- Asked 2/23
- 2083 Bhadra · 4 marks
- 2070 Chaitra · 4 marks
Impact of technology on environment and society
Short answer
Technology has dual impacts: it improves health, communication, and productivity but causes unemployment, digital divide, and cultural loss; environmentally, it offers renewable energy and monitoring but also pollution, climate change, and e-waste, so wise use and impact assessment are needed.
Explain the impact of technology on environment and society.
Technology is the application of knowledge, tools and skills to solve human problems. It has both positive and negative impacts on society and on the environment.
Impact on society
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Better health care, longer life expectancy | Unemployment of unskilled workers due to automation |
| Fast communication and transport | Digital divide between rich and poor |
| Easy access to education (online learning) | Breakdown of joint families, loss of culture |
| Higher productivity and income | Social media addiction, cyber crime |
| Women empowerment, awareness | Weapons of mass destruction |
Impact on environment
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Renewable energy (solar, hydro, biogas) reduces fossil fuel use | Air pollution from vehicles and industries |
| Wastewater treatment and recycling | Water pollution from industrial effluent and chemicals |
| Remote sensing and GIS for forest and disaster monitoring | Deforestation, land degradation, mining |
| Efficient engines, LED lighting | Greenhouse gases and climate change |
| Early warning systems for floods | E-waste, plastic waste, ozone depletion |
Example
Motor vehicles connect villages to markets and hospitals (social benefit), but in Kathmandu they are a major source of PM2.5 and noise (environmental harm). Electric vehicles powered by Nepal's hydropower are a technology that keeps the benefit while reducing the harm.
Technology should therefore be chosen and used wisely, with impact assessment and sustainable practices, so that benefits are maximised and damage minimised.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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