Influences of technological progress on the ecology & the

control initiatives
Technology
It means application of scientific knowledge for practical purpose. Technology is derived from
the greek word where techno means art or skill and logia means science or study.

Technology refers to the totality of the means employed to provide objects necessary for human
sustenance and comfort.

Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies,
technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy)
and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-
products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its
environment

Ecology
It is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Ecology is also the
study of ecosystems.

Ecosystem is the basic functional unit in ecology. It is a sysytem which includes populations &
communities. Each of them influences each other. It is capable of self maintenance & self
regulation. Eg: plants synthesise nutrients, that feed herbivores which in turn, feed a chain of
carnivores whose wastes and bodies feed plants.

Industrial ecology

Industrial ecology is the shifting of industrial process from linear (open loop) systems, in which
resource and capital investments move through the system to become waste, to a closed loop
system where wastes become inputs for new processes.

Much of the research focuses on the following areas:

 material and energy flow studies ("industrial metabolism")

 dematerialization and decarbonization
 technological change and the environment
 life-cycle planning, design and assessment
 design for the environment ("eco-design")
 extended producer responsibility ("product stewardship")
 eco-industrial parks ("industrial symbiosis")
 product-oriented environmental policy
  eco-efficiency

Industrial ecology proposes not to see industrial systems (for example a factory, an ecoregion, or
national or global economy) as being separate from the biosphere, but to consider it as a
particular case of an ecosystem - but based on infrastructural capital rather than on natural
capital. It is the idea that as natural systems do not have waste in them, we should model our
systems after natural ones if we want them to be sustainable.

Business ecology
Industrial ecology is a part of business ecology. It also deals with quality management,
unsustainable development, environmental economics, strategic management from ecological
view.

Technology has simplified human life.

But what about its negative impact

Short term impacts

 Depletion of non-renewable resources
 Increase in air, water, land & noise pollution

Long term impacts

I. Global Warming

Global warming is the observed and projected increases in the average temperature of Earth's
atmosphere and oceans. The Earth's average temperature rose about 0.6° Celsius (1.1°
Fahrenheit) in the 20th century.

Cause of global warming

Almost 100% of the observed temperature increase over the last 50 years has been due to the
increase in the atmosphere of greenhouse gas concentrations like water vapour, carbon dioxide
(CO2), methane and ozone. Greenhouse gases are those gases that contribute to the greenhouse
effect (see below). The largest contributing source of greenhouse gas is the burning of fossil
fuels leading to the emission of carbon dioxide.

The greenhouse effect

When sunlight reaches Earth's surface some is absorbed and warms the earth and most of the rest
is radiated back to the atmosphere at a longer wavelength than the sun light. Some of these
longer wavelengths are absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere before they are lost to
space. The absorption of this longwave radiant energy warms the atmosphere. These greenhouse
gases act like a mirror and reflect back to the Earth some of the heat energy which would
otherwise be lost to space. The reflecting back of heat energy by the atmosphere is called the
"greenhouse effect".

The major natural greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36-70% of the
greenhouse effect on Earth (not including clouds); carbon dioxide CO2, which causes 9-26%;
methane, which causes 4-9%, and ozone, which causes 3-7%. It is not possible to state that a
certain gas causes a certain percentage of the greenhouse effect, because the influences of the
various gases are not additive. Other greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, nitrous
oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and chlorofluorocarbons.

Effects of global warming

1. Polar ice caps melting

The ice caps melting is a four-pronged danger.

First, it will raise sea levels. There are 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in ice caps, glaciers, and
permanent snow. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, if all glaciers melted
today the seas would rise about 230 feet. Luckily, that’s not going to happen all in one go! But
sea levels will rise.

Second, melting ice caps will throw the global ecosystem out of balance. The ice caps are fresh
water, and when they melt they will desalinate the ocean, or in plain English – make it less salty.
The desalinization of the gulf current will “screw up” ocean currents, which regulate
temperatures. The stream shutdown or irregularity would cool the area around north-east
America and Western Europe. Luckily, that will slow some of the other effects of global
warming in that area!

Third, temperature rises and changing landscapes in the artic circle will endanger several species
of animals. Only the most adaptable will survive.

Fourth, global warming could snowball with the ice caps gone. Ice caps are white, and reflect
sunlight, much of which is relected back into space, further cooling Earth. If the ice caps melt,
the only reflector is the ocean. Darker colors absorb sunlight, further warming the Earth.

2. Economic consequences
Most of the effects of anthropogenic global warming won’t be good. And these effects spell one
thing for the countries of the world: economic consequences. Hurricanes cause do billions of
dollars in damage, diseases cost money to treat and control and conflicts exacerbate all of these.

