Impact of technology, sustainable development

Impacts of technology on society

Positive

• Better health, food production, education, transport and communication.
• More jobs, higher income and productivity; access to energy and information.

Negative

• Pollution, resource depletion and climate change.
• Job loss due to automation, social inequality and the digital divide.
• Loss of local culture and skills; dependence on imported technology.

How appropriate technology helps sustainable development in Nepal

Appropriate technology is technology that is suited to local needs, resources, skills and environment: low cost, small scale, easily repaired and eco-friendly.

• Economic: uses local labour and materials, saves imported fuel, and creates rural enterprises (for example micro-hydro-powered mills and workshops).
• Social: reaches remote communities and women; biogas and improved cookstoves cut smoke and the time spent collecting firewood; community ownership builds capacity.
• Environmental: biogas, solar and micro-hydro reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Long-term: local people can operate and maintain it, so benefits last.

Examples: AEPC-supported biogas (hundreds of thousands of plants), micro-hydro villages, solar home systems, improved water mills. These raise living standards without destroying resources for future generations.