CAN THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY LEAD TO OUR OWN

DESTRUCTION?
As our civilization is advancing at a faster rate than ever before, the long term effects of this on
the environment are unknown. In the book A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright, our
civilization is referred to as The Great Experiment since the fate of our civilization is uncertain
(Wright, 2004, pg 29). Various civilizations in the course of history have caused irreversible
damage to the environment and were led to their own doom. It does create concern for the future
of our civilization. The signs indicate that our civilization is repeating the same mistakes. There
is a dire need for technological advancements of our civilization to be sustainable, in order to
prevent further environmental destruction.
As our civilization builds more powerful technologies, these technologies become so powerful
that they threaten the existence of human race. Wright refers to these advancements as progress
traps (Wright, 2004, pg 30). Some of them are subtle like hunting and agriculture; others are
more well-known like the atomic bomb. Nevertheless, these addicting technologies are
degrading our biosphere at a staggering rate. The human race has caused so many extinctions
that it will appear as an asteroid impact in the fossil record. As Wright suggests, if nothing is
done to control the experiment, nature will merely shrug and conclude that this experiment
was a bad idea after all (Wright, 2004, pg 31).
During the Upper paleolithic era, Wright discusses the massive reduction in population of wild
animals in areas where Homo sapiens sets foot (Wright, 2007, pg 37). He blames the advanced
tools and techniques of hunting for the loss of wildlife. According to Wright, some of their
killings were almost industrial in size. A famous example is the Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
in Alberta where herds of bison were driven to jump off cliffs. Homo sapiens started having more
food than mere subsistence (Wright, 2004, pg 38). As hunting became a more viable source of
food, the population of Homo sapiens increased. Soon, hunting became unsustainable as the
wildlife started depleting at a faster rate and it could no longer fulfill the needs of the growing
Homo sapiens population.
Hunting was gradually replaced by farming across various civilizations. As described by Wright,
people started grubbing up roots and reaping wild grasses for tiny seeds. These unconscious
actions led to the next great experiment, farming (Wright, 2004, pg 40). The more predictable the
food supply, the larger the population grew. No other invention has led to a greater impact on
society than farming. It is a technology that still remains the basis of our world economy
(Wright, 2004, pg 41). Wright argues a wide variety of wild foods was given up for a handful of
crops. There is no escape from agriculture other than mass starvation (Wright, 2004, pg 47).
So far, stable climate in the past 10,000 years has allowed agriculture to flourish. But, recent
climatic changes are alarming for the fate of worlds food supply. Droughts and unusually hot

weather have caused the world grain output to fall or stagnate for eight years in a row. To make
matters worse, the population grew by about 600 million in those same eight years (Wright,
2004, pg 52). If sudden changes in climate occur, crops will fail ending our limited variety of
food that we are so dependent on.
The evidence for rapid climate change presented by NASA is compelling. Data shows that the
Earth has warmed the most since the 1970s, with all of the 10 warmest years on record occurring
in the past 12 years [1]. According to experiments conducted by NASA, Greenland has lost 150
to 250 cubic kilometres of ice annually between 2002 and 2006 [1]. The industrial activities that
our modern civilization is so dependent on have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from
280 parts per million to 379 parts per million in the past 150 years [1].
But, there is some contrasting evidence that climate change is not because of human activity.
There have been warm periods every 1000 years including the Roman, the Medieval and the
current times [2]. The melting of the ice in the Arctic could be due to wind system and the
resulting ocean currents [2]. Some of the past data about CO2 levels might be inaccurate since the
ice cores used to measure these levels might leak and be contaminated [2].
Often, it is said that the phenomenon of global climate change is too hyped by the media. Media
and scientists are known to flip-flopping between warming and cooling scares [3]. There is
evidence that the global average temperature has been consistently lower than predicted by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [4]. Some claim that the governments look
on it as an excuse to raise billions of dollars on taxes. The academia also receives billions to keep
the scare going [3].
Despite the contrasting evidence, the phenomenon of climate change due to the rapid growth of
technology is accepted by 97 % of climate scientists [6]. As said by well-known environmental
activist David Suzuki, if all our energy and resources are put into fossil fuel extraction,
opportunity to invest in renewable energy will be lost [6]. Many people are heeding the advice of
environmentalists like David Suzuki and are investing their resources in developing sustainable
technology.
For instance, research on alternative ways of growing food is ongoing. Hydroponics is an
upcoming technology which does not require arable land to grow plants. Using this technique,
plants are bathed in a solution of water mixed with essential nutrients [5]. It is said to be a more
sustainable way of growing food, than conventional farming. Minimal pesticides, fungicides and
herbicides will be used; as well environmental problems like soil erosion and runoff are
eliminated [5]. Costs for transportation and storage can also be reduced as they can be grown in
heavily populated urban areas. The yield from hydroponics and a controlled interior climate is
said to be 15-20 times higher than conventional farming [5].
Even though, it is debatable that climate change is really due to the advancement of technology.
The depletion of non-renewable natural resources is an issue that most agree on. In order to be

less dependent on these natural resources, there is a growing need for new environmentally
friendly technologies to be developed. Advancement of technology should be veered towards
sustainability as natural resources like oil, gas, metals etc. are depleting at a faster rate than they
can be replenished.
As seen in history, human activity has always altered the natural environment. Some believe this
has led to recent changes in climate, whereas others dont. Regardless, populations were small
enough to abandon damaged lands and move on. Now, the rapid population growth has made it
harder to do so. The amount of land fit for cultivation is becoming more valuable than ever
before. In order to preserve our natural resources like land for cultivation, it is essential that
sustainable technologies like hydroponics are developed. It is essential to act now to protect our
environment, before the advancement of technology leads to our own destruction.
References:
Wright, Ronald. (2004). A Short History of Progress. Toronto, Canada: House of Anansi Press
Inc.
[1] NASA. (n.d.). Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. Retrieved August 10, 2013
from http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
[2] Lewis, R. (2007, March 6). Global Warming False Alarms. Retrieved August 11, 2013 from
http://www.globalwarminghype.com/upld-book403pdf_.pdf

[3] The Heartland Institute (2007, March 1). Media Hype on Climate Change is Nothing New:
Inhofe. Retrieved August 11, 2013 from http://news.heartland.org/newspaperarticle/2007/03/01/media-hype-climate-change-nothing-new-inhofe

[4] Sadar, A.J. (2013, June 13). Climate Change Hype turns 25. Retrieved August 11, 2013 from
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/13/climate-change-hype-turns-25/?
page=1

[5] Hain, T. (n.d.). Urban Farming: The Future of Agriculture ?. Retrieved August 12, 2013 from
http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/Urban-Farming.htm

[6] David Suzuki Foundation. (n.d). Climate Change. Retrieved August 11, 2013 from
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/