As we move deeper into a digital and technologically sophisticated age, the world around us is also deteriorating at a very fast pace. In our quest to improve our living conditions, we have also managed to make it worse for succeeding generations unless we do something about it today.
Thankfully, over the past few decades, men and women who have genuine concern and compassion for the environment have championed its cause and have made a tremendous impact on how we do things today.
The Green Movement
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, man has left in his wake compromised living conditions caused by pollution, deforestation, and improper waste management. What was supposedly intended to improve our way of life by creating more jobs and using engineering and technology to make things easier for us has also created bigger long-term problems for us.
Progress and technological advancements did their thing, no doubt. They did give us better lives in terms of convenience and improved living conditions. We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the Industrial Revolution and all the spinoffs it created.
Imagine what life would be like if we still had primitive engineering and machinations at work today? What would our surroundings look like? What jobs and livelihoods would be available for us?
But the champions of change and progress have only considered one side of the coin. The trade-off came in the form of environmental deterioration and ecological disasters. Global warming is no joke. It has become one of the world’s greatest threats as extreme weather conditions and phenomena continue to occur all over the world. The polar ice caps are melting and have created numerous disasters all over the world. Heatwaves have become more frequent in recent years and brush fires continue to become a bigger problem as each year passes.
Thus, the Green Movement and other similar environmental conservation advocacies were created to intervene on behalf of Mother Nature and ensure that the world we live in today will be passed onto the next generation in a much better state. These organizations help create awareness for the consequences of not taking the environment into consideration in creating a better world.
They argue that progress should never endanger our surroundings, that the economy should never go before ecology. They aim to create a more holistic and ecological worldview that should make people think twice about how their actions affect nature and the resources it has to offer.
Environment-Friendly Technology
Thankfully, those who had the power to make things happen heard the cries and protests and took heed of them. As the years flew by, we have seen great improvements in the way world-building is done. Across the board, environmental impact has become one of the main considerations in development and progress.
We now have green architecture which ensures that buildings and structures have very low to zero environmental impact. Builders and designers incorporate smart technology in their projects to minimize man’s carbon footprint. Devices such as a remote heating control over WiFi or smart window panels help significantly reduce energy consumption. The use of green building materials such as bamboo, straw, cork, reclaimed wood, and other recyclable materials help promote sustainable architecture.
On top of this, other environmentally-friendly technologies have been developed over the years. New technological advancements and the circular economy have been key players in propagating environmental protection. A circular economy deals with the production of quality goods and services while lowering the use of raw materials and the production of waste.
Several technologies have been developed because of this, such as bioeconomy and bioremediation where living organisms are used to help the environment recover and recuperate.
Scientists have also discovered ways to put tech to good use in agriculture. Biotechnology has been scientifically proven to help in the production of crops that are resistant to climate change, like flood-resistant rice varieties and drought-tolerant cereals.
Additionally, green technologies that are applied to the transportation sector also help save the environment, with electric cars and biofuels at the forefront. The move towards this change in the industry can help turn the tide around, especially in the U.S. where all types of land vehicles cover a collective distance of 13,440 round trips to the sun in a single year.
With the right research and motivation fueled by compassion for the environment and concern for the future, progress can take place without compromising the environment. Living standards can be improved without putting nature and its resources at risk. And this present generation can proudly pass the world onto the next in a far better state than it’s in today.
