The turbulent relationship between technology and the environment dates all the way back to our “caveman” ancestors who learned to create fire about 1.4 million years ago.
The burning of wood not only requires the depletion of our oxygen-restoring trees it also contributes to the release of greenhouse gases into the air. However, in humans’ early history fire and other technological advancements were created and used primarily for survival only. We started out with stone spears and weapons in the Stone Age and as us adaptable humans made more discoveries and materials we emerged into the Bronze Era and then the Iron Era. With more sophisticated weaponry and technology, competition and war became more intense. The group with the more developed technology was usually the victor and so humans searched for methods and materials to make better technology. The bronze and iron used to create these tools and weapons come from the environment. And so begins the human driven acceleration of depletion and destruction of essential resources as well as unique habitats.
The increasing human population meant that an increasing number of resources needed to be extracted. Technological advancements lead to increased productivity and communication and therefore the economy and commerce greatly increased. Soon, many parts of the world were trading their resource-depleting technologies and globalization comes about. Now humans from all parts of the world were depleting and polluting the environment.
The Industrial Revolution was a time of great technological advancement with the development of such inventions as the steam boat, the gas light, and coal powered trains. However, these lights and trains required resources that we know today are in great danger of becoming depleted because we continued to find uses for these fossil fuels since this revolution. During this time only a select few poignant individuals such as John Muir and Henry David Thoreau were openly concerned over the environment and the future of the planet. Any environmentally friendly technologies that were invented usually had a practical application. For example, the seed drill was developed during the Industrial Revolution to help farmers save money by not wasting seeds through the broadcasting method they utilized before. The straight lines also helped farmers more easily maintain their crops. Environmentally, we were conserving seeds and crops because not as many seeds needed to be wasted and the straight line of plants actually prevents soil loss erosion after tilling which means better health for nearby water systems and help in preserving the nutrients in the soil which are needed for the healthy growth of many organisms.
Now in the present “Computer Era” technologies are being built to not only increase communication and trade, but to attempt to negate or even reverse the negative impacts technology has had on the environment.
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