WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EFFECTED NATURE?

HAVE U EVER THOUGHT THAT WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE LOSES THAT WE ARE FACING TODAY?
FOR EXAMLE:
· MANY PEOPLE DYING.
· ANIMAL HABITATS ARE BEEN DESTROYED DUE TO WHICH ANIMALS ARE ENDANGER AND MANY ARE EXTINT.
· WE ARE CUTTING TREES FOR MANY PURPOSES AND NOT REPLANTING IT AND BECAUSE OF IT OUR ENVIROMENT IS GETTING POLLUTED.


COMMON LETS THINK THAT WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DESTROYED ENVIROMENT

ON ONE HAND WE PRAY GOD FOR A CLEAN WORLD WITHOUT DISEASES WE WANT MORE AND MORE TREES TO BE PLANTED WE WANT OUR COUNTRY CLEAN FROM GARBAGE, DUST, MAINLY POLLUTION RIGHT BUT ON THE OTHER HAND WE DUN SEE THIS THAT WHO IS THE ONE WHO IS DOING ALL THIS AREN`T WE ARE THE ONE WHO ARE DOING ALL THESE THINGS
WE ARE SO MUCH ADDICTED TO TECHNOLOGIES WE GOT TO MUCH LAZY THAT WE EVEN DON`T FEEL LIKE STANDING UP AND THROWING GARBAGE IN THE DUSTBINS WE JUST THROW IT AROUND. AND THEN THINKS THAT WHAT WILL HAPPEN FROM MY ONE WRAPPER THE WORLD WOULD NOT BE POLLUTED BUT SOME ONE WAS RIGHT TO SAY THIS THAT A DROP MAKES THE WHOLE RIVER.



AREN`T WE ARE THE ONE TO DESTROY THIS ENVIROMENT?????

What does the term technology stands for?

What is Technology?


"Broadly speaking, technology is how people modify the natural world to suit their own purposes. From the Greek word techne, meaning art or artifice or craft, technology literally means the act of making or crafting, but more generally it refers to the diverse collection of processes and knowledge that people use to extend human abilities and to satisfy human needs and wants."
(Excerpt from Standards for Technological Literacy, ITEA, 2000)
There are many definitions of technology and many misrepresentations of what technology is meant to be. Below you will find the terms and definitions that we use in order to discuss this widely misunderstood term.
Technology-
Human innovation in action that involves the generation of knowledge and processes to develop systems that solve problems and extend human capabilities.
The innovation, change, or modification of the natural environment to satisfy perceived human needs and wants.
HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY EFFECTED OUR ENVIROMENT?

Technology provides an understanding, and an appreciation for the world around us.
Most modern technological processes produce unwanted byproducts in addition to the desired products, which is known as industrial waste and pollution. While most material waste is re-used in the industrial process, many forms are released into the environment, with negative environmental side effects, such as pollution and lack of sustainability. Different social and political systems establish different balances between the value they place on additional goods versus the disvalues of waste products and pollution. Some technologies are designed specifically with the environment in mind, but most are designed first for economic or ergonomic effects. Historically, the value of a clean environment and more efficient productive processes has been the result of an increase in the wealth of society, because once people are able to provide for their basic needs, they are able to focus on less-tangible goods such as clean air and water.
The effects of technology on the environment are both obvious and subtle. The more obvious effects include the depletion of nonrenewable natural resources (such as petroleum, coal, ores), and the added pollution of air, water, and land. The more subtle effects include debates over long-term effects (e.g., global warming, deforestation, natural habitat destruction, coastal wetland loss.)
Each wave of technology creates a set of waste previously unknown by humans: toxic waste, radioactive waste, electronic waste.
One of the main problems is the lack of an effective way to remove these pollutants on a large scale expediently. In nature, organisms "recycle" the wastes of other organisms, for example, plants produce oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, oxygen-breathing organisms use oxygen to metabolize food, producing carbon dioxide as a by-product, which plants use in a process to make sugar, with oxygen as a waste in the first place. No such mechanism exists for the removal of technological wastes.
Humanity at the moment may be compared to a colony of bacteria in a Petri dish with a constant food supply: with no way to remove the wastes of their metabolism, the bacteria eventually poison themselves.

HOW THE NATURE IS BEEN AFFECTED BY TECHNOLOGIES?
With all the technological advancements, the rain forest has been greatly affected. Not only have the trees been cut down but also there have positive aspects to the technology concerning this precious resource. Peter White, a chief writer for National Geographic magazine once said, " The tropical rain forest may well be nature's chief liberty of experience from which all of humanity can learn, not only how to do things but also what a vast variety of things may be possible"(24). We all can learn from this for, the rain forest is a key to our environment and with all the technology destroying it and barely replacing it we all should think about what is happening and what can be done to save it.
With the great progression of technology through this century the rain forest has rapidly been destroyed. Being the home of nearly 50% of all species, the rain forest is a resource that should and must be saved. It is once thought that the tropical rain forest once spanned the great space of 1.5 billion hectares. But as the time goes on slowly that number diminishes. In the year 2000 it is theorized that there will only be 900 hectares left on this world (Palmer/4). Even though there is not any rain forest in the United States, the rain forest greatly effects us in ways not known to all. Many medicines are found in the rain forest and many of them treat common diseases. Malaria for example is a disease that has its treatment coming from quinine, taken form the cinchona tree in Peru. Also when you have surgery, d-tarbocuranine is greatly relied on as a muscle relaxer. It is made form curare, derived from an Amazonian liana (Palmer/23). This research shows that the medicinal aspect of the rain forest is definitely needed for the advancement of technology itself.
Much of the new technology being made in the times that we are living in now, relies on the rain forest. The packaging in which all the new stereos and CD players are shipped, come from the trees. These trees are cut down into small pieces to make cardboard for the selfish needs of humanity (White 28). A massive amount of women have been on birth control and one of the major components of the pill is diosgenin. This is made from wild yams found in Mexico (Palmer 23). This draws the conclusion that the technology that we have now might not be as advanced with out the rain forest. But at the same time the technology that we are developing are having the adverse effect on the source of the advancement.Rain forest depletion is a real problem in the world today due to technology. Since the technology movement has come upon us, more and more wood and resources have been sucked from our land. The loss of the forest was not a great concern to the world 100, 50 or 30 years ago. This is because there was not the technology to get into and use the resources from this "Emerald Realm" (National Geographic Society 2-3.) Each time a tree is cut down, an animal's home is gone. In each hectare of the rain forest there may be homes to possibly two hundred animals (Palmer/4). The sudden change in the rain forest can directly be attributed to the technology being invented presently. So many people are interested in saving the world with medicines, that they have forgotten that their cures cause problems of their own. When looking and searching for cures to the killer diseases of this time many scientists look tot he rainforest for help. What is not realized is that each time a tree is cut down, the medicinal plants; the cures to these diseases are coming down with it (White 26). Much technology had been developed to try to find a cure for AIDS but what if that cure has already been slashed and burned? No one knows, and if the rain forest is not preserved, maybe no one will ever know. The "greenhouse effect" us a technoenviro problem that must be saved in order to save the globe. The rain forest also effects all the people of the world by holding the carbon dioxide. As you know, the trees in the rain forest produce oxygen but the lack of this is not really the big problem. What is a major issue is that when the rain forest is cut down, the carbon dioxide is no longer being held and is now sent into the atmosphere adding to the "greenhouse effect." Having already started this effect by the huge factories and such in our nation, the destruction of the rain forest is just adding to it (Heinz/Wirth 1).



HOW ANIMALS ARE EFFECTED FROM TECHNOLOGIES?
Fish require a balance of nutrients in order to remain healthy. When certain levels of nutrients exceed the normal levels they can become toxic to many fish species. Likewise, if these same nutrients become too scarce it can have detrimental effects on the development of certain fish. Nitrogen and phosphorus are two examples of nutrients that can have adverse effects on aquatic life if not maintained at normal levels.

Phosphorus is naturally occurring, but is also found in many man-made substances such as lawn and garden fertilizers, detergents, disturbed land and also manure from farmlands. Many times these substances are used in excess, and are washed into lakes with runoff after a period of rainfall. When too much phosphorus gets into a body of water it can cause algal blooms and excessive growth of other aquatic plants. When these plants die, decomposing matter causes the water to become cloudy and the temperature of the water rises. Bacteria that help to decompose the plant matter use up the oxygen in the water in the process—the more plant life, the more oxygen is used. This ultimately decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen available to fish, which is often harmful, if not fatal. This process of increased nutrients in the water is called eutrophication. On the other hand, too little phosphate in the water can limit the growth of aquatic plants and limits the oxygen given off by the plants during photosynthesis. Less oxygen in the water leads to less suitable habitat for certain fish species. Ideally, a balance must be met in the middle for optimum health of the lake.