3. Increased probability and intensity of droughts and heat waves

Although some areas of Earth will become wetter due to global warming, other areas will suffer
serious droughts and heat waves. Africa will receive the worst of it, with more severe droughts
also expected in Europe. Water is already a dangerously rare commodity in Africa, and
according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global warming will exacerbate
the conditions and could lead to conflicts and war.

4. Warmer waters and more hurricanes

As the temperature of oceans rises, so will the probability of more frequent and stronger
hurricanes. We saw in this in 2004 and 2005.

5. Spread of disease
As northern countries warm, disease carrying insects migrate north, bringing plague and disease
with them. Indeed some scientists believe that in some countries thanks to global warming,
malaria has not been fully eradicated.

II. Ozone layer depletion

The ozone layer is located between 10 and 50 km above the Earth's surface and contains 90% of
all stratospheric ozone. Under normal conditions, stratospheric ozone is formed by a
photochemical reaction between oxygen molecules, oxygen atoms and solar radiation.
The ozone layer is essential to life on earth, as it absorbs harmful ultraviolet-B radiation from the
sun. In recent years the thickness of this layer has been decreasing, leading in extreme cases to
holes in the layer

Causes of Ozone Depletion

The cause of ozone depletion is the increase in the level of free radicals such as hydroxyl
radicals, nitric oxide radicals and atomic chlorine and bromine. The most important compound,
which accounts for almost 80% of the total depletion of ozone in the stratosphere are
chlorofluorocarbons (CFC). These compounds are very stable in the lower atmosphere of the
Earth, but in the stratosphere, they break down to release a free chlorine atom due to ultraviolet
radiation. A free chlorine atom reacts with an ozone molecule (O3) and forms chlorine monoxide
(ClO) and a molecule of oxygen. Now chlorine monoxide reacts with an ozone molecule to form
a chlorine atom and two molecules of oxygen. The free chlorine molecule again reacts with
ozone to form chlorine monoxide. The process continues and the result is the reduction or
depletion of ozone in the stratosphere.

Possible Effects of Ozone Depletion

If you are wondering why is the ozone layer important, then the answer lies in the harmful
effects of ultraviolet rays. The ozone layer is responsible for absorbing the ultraviolet rays and
thereby preventing them from passing through the atmosphere of Earth. Ultraviolet rays of the
Sun are associated with a number of health related and environmental issues. The most important
of these is the association between ultraviolet rays and an increased risk of developing several
types of skin cancers including malignant melanoma, basal and squamous cell carcinoma. Even
the incidents of cortical cataracts can also increase significantly with the increased exposure to
ultraviolet rays.
Another observation in this regard is that a decrease in the ozone in the stratosphere can lead to
an increase in the ozone present in the lower atmosphere. Ozone present in the lower atmosphere
is mainly regarded as a pollutant and a green house gas that can contribute to global warming
and climate change. However, researches have pointed out that the lifespan of atmospheric ozone
is quiet less as compared to stratospheric ozone. At the same time, increase in the surface level of
ozone can enhance the ability of sunlight to synthesize vitamin D, which can be regarded as an
important beneficial effect of ozone layer depletion.

The effects of ozone depletion are not limited to humans only, as it can affect animals and plants
as well. It can affect important food crops like rice by adversely affecting cyanobacteria, which
helps them absorb and utilize nitrogen properly. Phytoplankton, an important component of the
marine food chain, can also be affected by ozone depletion. Studies in this regard have shown
that ultraviolet rays can influence the survival rates of these microscopic organisms by affecting
their orientation and mobility.

The increasing concern for the causes and effects of ozone depletion led to the adoption of the
Montreal Protocol, in the year 1987, in order to reduce and control the industrial emission of
chlorofluorocarbons. International agreements have succeeded to a great extent in reducing the
emission of these compounds, however, more cooperation and understanding among all the
countries of the world is required to mitigate the problem.

III. Acid rains

The primary causes of acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.  These chemicals are
released by certain industrial processes. Automobiles produce about half of the world's nitrogen
oxide.  As the number of automobiles in use increases, so does the amount of acid rain.  Power
plants that burn fossil fuels also contribute significantly to nitrogen oxide emission.

IV. Generation` of new set of wastes that were previously unknown to humans like
radioactive wastes.

V. Destruction of flora & fauna

VI. Imbalance in eco system

VII. Health & social problems

CONTROL INITIATIVES
I. GREEN MARKETING

Green marketing refers to the process of selling products and/or services based on their
environmental benefits. Such a product or service may be environmentally friendly in itself or
produced and/or packaged in an environmentally friendly way.
The obvious assumption of green marketing is that potential consumers will view a product or
service's "greenness" as a benefit and base their buying decision accordingly. The not-so-obvious
assumption of green marketing is that consumers will be willing to pay more for green products
than they would for a less-green comparable alternative product - an assumption that, in my
opinion, has not been proven conclusively.

