Technology &Its Negative

Impact On the Planet

How Modern Technologies are destroying the

Earth

By: Vanessa Tang

Technology… the

• The effects on Toddlers• Carbon Dioxide Levels• Impact on the Oceans• Effects on Agriculture - Genetically Modified Food• Deforestation

• Wind & Solar Power• Prolonged Life• Education• Genetically

Modified Food (GMOs)

• Communication capabilities

Pros of

Technology

The

Prolonging Life

• With advancements in technology, doctors and surgeons can now perform life saving procedures such as:

- removing tumors; brain, spinal, lung, etc. - kidney dialysis - Lung, kidney, heart, and liver transplants• Cardiovascular surgery (Blood vessels) • Blood pressure & blood sugar kits are available

for households• According to Statistics Canada, the average life

span has increased from 59 years in the 1920’s to 70 years in 2009

• Prolonging life is also a contributing factor to overpopulation (not a pro)

EducationTechnology has impacted education in a number of ways:• Long distance/Online education: A person can

now study any where, from one course, to their entire education online

• Enables educators and students to contact each other outside of a classroom environment

• Students have access to thousands of peer reviewed articles and scholar journals • Allows full-time employed

individuals to study something new or upgrade their knowledge while still working full-time

Genetically Modified Foods - Pros

Genetically Modified Foods are foods that are biologically altered for human and animal consumption for a number of different reasons:• Cold & Drought tolerant • Pest, Herbicide & Disease resistant• Adding nutritional value to food that does not

naturally contain any • Poplar trees have been genetically engineered to

clean up heavy metal pollution from soil and underground water supplies

• Pharmaceuticals: R&D on edible medicines/vaccines (modified tomatoes) to ship to countries that cannot properly store certain vaccines & medicines or can not afford the injection procedures

Cons

of

Technology…

The

Most of the modern technologies created

were to reverse or prevent further

destruction to our planet or are tools to

cure illnesses instead of concentrating on ways

to prevent them.

Positive Effects: Increased hand-eye coordination; teaches cause and effect

Even though there are a few positive effects of the use of technology by toddlers, there are several negative effects that most people do not consider such as:• Less human interaction: Toddlers

depend on people time to develop the proper emotions and social skills

• Toddlers require a hands on approach to learning: Drawing a picture on paint does not teach an infant the artistic skills it would by using crayons and paper

• Too much stimulation: Children can easily get overwhelmed

• Not enough movement: Children need to jump and climb around, not sitting in front of a screen for hours on end.

The Negative Effects on Toddlers

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Click on the carbon footprint picture to View Global Warming 101 on YouTube.

Carbon Dioxide is a odourless, colourless gas that occurs naturally in Earth`s carbon cycle by the decomposition of animals and volcanic eruptions. However after the Industrial Revolution, the C02 levels in the atmosphere skyrocketed. This is because:• The Burning of fossil fuels: - Energy for households and factories to mass produce - Transporting goods instead of shopping locally - Automobiles; in 2011 over 1 billion cars were in production• Carbon Sinks: such as forests and oceans have

absorbed CO2 from the atmosphere, however scientists believe these sinks are filling up and unable to absorb the same amount of CO2 as in the past.

• CO2 is the main contributor to Global Warming

CO2’s Impact on the OceansThe oceans are also known as carbon sinks, they absorb at least half of the CO2 that is released into the atmosphere. However, since the Industrial Revolution and the continuous rise of CO2 emissions, there have been many problems caused by the levels of CO2 now held within the oceans such as: • Habitat destruction and habitat loss due to: - Rising temperatures from Global Warming - Coral reef depletion - Water acidification

*Click on the sad fishy to watch a YouTube Video on Dead Zones

*In 2008 there were 405 Dead Zones world wide; compared to 45 in the 1960`s

Aquatic Habitat Destruction & Habitat Loss

• Over Fishing: Bottom Trawlers and large fishing boats have generated a 90% loss in our large predatory fish population

• Ghost fishing: marine animals, fish and seabirds either consume or get caught in waste dumped from large fishing boats, cruise ships, etc. The waste can be as small as a beer cap, to a 5 mile long fishing net.

• Pollution: chemicals from runoff, dumped waste from ships, and acidic levels from absorbing CO2 and warmer temperatures from Global Warming

The results of these technologies range from the cod moratorium, to a decreased reproduction rate to fish farms, and so much more…

Technologies Effects on Agriculture

• Genetically Modified Foods: There are many ethical issues with certain cultures that believe it is an unnatural way of producing food. There are many risks:

- Increase in food allergies - environmental hazards: certain modified crops have created high mortality rates among insects that feed from it• Reduced soil quality from over tilling, no crop rotation

and excessive use of insecticides and herbicides. • Zero Tillage: a method of farming in which the use of

large scale machinery is minimal, and soil is rarely disturbed – also reduce energy and labour costs

*Click on the tractor to read about the Zero Tillage farming practice

Deforestation

The second largest Carbon Sink are forests; they are also the home to millions of species. Unfortunately because of human activities, forests decrease by 32 million acres annually, covering only 31% of the planets land surface. These human activities include: - the development of cities and towns - clear cutting for farm and grazing land - the demand for paper and other products80% of recently extinct species is the result of the destruction of grasslands, forests and rain forests

To Conclude

There are many new technologies such as cellphones, laptops, medical technologies that can prolong life, and genetically modified foods that assist in feeding the hungry, however there are far too many technologies that are used in an unsustainable manner that are destroying our planet. There are too many published reports and warnings from scientists such as the 1992 Scientists Warning to Humanity to not begin to reconsider the choices we have made. If wecontinue to deplete our resources and use technologies the way we do, we will with no doubt destroy our planet.

Click to read the Scientists’ Warning to Humanity

References Biello, D. (2008). Oceanic dead zones continue to spread. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=oceanic-dead-zones-spread Draper, D., Reed, M. (2009). Our environment: a canadian perspective. (4th Edition) Messenger, S. (2010). Rate of forest loss as decreased, but we`re not out of the woods yet. Retrieved from http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/rate-of-forest-loss-has-decreased-but-were-not-out-of-the-woods-yet.html NASA. (2012). Global climate change. Retrieved from http://climate.nasa.gov/causes/ Overfishing. (2012) Overfishing: a one minute crash course. Retrieved from http://overfishing.org/pages/Overfishing_in_one_minute.php?w=pages Sousanis, J.(2011). World vehicle population tops 1 billion units. Retrieved from http://wardsauto.com/ar/world_vehicle_population_110815 Statistics Canada. (2012) Life expectancy at birth, by sex, by province. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/health26-eng.htm Whitman, D. (2012) Genetically modified foods; harmful or helpful? Retrieved from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php/ What To Expect. (2012). Young children and computers: some pros and cons. Retrieved from http://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/toddler-learning/young-children-and-computers.aspx Zero Tillage. (2012) Zero tillage: a greener way for canadian farmers. Retrieved from http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?catno=21-004-X20050068759&lang=eng