Synopsis

The final chapter summarizes the technology–environment paradox – technology as both source and remedy of environmental change – and mentions technology's additional critical role as an instrument for observing and monitoring environmental change. Examples are presented of how the technology-environment paradox has been resolved, and has reemerged, throughout history. The critical questions are, first, which aspect of technology – as source or remedy of environmental change – currently has the upper hand and, second, how to tilt the scales toward the latter? To answer the first question, the chapter summarizes the balance of evidence from agriculture, industry, and the service sector. Answering the second question requires better models of technological change than we have today. The chapter reviews the major insights from the previous chapters that should be incorporated in improved models and lays out the major challenges that remain. The chapter concludes with a discussion of open issues that remain for a deeper understanding of the interactions between technology and global (environmental) change. Technology's most important historical role has been to liberate humanity from environmental constraints. That job is not complete, and the immediate challenge is to include the billions of people who have so far been excluded from the benefits of technology. The next challenge is to wisely use the power of technology to “liberate” the environment from human interference.

The “Paradox” of Technology and the Environment

Paul Gray (1989) describes as a “paradox” of technological development the fact that technology is both a source and remedy of environmental change.