While green marketing is growing greatly as increasing numbers of consumers are willing to
back their environmental consciousnesses with their dollars, it can be dangerous. The public
tends to be skeptical of green claims to begin with and companies can seriously damage their
brands and their sales if a green claim is discovered to be false or contradicted by a company's
other products or practices. Presenting a product or service as green when it's not is called
greenwashing.
Car sharing services

Car-sharing services address the longer-term solutions to consumer needs for better fuel savings
and fewer traffic tie-ups and parking nightmares, to complement the environmental benefit of
more open space and reduction of greenhouse gases. They may be thought of as a "time-sharing"
system for cars. Consumers who drive less than 7,500 miles a year and do not need a car for
work can save thousands of dollars annually by joining one of the many services springing up,
including ZipCar (East Coast), Flex Car (Washington State), and Hour Car (Twin Cities).

Electronics sector

The consumer electronics sector provides room for using green marketing to attract new
customers. One example of this is HP's promise to cut its global energy use 20 percent by the
year 2010.[20] To accomplish this reduction below 2005 levels, The Hewlett-Packard Company
announced plans to deliver energy-efficient products and services and institute energy-efficient
operating practices in its facilities worldwide.

Introduction of CNG in Delhi

New Delhi, capital of India, was being polluted at a very fast pace until Supreme Court of India
forced a change to alternative fuels. In 2002, a directive was issued to completely adopt CNG in
all public transport systems to curb pollution.[21]

II. ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTING

It deals with depletion of natural resources. It refers to modification of system of national

accounts. Sytem of national accounts are the accounts which national governments compile
regularly to track the activities of their economies. It is used to calculate economic indicators like
GDP, GNP etc
Environmental accounting needs to work as a tool to measure the economic efficiency

of environmental conservation activities and the environmental efficiency of the business

activities of the company as a whole.

legal framework

The various laws relevant to environmental protection are as under:

(a) Directly related to environment protection:

i. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

ii Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977.

iii. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

iv. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

v. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986

Environmental reports as contained in the Directors Report of three Indian Companies are as
under:

(I) Asian Paints (India) Ltd, (1993-94): “Ecology and Safety: Samples of treated effluents are
periodically checked for Compliance with standards”

(II) Goodlass Nerolac Paints Limited (1993-94): “ Pollution: The company regularly monitors
measures in force in accordance with the Pollution Control Act for the protection of environment
and for ensuring industrial safety. The company carries out improvements regularly to ensure full
compliance with the statutory requirements.”

(III) Maruti Udyog Limited (1993-94): “Environment: Modification of the existing effluent
treatment plant was undertaken to take care of additional effluents generated due to capacity
expansion. Data on non–methane hydrocarbons in Paint Shop and Engine Testing shop, ambient
air quality, stack emissions and effluents are being regularly monitored and the parameters are
maintained well within prescribed limits. Development of green belt around gas turbine and
R&D areas was further augmented by plantation of 3000 additional saplings.

It was also revealed that most of the companies disclose the environment information in
descriptive manner rather than to financial type i.e. no account is made for the degradation of
natural capital when calculating corporate profits.
III. Monitoring environmental changes and planning for safety and growth of flora
and fauna.
IV. Using technology to seek cleaner rivers, cleaner ponds, cleaner air, etc
V. End of the pipe solutions
The traditional means of combating pollution has been by means of end-of-pipe
systems, ie. treatment of wastes and polluting streams. This end-of-pipe approach,
while still essential for many industries and for many technologies, should only be
used as a last resort and Cleaner Production opportunities should be investigated first.
End-of-pipe systems may involve treating water, air, noise and solid wastes. A whole
range of technologies are involved from the multitude of biological and chemical
systems used for treating water, to filtration systems, cyclones and other barrier
systems used for air, acoustic enclosures and baffles and various composting or
disposal methods. For any stream, there will probably be a series of equally
acceptable treatment options, with different quality, economics and environmental
performance. The sensible environmental option is to minimise treatment needs to
minimise end-of-pipe interventions and to maximise the Cleaner Production thinking
that goes on upstream to save resources. If we look at the traditional approaches to
managing wastes, the movement has been from:

Dumping and dispersion, to controlling, on to recycling and management and now we

are in a prevention at source, trying to manage and minimise consumption of
resources.
In the future we may expect more emphasis on saving resources and using what
scarce inputs we have more sensibly, thus the thrust will inevitably trend towards a
more upstream set of solutions.

VI. What an Idea, Sirji! for a Green planet

As the planet faces hazards of global warming, and the world leaders debate the role
of developed and developing countries to save the Earth - there is one simple solution
that our very prudent and popular Sirji! proposes this time. He advocates the message
'Use Mobile, Save Paper', thus have a green planet.