Technology and Environment

Technology and Environment is one of a series of publications designed to bring national attention to issues of the greatest importance in engineering and technology during the 25th year of the National Academy of Engineering. A "paradox of technology" is that it can be both the source of environmental damage and our best hope for repairing such damage today and avoiding it in the future. Technology and Environment addresses this paradox and the blind spot it creates in our understanding of environmental crises. The book considers the proximate causes of environmental damage--machines, factories, cities, and so on--in a larger societal context, from which the will to devise and implement solutions must arise. It helps explain the depth and difficulty of such issues as global warming and hazardous wastes but also demonstrates the potential of technological innovation to have a constructive impact on the planet. With a range of data and examples, the authors cover such topics as the "industrial metabolism" of production and consumption, the environmental consequences of the information era, and design of environmentally compatible technologies. Part of a series of publications designed to bring national attention to issues in engineering and technology during the 25th year of the National Academy of Engineering. This book addresses "paradox of technology" and the blind spot it creates in the understanding of environmental crises. It considers the proximate causes of environmental damage. Department heads from prestigious universities and high officials from major corporations contribute ten essays contending that environmental damage can best be repaired by the same technology that caused it. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR