Technology and the Environment - Essay Example

Technology and the environment With each new day, there is introduction of new and improved technology in every field. Though this advancement in technology is beneficial, it has unpleasant impacts on the environment. Looking at improvement of technology in machines implies more industrialization and adverse effects on the surroundings (Cheremisinoff & Rosenfeld 62). Advancement in car technology means improved transport and more pollution. Because of the pollution of the environment, technology is also associated with degradation of human health and safety.

In addition, technology has also led to the extinction of non-renewable resources. Analysis of all the advancements in technology reveals that they pollute the environment. In an optimistic view, the two primary options available for control of this adverse effect of technology on the environment include pollution control and clean production. Interventions adapted to control the environmental effects of technology can either address the problems before they are created or after they are created.

Therefore, organizations, and individuals can adopt pollution control to address the problems after they are created (Cheremisinoff & Rosenfeld 180). This involves controlling pollutants from an establishment before entering the environment. This can be done for air, waste, and water leaving the enterprise. Air pollution can be controlled through filters and other appliances that remove contaminants from smoke. In reference to Frijins and Vliet (974), Water pollution can be reduced through removing impurities while incinerators can reduce the volume of waste disposed by an enterprise.

However, this comes with an added cost to the individual or organization. Clean production is an intervention preferred to mitigate unfavorable environmental impacts of technological advancement. This involves the use of a set of analytical tools to augment efficiency of production processes. Optimistically, Frijns and Vliet (977) note that cleaner production can be done through preventing leaks and spills, frequently maintaining equipments, substituting a safer, cheaper, and efficient input for an existing one, reducing waste through better process control, making changes to reduce energy consumption and cost and identifying a market for a material that was regarded as waste.

Works Cited Cheremisinoff, Nicholas P, and Paul Rosenfeld. Handbook of Pollution Prevention and Cleaner Production Vol. 3: Best Practices in the Agrochemical Industry. Burlington: Elsevier Science, 2010. Print. Frijns, Jos, and Bas V. Vliet. "Small-Scale Industry and Cleaner Production Strategies." World Development 27.6 (1999): 967-983. Print.