From Guest Blogger Diana Smith: New Technological Advancements and Their Effect on the Ecosystem

Technology may have made our lives much easier but it’s safe to say that it comes at a cost. Some of the technologies used every single day by millions of people harm the environment and tend to damage the ecosystem. This is mostly due to acquiring new resources necessary for producing new technologies and toxic byproducts of technological production. Luckily, more and more people are becoming aware of the problem and today, we also have technologies designed specifically to save the environment. So, what technologies hurt the ecosystem the most and which of them you should get if you want to go green?

Resource-intensive technologies

As mentioned above, plenty of technologies we use on a daily basis require resources that are quite difficult to acquire without leave a footprint on the ecosystem. For example, the advanced batteries used in hybrid cars are made out of nickel and other materials that are difficult to get. Mining all of these materials can be a real problem, since it’s a source of harmful emissions such as including solvent vapors and coal dust. Also, it’s important to mention that the similar type of batteries is used for other electronics we all use such as hard drives. They’re usually mined in China, where rare-earths are sold cheaply. Unfortunately, animal, plant and human life in the areas around the mines is left endangered.

Technology used for farming

Farming cannot be described as going back to nature anymore. This is the case because there are so many electronics and toxins used in food production and agriculture is becoming a very polluting industry. They may have made food cheaper and provided us with some new food options, but they also harm nature. For example, fertilizers used by most of the farmers tend to damage soil and ground waters. The use of these fertilizers can also aid in creating dead zones in the ocean which is a big problem today. Also, pesticides may do the trick, but they also tend to build up a population of insects resistant to pesticides that put any future yields in danger.

Solar energy

Even though there are so many electronics that hurt the environment, there are plenty of those whose main function is to aid in saving the nature. That’s why we saw people starting to rely on solar energy more and more. Today, there are households and business that use electrical energy as little as possible in order to reduce their carbon footprint. This has led to plenty of new solar panels being released. Also, there are solar batteries such as Tesla Powerwall that can help you store power generated from your panels. With a battery like, this you can start using electrical energy even less. Not to mention that using solar energy is going to reduce your energy bills significantly.

New settings for the users

Another great thing about advancements in technology is that devices now offer users more and more options. Some of the options we have today can play a huge role in reducing our carbon footprint. Just take a look at it his way – if you use a PS4 or Xbox 360, putting it into power down mode when you’re not playing can help you save even up to $100 a year. And there’s no need to say that saving so much electrical energy has a positive effect on the environment. Taking your time to go through the settings all of your devices offer you is always a good idea, as you’ll be able to find new ways to help the environment.

With so many new technologies being used, we’re only going to endanger the ecosystem more and more. Still, every contribution counts and we should all try to aid the cause by using green technologies as much as possible.