Sunday, April 26, 2009
Technology and Energy
As we talked about in class on Thursday, humanity is having a profound effect on the environment. This has come about because of increase in knowledge, the increase in the complexity of our technology and the progressive detachment from nature. From an energy standpoint, which some many argue has one of the most profound effects on the environment, humanity has lacked in caring for the environment. What strikes one as interesting is the fact that during the early years of car manufacturing alternatives to the internal combustion engine were available for use. Due to the apparent inefficiencies of the alternative technology, they were not brought under mass production. Humanity at that period took another step forward in what some would call progress with technology with the introduction of the automobile, but also took a step away from nature. We now see forms of this technology arising today due to the decreasing availability of easily attainable fossil fuels. The electric car is the technology I alluded to earlier. It has been around for many decades but had been suppressed because it was deemed a hard road to travel down in order to get the technology mass-produced. When will the men and women who are in control of our emerging technology and energy start to look past the difficulties of some forms of technology for mass-production and start looking at what will be best for the environment. Today, humanity has come up with some interesting forms of energy, which have proven to be very poorly thought up. Take the corn-derived ethanol. This not only takes a considerable amount of fossil fuels in order to process the fuel, but also takes up considerable amounts of land, in which humans would have to greatly expand the agriculture industry, impeding upon many forms of life. Another interesting aspect is corn is considered a staple crop due to its high levels of carbohydrates. When will humanity start to change what is used today as our main source of energy, fossil fuel, and take the time to refine the challenges faced with alternative fuels and integrate them in our society. Only time will tell, but I hope that the next generations of inventors and engineers do think about the global effects of where humanity has come with certain technologies and what has to be done to ensure the survival of our planet.
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Yes, when will we open our eyes and see the necessity of alternative eco-friendly technology? I think the answer to that question is parallel to the question: when will we realize that what benefits our habitat benefits ourselves? We are intrinsically connected to our environment and cannot survive without its support. I think that past failures to grasp this knowledge has facilitated the production of all our environmentally destructive technologies.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that I disagree that the survival of our planet depends upon our actions. It is merely our survival and standards of living that we truly care about. Most people didn't have problems with the destruction of ecosystems and extinction of species in the past because it was all being carried out in the process of creating better standards of living for ourselves. Now that climate change threatens our standards of living in a relatively stable environment, we feel a call for action. I think it's all just a matter of adapting to our environment. Losing land mass to rising oceans, losing vegetation and fresh water to rising temperatures are all incentive for evolutionary action.
I also hope that sustainable forms of energy will come into the mainstream. Time will convince people to start changing to more environmentally friendly energy. Sustainable practices do cost more to start, but overtime are less expensive than traditional forms. Unfortunately that is a risk people are not willing to take right now. Usually, they wait for others to try these methods first to see how they work over time and what the cost benefits are. I hope that our generation can see these future benefits and start switching the way we produce energy.
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