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Emerging Technology and Its Implications EssayWith the increasing attention being accorded to climate change in the mainstream media these days, there is also an increase attention being given to technological solutions to assist in combating the problem.While much(prenominal) solutions ar admirable in that they go above and beyond the prevalent calls for recycling and the purchase of green products which have been proven to be of trivial impact upon the large scale flaws in systems of production and consumption that characterize industrial modernity not all of them should embraced uncritically. It is only by subjecting every proposal to save the planet to scrutiny that we can determine a truly sustainable future.One of the ideas that has been receiving increasing currency in environmentalist discussions are large scale planetary technofixes collectively referred to as geo-engineering or planetary engineering. These include mirrors in space designed to reflect excess amount of sunlight, artificial trees designed to suck carbon out of the atmosphere, and managed release of sulfates into the atmosphere, and many, many other expansive plans to ensure the ecological fabric of our planet.Heres the rub The term geo engineering is a rather questionable one, as it implies that it has the same kind of empirical or mathematical certainty as engineering when it doesnt. It smoothens over many of the bumps and curves that characterize our problems and demand creative solutions. In effect, planetary salvation becomes as easy as building a tunnel into a hill or a bridge across a river, when in fact our collective understanding of the general impacts is out-of-the- elbow room(prenominal) less than the geo engineering promoters would have us believe. One might as well call it planetary experimentation.While the potential benefits proposed are of an epic magnitude, this magnitude would also apply to the potential consequences. Take for example a proposal to suck ca rbon dioxide into the planets oceans by seeding it with iron deposits. Many, including the scientific Steering Committee of the Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) have observed that this has the potential to worsen ocean acidification and lead to blasting results for marine ecologyThe oceans are complex, dynamic, unpredictable and already vulnerable We need to build their resilience, not undermine it not quick fixes to this global problem that may cause far more long-term harm than goodish. (Gjerde)Additionally, the historical track record of large scale intervention in the name of environmental concern has never been very good to begin with, asserts Alex Steffen of WorldchangingFrom damming rivers to fighting forest fires to eliminating pests efforts have in hindsight been so overrun with unintended consequences as to become full-blown disasters, often worse than the original problems . And the personify of errors increase wit h the magnitude of the attempted solution. (Steffen)Geo engineering is essentially a silver bullet solution, one which reduces the political will to creatively retrofit our present lifestyles in such a manner as to be sustainable and environmentally sound, while still being able to enjoy the luxuries of post-industrial advancements. In essence, the tools for a greener world are already here and their downsides are negligible in the face of overwhelming benefits both environmental and societal.In any case, discussion over geo engineering only provides a distraction from mustering the political will necessary to effect true change. It provides climate change skeptics a justification for political indifference to redressing our present way of life Why opt for better designed cities, fuel efficient vehicles and profound infrastructural rethinking when we can merely erase the effects of our problematic systems?Ones stance on geo engineering is not a question of whether you are a techno utopian or a complete Luddite. However, there is a major(ip) distinction to be made between technology that is transparent in agenda, collaborative in nature, and egalitarian in application as well as easy to remedy and technology that is centralized, expensive and difficult to reverse. Between Star Wars a missile defense system saddled with so much decadency that does nothing to provide for homeland security and nuclear power a promise of perpetual source of energy whose failures wreaked massive consequences we ought to regard geo engineering with irresolution dangerous until proven safe.Geo engineering is unnecessary. Fixing the planet in such a manner is turning a blind eye to the way we harp it shows a lack of innovation and political courage that is necessary to the bright green future.Works CitedStiles, Lori. Space Sunshade Might Be Feasible In Global Warming Emergency. NASA Earth Observatory. 3 November 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http//earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2006/2006110323537.htmlBentley, Molly. Guns and sunshades to rescue climate. BBC News. 2 March 2006. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4762720.stmGjerde, Kristina. Hold back the geo-engineering tide. BBC News. 11 declination 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7133619.stmRomm, Joseph. Rule three of offsets No geo-engineering. Grist Magazine Online. 27 July 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2008 from http//gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/7/27/144848/844