Linking Modern Technology To Global Pollution Environmental Sciences Essay

The 21st century, often referred to the era of globalization, we are expecting to make tremendous advancements in the field of science, technology and telecommunication. The rapid change of technology over the past thirty years has brought the many innovative changes and as a result of advancement in technology and increasing the standard of living. Scientists are producing new modern technology for the welfare of human results in new luxuries being produced. We enjoy an assortment of new consumer products that have enriched our lives and provide luxuries benefit to us all. For example such as computer, iphone, satellite networks and so on. However, a newly industrializing country and the rapid industrialization along with greater consumerism by adoption modern technology has led to increased levels of global pollution, such as air pollution, green house gasses, acid rain, global warming, toxic chemical usage, ozone depletion and so on.

As we know, in today modern life of living, modern technology manufacturing operation has generated an increasing demand for the use of industrial chemicals. The use of these chemicals has resulted in great benefit in the advancement of technology and the standard of living but at the same time, they are generating the pollution and waste into the environment. Pollution can reduce the quality of life, impacts negatively on socio-economic conditions and harms to the environment. And waste can cause to lose destroy and become physically worn to an unusable or unwanted substance or material, such as a waste product.

Today, there are many of environmental problems, all with unique causes and consequences and the primary causes is because of the adoption of modern technology that make to the degradation of the environment. For an example, the heavy industrial use of chemicals can cause air pollution. Air pollution is including all the contaminants found in the atmosphere. And these dangerous substances can be either in the form of gases or particles. Every time we breathing, we also are taking risk in inhaling the dangerous chemicals As a result, the health of human can have serious consequences and also severely affects natural ecosystems. Many diseases could be caused by air pollution unconsciously such as bronchitis, lung cancer, and heart disease and so on. This is because air is located in the atmosphere, which it can able to travel far off places easily.

Besides that, the ozone layer, which protects the environment from dangerous UV radiation, is being destroyed by the release of chlorfluorocarbons (CFCs), which is allowing the penetration of UV radiation to the lower atmosphere (Wark et al.,1998; Sharma and Kaur, 1994). The burning of fossil fuels as an energy source creates CO2, which along methane and CFCs is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming. Fossil fuels, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, have been the dominant energy source throughout our economies, but is has bring to the pollution. The global pollution of the release of CFCs into the atmosphere has caused major health hazards such as global warming and acid rain. Actually, as a manufacturer must bear the responsibility of declining the level of air pollution to dangerous levels. But unfortunately, they are like to use instruments such as fridges and air conditioners that release CFCs in the environment which in turn deplete the ozone layer. This can increase the incidence of skin cancer and affects plant growth.

Aside, land pollution and water pollution which by the increasing use of plastic bags was lead to the pollution of the land and the sea. They can kill plants and trees by destroying their leaves, and can kill animals, especially fish in highly polluted rivers. Meanwhile, because of the manufacturing operation, harmful chemicals are discharged into the seas and rivers by irresponsibility factory. For example, oil spills, can kill fish, marine birds and other marine life, as well as destroy critical habitats such as mangroves and coral reefs. It has a negative impact on fisheries affecting local livelihoods.

In the other hand, tropical forest, a variety of plant species and the animal or insect life that inhabit in the forests act to conserve soil, water resources and provide food to people living in these lands. But because of industrialization and modernization, these resources are decrease. The felling of trees for construction purpose is reducing the forest areas in Malaysia. This reduction in the forest area has not only reduced the natural green cover which acts as a sinking base for the polluting carbon dioxide in the air, but has also led to the extinction of plants and animal species leading to loss in bio-diversity. (Purba Rao, 2004).

In addition, the uncontrolled deforestation to built buildings for the accommodation is increasing the oxygen content in the atmosphere, which is leading to global warming. Global warming has resulted in increase in the earth’s surface temperatures, which has terrific effect on human health. The rapid melting of snow in the attic, rising of sea levels and erratic climate variations because of global warming can cause serious alterations to the eco system, as there would be changes in the vegetation. Moreover, the rain forests, which hold water, are shrinking due to frequent forest fires. And the ocean is getting warmer that until the storms can pick up more energy from them due to global warming. These all will increases the temperature of that place as well as the global temperature.

b) The need for sustainability in terms of raw materials and energy in manufacturing.

Because all of the industrialization and modernization activities, it is force a need to take some proactive action to solve and protect the environment. And if this trend of modernization activities is continuously sure will ultimately make the change of earth into a new place, which will be full of pollution and unsuitable for flora and fauna. Therefore was born the sustainability concept such as cleaner production, lean production, eco-efficiency, total quality environment management, and preventive environmental management, which are involved in industrial manufacturing. Besides that, there are a lot of possibilities action to reduce the environmental problem exist. For example: optimization of the environmental performance through good housekeeping, total quality management, application of end-of-pipe techniques, recycling of wastes, non-renewable products substitution or adaptation cleaner technologies.

