Over the last century, the Earth has been a pained witness to the advancement of human science and technology. A development that has resulted in the killing of billions of people and the huge damage of the planet we call home.
As a species, we can recognise that we are the most maladaptive of any species that has ever been on this planet. Regardless of whether we are descended from God or Darwinian evolution, we can assure that the success of our domain is dependent on the growth of our intellect.
It is worth noting that this intellect has resulted in humanity being both the best and the worst species to have ever walked the face of the earth. I mean the best because we have taken advantage of and exploited the environment for our benefit more than any other species, and the worst because in that excessive and reckless usage, we have destroyed in a century what it took thousands of years for an ecosystem to develop and flourish.
They are enamoured with power and money so much that they believe that they can unlock the doors of knowledge even if they don’t know what or why they’re doing it. Regardless, they believe that they can master them even if they don’t know what they’re doing or why.
Effects of the use of technology on nature
Each discovery that helps man and allows him to progress another 100 years in knowledge in only one hour, while simultaneously destroying thousands of years of work done by nature in only a few years, is ironic. I am referring to the major tragedies that have afflicted nature for thousands of years.
Pesticide contamination, oil spills at sea, nuclear radiation dangers, and wildfires all pose a threat to the Earth’s ecological systems. It is critical for the survival of life on the planet that the mistakes that have led to circumstances of severe ecological devastation are identified, shared, and thoroughly investigated.
Oil spills
Oil spills are one of the most significant sources of ocean pollution. 46 percent of the oil and its industrial derivatives that are discharged into the sea are trash from coastal cities, according to the International Energy Agency.
When it comes to storing toxic substances, the sea is a convenient and inexpensive option, and the situation will remain unchanged as long as there are no strong restrictions in place, with heavy consequences for violators.
Nuclear leaks
Certain compounds disseminate energy by decomposing their atoms, as well as the residual heat that they create, which can last for years after the disintegration has occurred. As a result of the presence of plutonium, this phenomenon known as radioactivity is very severe.
Nuclear power plants now built in 25 nations and producing 16 percent of the world’s electricity generate 424 nuclear power plants. Some nations, such as the United States, have halted the building of new nuclear power facilities as a result of the horrible Chernobyl disaster, citing public pressure.
On April 26, 1986, an explosion at Chernobyl resulted in the release of a significant amount of radiation. By virtue of the activity of the winds, the cloud that had developed had spread to several other nations. The most contaminated area encompassed around 260,000 km2 of the former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, and it directly impacted approximately 2,600,000 people.
However, although the Soviet authorities only officially admitted 31 casualties, it is believed that the radioactive emissions caused 32,000 deaths in the first 10 years and that 400,000 people were forced to flee their homes as a result of the radiation. Several adverse health consequences resulted from the nuclear reactor explosion.
Other disorders that will be handed down the generations include leukaemia and deformities, which are more common in children born with leukaemia than in children born without it. Furthermore, the calamity resulted in the devastation of whole crops as well as the pollution of food supplies.
Forest fires
Every year, around 12,000,000 hectares of tropical forest are destroyed by human activity. However, this decline is not the only one that our planet’s forest regions have had; to this must be added the excessive exploitation that other types of forests have endured as well as the loss caused by forest fires in recent years.
The destruction of jungles, woods, and shrubs accounts for more than 7,000,000 acres of land per year in this manner. High temperatures, droughts, and a severe lack of humidity, as well as strong and dry winds, all of which contribute to the development of fire, are among the variables that encourage this phenomenon. An initial spark swiftly transforms into a raging ball of flames that can’t be contained or contained any longer.
When it comes to the advance of a forest fire, there are three distinct areas to consider. The most severe degree of fire, that of a forest fire that happens in the treetops, that is, where the branches and leaves are, is the one that spreads the fastest and is the most difficult to contain and control.
The fire spreads more slowly at a medium level, where shrubs are growing, but it still affects the herbaceous layer, which includes weeds and other plants in addition to the bushes. Progress is considerably slower at the lowest level, below the earth, but the harm inflicted by fire when it reaches this level is higher than at any other level, since it burns the roots and carbonises the humus, inflicting irreversible losses that cannot be repaired.
Nature and technology are intertwined
Nature and scientific knowledge coexisted peacefully on Earth long before man arrived. As seen nowadays, we might envisage a connection in which nature attempts to reach the source of all knowledge through knowledge.
We must thus recognise that nature has served as the most stringent custodian and corrector of the application of knowledge from the dawn of time, allowing species to access it only when they believe they have the capacity to manage it properly.
Nature and man have had a strained relationship ever since the emergence of man, with his presence interfering with the natural order.
