Discussion 7,8,9 - As Hite and Seitz (2016) discuss

Discussion questions 

These questions should be answered in full, each question should not exceed a paragraph each.

Question 1

As Hite and Seitz (2016) discuss in Chapter 8, "Technology," technological advancements and changes may affect how we can work to find solutions for the global threats discussed so far. Technological advances can and do affect development in positive and negative ways.

• Besides biotechnology, identify one technology that      seems to have the greatest potential positive effect on food security.      Discuss any potential negative uses of that technology. Do the benefits of      these technologies outweigh the potential negative consequences they have      on food security? Why or why not?

Question 2

As addressed in the readings, technology has the potential to both solve global social problems and make them worse. For example, technological devices that can interact with the environment have the potential to reduce world hunger by helping to increase food production in developing countries. However, some technological advancements—such as weapons of war and automated assembly lines—can threaten life through armed conflict, and pollution of the environment can increase poverty by eliminating jobs.

• Do advancements in technology pose any direct and/or      indirect threats to the global environment? Choose one advancement and      provide two examples of direct or indirect threats in your explanation.

Question 3

In Chapter 6, "The Environment – Part I," Hite and Seitz (2016) note that pollution and global warming were an important concern of the first world conference on the environment that was held in Sweden in 1972. Principle 6 of that declaration stated that we must stop the release of pollutants and heat that cannot be effectively processed by our environment in the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment [PDF], Chapter I, p. 4. 

• Thinking about the different types of pollutants and      heat that can be effectively processed by our environment, which are the      most critical to address? Identify three pollutants you consider to be the      most critical to address and explain why you believe they are most      important.