WORRYING ECOLOGICAL CHANGES WITHIN THIS CENTURY
Added on: 3rd Nov 2016
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Even though most technology technicians worship
nanotechnology and focus almost exclusively on its
advantages, there are equally as many experts who
warn about the future effects of Nano pollution
and Nano toxicology.
MINING
Many scientists agree that the potential environmental
impact of mining could be disastrous. Today, many of
these environmental effects are minimized as a result of
well-designed and well-regulated mining operations.
Although this is the case, there are many abandoned
sites around the world that continue to adversely
affect the environment.
LIGHT POLLUTION
The most common effect of light pollution is that it alters
and interferes with the timing of necessary biological
activities. For nocturnal animals that begin their activities
at sundown, our artificial lights at night seriously constrain
their lives, exposing them to predators and reducing the
time they have to find food, shelter, or mates.
LAND USE
According to many scientists and experts future changes
in climate and land use are likely to have a very important
impact on the natural resources and infrastructure of the
Western world. They will also alter the pattern and impact of
natural hazards such as landslides, rise in sea level
and droughts in ways beyond those known from the
historic record.
LAND DEGRADATION
Land degradation is a process in which the value of the
biophysical environment is affected by a combination of
human-induced processes acting on the land.
Unfortunately, this usually comes with land pollution.
INTENSIVE FARMING
Intensive farming is characterized by high inputs of
labour and capital into agricultural production of either
crops or animals. This phenomenon is common in
countries that depend on their land to feed huge
populations. The biggest disadvantage, however, is
that the chemicals that go into intensive farming
in the form of fertilizers and pesticides harm the
environment by polluting and poisoning soil and water.
GENETIC ENGINEERING
Genetic engineering is the deliberate, controlled manipulation
of the genes in an organism with the intent of making that
organism better in some way. This is usually done
independently of the natural reproductive process. The
result is a so-called genetically modified organism (GMO).
To date, most of the effort in genetic engineering has been
focused on agriculture. However, some caution that these
modified crops could have an adverse effect on some
animals and non-targeted insects.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
For some thirty years there have been discussions
and debates among researchers and others in
academia, government, non-profits and private industry
regarding the so-called energy efficiency problem and its
effects on the environment. Even though there are supposed
to be many energy-efficiency technologies to solve
this issue, none of them have been adopted.
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