Will technology spare the earth?

Yes

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by Ryan Weber

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Since the Industrial Revolution littered the skies of London, the bullish march of technology continues to quicken its pace. Charles Dickens commented in his work, A Tale of Two Cities, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Although published in 1859, this assessment certainly rings true in modern America. We live in one of the most prosperous civilizations of all time when measured in material wealth. As we contemplate the fate of our planet on Earth day, one question must be asked; are we making the world better or worse?

Nineteenth Century England was both the brightest and darkest times Britons had ever seen up to that point. The shimmer of progress and profits shone brilliantly for those who weren't doomed to twelve-hour work days in the factories. For the working class, dark clouds of ash dimmed the few hours of daylight they were able to spend outside.

Today, things have gotten better for both the profit seeker and the worker; at least in industrialized nations. Improved labor standards have forced large corporations to become even larger multi-national corporations, often with larger profits than GDP of small nations. Corporate giants have not yet been forced to deal with their adverse effects on the planet. Industrialized nations like the US and Western Europe enacted environmental standards which were easily avoided by outsourcing production to less-developed countries which lacked the infrastructure to enforce clean industry. For these countries, the need to provide jobs to its impoverished people was the main concern so they opened the doors to corporations and have largely ignored the economic cost.

Developed nations may finally be on the brink of making a change thanks to explosive oil prices. Only last year, the price of oil per barrel was around $60. Oil rose to a new record of over $123 per barrel on May 7, 2008. Rising oil prices have been forcing consumers and auto manufacturers to do some soul searching. Two years ago, bio-fuels were virtually unheard of, but today gas stations across the US are beginning to provide the alternative to fossil-fuel. Toyota produced the Prius in response to consumer's demand for fuel-economy. It has quickly become the darling of consumers seeking a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle which boasts up to 50 miles per gallon.

Another factor in saving the planet is reducing greenhouse gas emissions like CO2. According to the US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory report, which lists CO2 emissions by sector, electricity generation accounted for 2,343.9 million metric tons in 2006. The total US greenhouse gas emissions were 7,075.6 for the same year. By switching our power generation to renewable resources that don't rely on fossil-fuels, we can virtually eliminate one third of the total greenhouse gas emissions.

In the name of clean energy and energy independence, local governments are getting involved when the federal government fails to act. Oregon and Washington, for example, issue tax credits to homeowners and businesses who install solar panels on their homes. In the state of Washington, an initiative was passed which requires the state's largest electric utilities to supply 15 percent of their electricity sales from renewable resources by 2020. Local governments around the country are working to encourage the production of bio-fuels. From solar paneled roof-tops to electricity generating windmills, and bio-fuels, the renewable energy revolution has begun.

Over the next few years developed nations like the US, Japan and EU members, will continue to build their sustainable energy infrastructures so that dirty power production is eventually eliminated. Instead of burning coal for power or creating radioactive waste from nuclear plants, developed nations will come to rely more heavily on power production which needs no fuel. Windmills will cover barren hills and solar panels will harness the power of the desert sun using land that is worthless to farmers. There is also the promise of geothermal energy which derives its energy from the ever building pressure of volcanic activity below the earth's surface and tidal energy. Tidal energy seeks to use the pull of the tides to generate power. All of these methods have one thing in common; they do not produce greenhouse gasses.

Though innovation must begin in developed nations, due to their available capital for research, developing nations are sure to follow suit as technology improves. Sustainable energy production will increase in efficiency and decrease in cost as billions of dollars are poured into research. The time will soon come where an established sustainable energy technologies will become more economical than current methods which rely on depleting resources which are often found in the hands of undemocratic nations. Without getting into the argument over global warming, weaning ourselves away from so called "dirty" power, we will certainly achieve a cleaner world for our children.

Industrialism began with blackened skies over Britain and continues much the same all around the world today. Until recently, there was no solution to saving the planet other than denouncing modern technology altogether. As developing nations like China and India continue to grow at a startling pace, our net pollution output will likely continue to increase over the short-term. Luckily, the laws of supply and demand are in the Earth's favor. The struggle for limited oil and coal resources will only worsen until supplies are completely drained. Watch hopefully as oil prices increase, because that will spell its inevitable doom. Renewable resources will begin to look cheap by comparison and the revolution will be complete. So fear not my fellow earthlings, technology will save the world!

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