Nitrogen is another nutrient that is important for aquatic plants, specifically in the form of nitrate. Plants use nitrate to form proteins as building blocks. Nitrate exists naturally in the environment, most of which (80%) is a gas found in the air. It is also found in the soil, animal wastes, and decomposing plants. Most plants cannot use nitrogen gas from the air directly; however, blue-green algae in the water and some kinds of terrestrial plants (legumes) contain bacteria that covert nitrogen gas into a form that is useable by plants. Animals eat the plants and in return use the nitrogen to build proteins. But again, too much nitrogen can lead to problems. When combined with phosphorus, nitrates in excess amounts can accelerate eutrophication, causing great increases in aquatic plant growth and changes in the types of plants and animals that live in the water. This in turn affects dissolved oxygen and temperature among other things. Cold water fish (trout and salmon) are more sensitive to nitrate levels than warm-water fish, and will leave a habitat that becomes enriched with too many nitrates. Excess nitrates can enter a lake by way of sewage from wastewater treatment plants or failing septic systems, fertilizers from agriculture or landscaping, wastes from farmlands and domesticated animals, and from industrial discharges.
Toxic substances are chemicals that can harm plants and animals, including humans. Many of these substances are not very visible or obvious. They are introduced into lakes with increasing human populations and activities, and degrade the habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Substances used in pesticides and manufacturing, and their by-products, are often persistent chemicals, meaning the break down slowly and remain in the environment. Many of these contaminants are stored in the body fats of fishes over time, a process called bioaccumulation. Long lived species of fish, such as lake trout, have a longer time to accumulate potentially harmful substances. Likewise, those fish with a higher body-fat content, such as lake trout and salmon, store more fat-soluble contaminants than do other, less fatty fishes. Biomagnification is the process where concentrations of persistent contaminants are increased along a food chain, For example, when animals such as zooplankton eat phytoplankton, they also consume the contaminants that have accumulated in their food.

CONCLUSION HOW CAN WE SAVE OUR ENVIROMENT?
It's wonderful, the burst of publications with lists of things we can do to save the planet. It's great to see so much energy behind recycling, energy-efficient lightbulbs, and fundraisers for the rainforest. If we all did 50 simple things to save the planet, that would be a big help.
But it wouldn't be enough. The planet -- or more accurately our civilization and the natural systems that support it -- needs more than easy gestures if it is to be saved.
I think everyone knows that. We know that what's needed is an end to our wild population growth and our untrammeled greed. What's needed is real human justice and Earth stewardship. Sometimes I think we get enthusiastic about low-flow faucets, and high-mileage cars because they give us the feeling of doing good without seriously challenging our lifestyle.
The environment, of course, is much more important than any lifestyle. If we're really interested in saving it, and therefore ourselves, there are some not-so-easy things we can and must do.
About population: On the personal level we can stop at two, or one, or none -- and learn to love other people's children. On the government level we can give every couple the knowledge and technology to choose the number of their children, and then give them straight, honest reasons why they should choose no more than two. The U.S. government, which used to be foremost in this field, has essentially stopped funding family planning and population education both domestically and internationally. We need to lean hard on our leaders to reverse that policy.
About greed: What we can do individually is define what "enough" means for us and then live it. That doesn't mean living in deprivation or unplugging everything and returning to a previous century. It means: unplugging the nattering sales pitches that tell us we are inadequate unless we buy certain products; achieving security and sufficiency but stopping short of waste and clutter; discovering what life can be about, when it isn't about having more stuff; choosing real satisfaction instead of the empty satisfaction of mindless acquisition.
On the government level controlling greed means defining progress by human welfare, not by the growth of GNP. It means tax, loan, investment, and budget policies that meet real needs rather than promote perpetual swelling. It means ending all the ways the government helps the rich get richer, and all the ways our leaders try to convince us that getter richer is our goal, instead of getting better.
About justice: We know that we will never have peace or environmental balance or pride in our collective selves while anyone still lives in poverty.
On a personal level what each of us can do is care for just one person in need, to the point where that person can care for himself or herself. And do it not with condescension but with love.
The government can remove obstacles to peoples' and nations' self-sufficiency. There are many ways to do that -- provide truly equal education, forgive crippling debts, ensure that the next set of loans is aimed at sustainable productivity, make trade fair, make technologies available -- and that's just the beginning of the list.
About stewardship: Each of us can care for one piece of land. We can beautify a yard or a neighborhood park (and do it without harmful chemicals). We can build up the soil on a farm, or buy produce from a farmer who does. We can manage lovingly a large piece of property and protect it in perpetuity with a conservation easement. We can support a land trust or nature conservancy to do the land-caring on our behalf.
As citizens we can insist that governments establish zoning that firmly protects farmland and wildland; create parks that demonstrate nature protection rather than commercialism; manage national lands in a way that does not degrade their resources; provide education and extension services that teach us to treasure land, not to exploit it.
In a mode of genial gesturing, these suggestions sound impossible. In a mode of intent to solve our problems once and for all, they sound obvious. They sound like change, but not sacrifice. And in that mode the simple "planet-saving" steps -- the recycling, the energy-saving, stopping the junk mail, refusing the plastic bags at the grocery store -- take their proper place as logical, unheroic, helpful parts of a larger whole, a shared, deep commitment to protect and honor the environment that supports us all.