Technology will destroy our world

TECHNOLOGY WILL DESTROY OUR PLANET

Presented By: Phillip Gregoire (200224844) & Kevin Filion (200219759)

Presented To: Emily Brett

Date of Submission: Sunday April 12, 2014


Technology Can be Defined As:

• The application of scientific knowledge for the practical purposes, especially in industry.

What does the Creation of Technology Accomplish:

• Technology is normally created in an effort to make a task easier, more efficient and faster.

• As a result of this, often times the problem that is being solved is the only thing considered and other implications of technological innovation, can sometimes be neglected.


Technological Threats to Our Planet:

• Three specific technological developments that have the potential to destroy our planet are; current forms of non-biodegradable manufacturing, non-renewable energy consumption, and nuclear weaponry.

Non-Biodegradable

Manufacturing

Non-renewable

Energy ConsumptionNuclear Weaponry


Technologically Advanced Weapons Will Destroy our Planet:

Modern weapons like nuclear warheads, are tremendously powerful and have the potential to annihilate all life for miles around the drop zone. This means that the power to destroy entire nations lies in one bomb. If these immensely powerful weapons are used possible implications include:

• Wiping out all life, whether it be human, animal, or plant, for miles around the drop zone

• Saturating the soil within the blast radius with radiation, rendering it inhospitable for decades, centuries and in some cases, (depending on the severity of the blast) millennia,

• Should these nuclear weapons fall into the wrong hands entire nations or races of people could be eradicated.



Nuclear weaponry poses a threat that has already been felt in one event in the 1945, the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Nuclear bombs were dropped on these Japanese cities as retaliation for the bombing of Pearl Harbour. This remains the singular use of nuclear weapons in the history of our planet, which killed an estimated 129,000 people. The effects of these attacks were felt by the survivors for years to come and resulted in some of their children to be born with disabilities or other deformities.

• With modern weapons being so powerful, one must wonder what would happen if another war on the same scale of World War II should breakout.

• These weapons do not discriminate on their target either, if a nuke is dropped all life within the blast radius is targeted.



Nuclear weapons are not the only technological threat. Advances in science have made the notion of biological weaponry a very real threat. It is a known fact that biological weapons do exist, though documented cases of their release are not known.

• Should biological weapons be released, the targets would likely not be contained to humans. Other animals and organisms have the potential to be effected by these weapons as well.

• If these weapons are brought to fruition, many keystone species could be effected which could lead to the massive loss of plant life, in addition to animal life.

• This could potentially lead to another mass extinction on our planet.

Non-Biodegradable Manufacturing Will Destroy our Planet

• Technological innovations in plastic packaging has allowed companies to use plastic to house nearly every product sold in stores. Once these products are unwrapped, and the packaging disposed, the plastic often ends up in landfills or being swept off by the wind.

• These technologically advanced forms of packaging can take decades or even longer to decompose:

Plastic Bags Plastic Bottles & Containers Styrofoam

Takes 500+ years to

decompose

Takes an estimated 1 million +

years to decompose

Takes an estimated 1 million +

years to decompose


Non-Biodegradable Manufacturing Will Destroy

our Planet• As these products are dumped in to our

landfills, not only do they fail to decompose,

they leak toxic chemicals into our aquifers,

rivers and in turn, lakes contaminating fresh

water.

• As a community, the garbage we throw out

can impact our lives in the future by polluting these natural water resources.

• Landfills and chemical saturation are not the

only ways plastic and Styrofoam packaging

have effected the planet.



Non-Biodegradable Manufacturing Will

Destroy our Planet• This is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

• It is approximated that the Great Pacific

Garbage Patch measures twice the size

of Texas

• This massive gyre of trash circulates

through ocean currents and continues to

grow as more garbage blows into the ocean

• The effects of the Great Pacific Garbage

Patch on oceanic wildlife are vast as

seen in these photos.


Non-Renewable Energy Consumption Will Destroy our Planet

• List of our main non-renewable energy sources that easy supply our power needs. These sources cause major destruction to our environment.

• Oil – Oil spills cause huge damage to wild life, because oil remains on the surface, such as beaches, oceans, rivers and the land.

• Coal – The burning of coal causes massive air pollution, that creates smog. Not only does smog harm the environment, also causes major health issues.

• Gas – When ignited, massive explosions will follow causes wild fires.

• Nuclear – requires rare materials, that are found by removal of large areas. Radiation created by the process can cause decades of problems.



• As shown in this chart, coal has the highest usage

because its cheap to buy and cheap to burn.

• The world used 7,697 million tonnes in 2012, and is

Increasing 4% each year.

• China as the highest usage of coal on the planet, with the

highest smog levels in the world.



• One day Non-renewable resources will all be used up to do over usage

• Oil has reach its peak production in 2012, thus production quantities will drop each year.

• Uranium used in nuclear power plants will run out in 100 years.

• Coal usage Is increasing every year do to china’s massive demand, reports saying coal will be no more in 100 years .

• Nature gas could run out in less than 100 years.


Non-Renewable Energy Consumption Will Destroy our Planet• Chernobyl disaster happened in 1986 which a nuclear power plant had many

explosions that cause the release of massive amounts of radioactive

materials over a ten-day period.

• Chernobyl today is a ghost town, because of radiation levels.

• Clouds filled with radiation flew over many parts of Europe

• People that have chosen to stay near Chernobyl have develop many health issues caused by radiation, which could harm every part of the body.

http://www.greenfacts.org/glossary/pqrs/radioactive-material.htm


Non-Renewable Energy Consumption Will Destroy our Planet• Chernobyl disaster happened in 1986 which a nuclear power plant had many

explosions that cause the release of massive amounts of radioactive

materials over a ten-day period.

• Chernobyl today is a ghost town, because of radiation levels.

• Clouds filled with radiation flew over many parts of Europe

• People that have chosen to stay near Chernobyl have develop many health issues caused by radiation, which could harm every part of the body.

http://www.greenfacts.org/glossary/pqrs/radioactive-material.htm


References

Big Daddy Nuke. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/11/25/article-2238242-16355F81000005DC-263_634x370.jpg

Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

Great Pacific Garbage Patch. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/?ar_a=1

Coal. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://www.iea.org/topics/coal/

The Dangers of Smog: What You Need to Know about Air Pollution. (2013, May 6). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from http://www.healthline.com/health/dangers-smog-what-you-need-know-about-air-pollution

Nuclear Power Around the World. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from https://panthersgetnuclear.wikispaces.com/Nuclear Power Around the World

None. (n.d.). Plastic Bottles. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://www.chemir.com/cmss_files/imagelibrary/plastic bottles.jpg

None. (n.d.). Atom Bomb. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://unistotencamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/crude-oilbarrel.jpg

Water. (2010, September 5). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from https://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=6A7FB7B2-1

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/11/25/article-2238242-16355F81000005DC-263_634x370.jpg

http://www.iea.org/topics/coal/

http://www.healthline.com/health/dangers-smog-what-you-need-know-about-air-pollution

http://www.chemir.com/cmss_files/imagelibrary/plastic bottles.jpg

http://unistotencamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/crude-oilbarrel.jpg

Environment

Technology will destroy our world