Greenhouse gasses are gasses in the atmosphere that trap and reflect heat and radiation back to the planet's surface. It is believed that over the last century, the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere has increased due to carbon emissions, and that they are contributing to global warming.

Carbon emissions get released into the atmosphere from things like cars, air planes, power plants and factories. They also get released by people like you, when you use a vehicle or electricity created from burning fossil fuels. The computer you're using to read this is using electricity, and so is your mobile device and video game system. We're all guilty of enjoying things that aren't exactly eco-friendly, but if we're smarter about how we use technology, we can reduce our environmental impact.

If you just throw away technotrash with the regular trash, it usually ends up in a landfill. Most electronics contain non-biodegradable materials, and heavy metals and toxic materials like cadmium, lead and mercury. Over time, these toxic materials can leak into the ground, where they can contaminate the water we drink, the plants we eat and the animals that live around the area. Many European countries have even banned technotrash from landfills. These toxic materials can cause all kinds of bad effects including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and even cancer.

Before you recycle your technotrash, check out some tips:

1. Sanitize your Hard Drive

Before donating a machine, be sure to remove all of your files and data from it. Most people will just try to drag everything to the trash can or recycle bin, but this only partially erases the information! Cyber criminals can find this “deleted” information and use it however they want. To really protect yourself, you need to run a program that “sanitizes” your hard drive. These programs, which can be found online, work by replacing all your data with a jumble of useless nonsense. That way, your information is safe, and your good deed goes unpunished!

1. Consider Donating your Mobile Device

There are actually a LOT of great things your old mobile devices can do for people. Whether that means helping soldiers overseas talk to their families or helping victims of domestic violence, they can be a lot more than clutter for your junk drawer. Here is a list of several worthwhile charities.

1. Reuse Those Ink Cartridges

Many locations that sell new printer ink cartridges will refill your old cartridge for a fraction of the cost. Each cartridge you throw away takes anywhere between 400 and 1,000 years to decompose, and on average, there are 11 cartridges thrown out every minute across the globe! Not all cartridges can be refilled, and even cartridges that you've filled in the past will eventually break down after continual use. When this happens, take them to the store where you bought them and recycle them. Sometimes, the store will even give you a discount on your next ink cartridge.

Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive quantities of gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide and methane are introduced into the earth’s atmosphere. The main sources all relate to technologies which emerged following the industrial revolution such as the burning of fossil fuels, factories, power stations, mass agriculture and vehicles. The consequences of air pollution include negative health impacts for humans and animals and global warming, whereby the increased amount of greenhouse gases in the air trap thermal energy in the Earth’s atmosphere and cause the global temperature to rise.

Water pollution on the other hand is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater, usually due to human activities. Some of the most common water pollutants are domestic waste, industrial effluents and insecticides and pesticides. A specific example is the release of inadequately treated wastewater into natural water bodies, which can lead to degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Other detrimental effects include diseases such as typhoid and cholera, eutrophication and the destruction of ecosystems which negatively affects the food chain.

Contaminants may include organic and inorganic substances. Many of the chemical substances are toxic.

Organic water pollutants include:

• Detergents
• Food processing waste, which can include oxygen-demanding substances, fats and grease
• Petroleum hydrocarbons, including fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuels, and fuel oil) and lubricants (motor oil)
• Volatile organic compounds, such as industrial solvents, from improper storage.
• Drug pollution involving pharmaceutical drugs and their metabolites, this can include antidepressant drugs or hormonal medicines such as contraceptive pills. These molecules can be small and difficult for treatment plants to remove without expensive upgrades.

Inorganic water pollutants include:

• Acidity caused by industrial discharges
• Ammonia from food processing waste
• Chemical waste as industrial by - products
• Fertilizers containing nutrients - nitrates and phosphates - which are found in storm water runoff from agriculture, as well as commercial and residential use
• Heavy metals from motor vehicles and acid mine drainage

Macroscopic pollution – large visible items polluting the water – may be termed "floatables" in an urban storm water context, or marine debris when found on the open seas, and can include such items as:

• Trash or garbage (e.g. paper, plastic, or food waste) discarded by people on the ground, along with accidental or intentional dumping of rubbish, that are washed by rainfall into storm drains and eventually discharged into surface waters.
• Shipwrecks, large derelict ships.

Resource depletion is another negative impact of technology on the environment. It refers to the consumption of a resource faster than it can be replenished. Natural resources consist of those that are in existence without humans having created them and they can be either renewable or non-renewable. There are several types of resource depletion, with the most severe being aquifer depletion, deforestation, mining for fossil fuels and minerals, contamination of resources, soil erosion and overconsumption of resources. These mainly occur as a result of agriculture, mining, water usage and consumption of fossil fuels, all of which have been enabled by advancements in technology.

Due to the increasing global population, levels of natural resource degradation are also increasing. This has resulted in the estimation of the world’s eco-footprint to be one and a half times the ability of the earth to sustainably provide each individual with enough resources that meet their consumption levels. Since the industrial revolution, large-scale mineral and oil exploration has been increasing, causing more and more natural oil and mineral depletion. Combined with advancements in technology, development and research, the exploitation of minerals has become easier and humans are therefore digging deeper to access more which has led to many resources entering into a production decline.

Moreover, the consequence of deforestation has never been more severe, with the World Bank reporting that the net loss of global forest between 1990 and 2015 was 1.3 million km. This is primarily for agricultural reasons but also logging for fuel and making space for residential areas, encouraged by increasing population pressure. Not only does this result in a loss of trees which are important as they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but thousands of plants and animals lose their natural habitats and have become extinct.

Harm to people

1. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), prolonged use of computers, tablets, and cellphones can lead to digital eye strain.

Symptoms of digital eye strain may include:

• blurred vision
• dry eyes
• headaches
• neck and shoulder pain

Contributing factors are screen glare, bad lighting, and improper viewing distance.

1. Technology in the bedroom can interfere with sleep in a number of ways.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, 90 percent of people in the United States say that they use tech devices in the hour before going to bed, which can be physiologically and psychologically stimulating enough to affect sleep.

Having electronic devices in the bedroom places temptation at your fingertips, and it can make switching off more difficult. That, in turn, can make it harder to drift off when you try to sleep.

Emotional problems

Using social media can make you feel more connected to the world. But, comparing yourself to others can leave you feeling inadequate or left out.

At the social media use of more than 1,700 people between the ages of 19 and 32. The researchers found that those with high social media use felt more socially isolated than those who spent less time on social media.

A 2016 systematic review Trusted Source produced mixed findings on the relationship that social networks have with depression and anxiety. The evidence suggests that social network use correlates with mental illness and well-being.

Conclusion

Technology is one of the most fascinating things. This is because we can use it for whole lot of good and we can literally use it to destroy the world.

It can easily influence the way that we live today.

Technology has many effects. It has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products known as pollution and deplete natural resources to the detriment of Earth's environment. Innovations have always influenced the values of a society and raised new questions in the ethics of technology.
Technology is certainly great, but do not forget that it can harm human life and nature in general. Everyone should accept the fact that we have one land, and if something is wrong, everything can disappear. In our time, technology has leaped very far, become advanced. And it was to be hoped that humanity will make the right move in development.

References

1. https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your-vision/computer-vision-syndrome

2. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/why-electronics-may-stimulate-you-bed

3. https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(17)30016-8/fulltext

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5143470/

5. https://nation.com.pk/23-Jul-2018/history-and-evolution-of-technology

6. https://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/business/the-different-types-of-technology/

7. https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/population-environment