Can technology solve environmental problems?

Published on : 24 June 20202 min reading time

Given the destruction and progressive pollution of the environment, researchers are working to find technological solutions to remedy this scourge. This idea of using technology to solve environmental problems is a source of debate at the level of several entities. However, there is a real question as to whether this concept would be a better option.

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Some thoughts argue that technology could have its share of responsibility for environmental degradation. Indeed, environmental problems are human and technical in nature. As a result, some characters believe that the solution to environmental problems can only be found at the human and technical level, hence the involvement of technology. This is why inventors have proposed new environmental technologies such as algae, marine energy and recent forms of transport such as electric cars. Several environmentalists are convinced that modern technology, to mention only drones and big data, can help to solve various environmental problems.

Technology and development

Although the current is now blowing towards the ecological world, technology would be an innovative way to achieve this goal. To achieve this, ecology can be combined with modern technologies to achieve economic growth. On the one hand, some people speculate about the scarcity of certain resources such as lithium, which is used in electronic batteries. We can also highlight the case of silicon used in the manufacture of photovoltaic panels. On the other hand, researchers believe in the existence of an efficient solution such as coal. This one promotes the greenhouse effect; it was first replaced by oil, then by nuclear energy before reaching recyclable resources.

Technology and the environment, two complex concepts

It is true that technological progress could compensate for environmental problems by proposing efficient and sustainable solutions. Moreover, the efficiency of technology is increasingly proven in the ecological field. However, it can be seen that the deployment of modern technologies does not immediately meet the needs of the environment. First, the technology aims to achieve an economic challenge to increase or gain market share. Only then does it tend to solve environmental problems. However, it may well be that in the future, technology can compensate for nuclear waste management, for example. But if the resolution comes too late, the world risks being completely destroyed.

Technological innovation for sustainable development

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