Nowadays, a broad and worldwide consensus has been reached on the great importance of striving for sustainable development (Qinghua Zhu, Raymond P. Cote, 2004). Sustainable development is a dynamic process which enables all people to realize their potential and improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth’s life support systems” Forum for the Future, 2000. It has been increasing consciousness of the environment. These issues are not only of concern to the general public, but are serious problem for the manufacturing industry. All of these environmental issues are because of the modern technology adoption.

Without doubt, in this age of industrial progress, there is an improvement in the quality of life but at the same time, they will lead to environment degradation and it has become a serious problem that must to handle. If not, it could lead to a serious threat to the environment. There are many approaches and concepts can use for the environment protection, for example the use of environmental friendly raw material to achieve the efficient use of the natural resources, the way to conservation of water and energy in a save way to reduce the pollution and waste. Among the famous concepts being implement are clear production, total quality environmental, eco-efficiency, green engineering and lean manufacturing and so on.

The effect of environmental pollution has put the governments, industries and communities on alert to take an appropriate action to protect the environment for our future and better generation. Worldwide concern about the environment, people are becoming aware of this problem. They start realize the environmental damages and the important of environment. With the increasing awareness in global pollution and sustainable development, all the governments, corporations and also industries are seeking more cost-effective ways to manage their manufacturing operation to ensure a cleaner and safer environment.

There are some new technologies that can help in prevent global pollution like recourse depletion, ground water and air pollution global warming and many others facets of ecological degradation. To built sustainable economy in 21st century, It is require breakthrough technologies that are cleaner and can help produce on mass scale to cater to the needs of teeming millions that would have added to the population of the world by the end of this century, advanced batteries and fuel cells to build non-polluting automobiles, genetically engineered plants that actually can grow biodegradable plastic, fundamental changes in manufacturing science and engineering to achieve the goal of conservation of material and energy requirement and to have cleaner production.

Sustainability in terms of raw materials is the process to choose of raw material or by improvement materials to reduce waste and for environment protection. Example of improvement materials is the efficiency in gasification of coal and biomass can be improve by hot gas clean up and filters fabricated by high rate chemical vapour infiltration of low cost fiber. Furthermore, Materials management is very important in sustainable development. Material management is involves making a materials useful while minimizing the amount of added processing needed to effect recovery. There are 3 categories of materials management’s activities, which are design for recycle, design for assembly, and toxics management. Design for recycling is applies to the cost-effective reuse of materials and whole components. Because the current design practice is ignore the need to support the product disposal stage or the potential for reusing. While design for assembly is applies to the use of assembly methods and configurations that allow foe cost-effective separation and recovery of reusable components and materials. Lastly the toxic management is applies to the elimination or control of toxic materials that are an intrinsic part of the product. Example is the cadmium in batteries or lead solder in printed circuit boards.

And the sustainability in terms of energy is by the efficient energy generation. Efficient energy generation is high-efficiency natural gas conversion, in which less fuel would be required to produce the same amount of electricity, while containing the amount of emissions per unit of electricity. Presently power plants convert fuel to electricity at about 32-38% efficiency, the existing gas turbine power plants are up to 40% efficient. With improvements in technology, it is possible to raise the efficiency to 50-60%. Besides, there are some several ways of saving energy through efficient use. For example, the technology of high compact fluorescent light, dimmable ballasts, electronically corrected systems, some of which have already become available.

As we know the earth is the place we live, the environment is a source of raw materials, energy, food, clean air, water, and soil for useful human purposes, so we must preserve it for our future and better generation. Thus, according to W. Burton Hamner (1996). Sustainable development is to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development integrates economic development and environmental sustainability. Thus the goals of economic and environmental development must be defined in terms of sustainability in all countries by developed or developing, market-oriented or centrally planned. For example, manufacturer must ensure that products have as beneficial an impact as possible throughout the whole life. Manufacturer must source sustainable raw materials, use energy efficient processes, develop long-life and low maintenance products, and make recycle, reclaim and re-use products at the end of the initial life.

In order to working toward sustainability, many industries are starting do all this commitment into their company for a part of their responsibility. By broadening the responsibility, company should try to integrate all the manufacturing considerations in their production strategies for example the product design, choice of raw material, energy and technology, or even their worker, supplier and business partners. Not only manufacturer industries, the governments, or even communities also have responsibilities towards the environment. After that, only can make sustainability in reality.