The development of technology has brought a considerable improvement to human life. The advancement of technology enabled easier and more efficient performances of humans. However, an advantage is always followed by consequences. One of the drawbacks is global warming, which is well known by people. There are various causes of global warming drawn out by technology development. Inversely, humans are using some of the technology they have developed to improve global warming and other issues.
The development of technology is the cause of several issues. Air pollution is one example of it. One of the main resources that are being used for technology development is fossil fuel. Fossil fuels are being used in almost every part of our life nowadays, including vehicles, productions, and cooking. When fossil fuels are burned to produce energy, harmful gases which are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or methane are made. These gases are the main source of air pollution. As the consistency of these gases in the atmosphere increases, they trap the thermal energy in the Earth which results in the rise of temperature on Earth. Now we call this phenomenon global warming. Water pollution is followed by next. In the developmental process of technology, industrial waste was made. This waste is often released to the lake, river, ocean, and groundwater. Through this, water gets polluted and affects all living organisms. Consequently, nature’s food chains could be disturbed.
Concerning global warming, scientists have been working to find solutions. One of the well-known and applicable solutions in renewable energy. Renewable energy, also called clean energy, is the energy collected from renewable resources. For example, it includes sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Modern technology enables the use of these resources. Data shows that 20% of energy in the United Kingdom is made by renewable energy. Scientists are planning to build as much as solar panels and wind turbines near households. However, there are financial obstacles in using these renewable resources since building machines that generate renewable energy requires a lot of money.
Another way to reduce the severity of global warming is using electric vehicles. Most vehicles, especially cars, use fossil fuel. To add on, CO2 and methane that are produced through cars are one of the primary causes of global warming. Electric vehicles don’t require the use of fuel, and thus the application of electric cars can improve the current condition of pollution and global warming. Fortunately, more people started to utilize electric vehicles.
The development of technology has given humans many advantages to their lives, but responsibilities and drawbacks follow as well. One of those issues is global warming, and it is time to take this issue seriously and be responsible for it.
By: Hyunsu Park