PREFACE

The relationship between the homos-sapiens and the three parts of the environment
(water,air and soil) have lately needed a very well thought and balanced concordance in order to
maintain the ecological balance in all the eco-systems.

The exaggerated intention of exploration of natural resources for the satisfaction of

human necessities are often finalized with unjustified actions against the environment, actions
that often have bad consequences over the environment and the human.

Earth’s environment is changing rapidly due to the impacts of increasing population,

rapid industrialization, urbanization and extensive use of natural resources. Degradation of
ecosystems, threats to biodiversity, environmental pollution, climate change, natural disasters
and the degradation of natural resources are major challenges faced by society. Today, we have
become increasingly aware of problems arising from environmental negligence; environmental
policy will succeed only if it focuses on strategies that address the root causes of environmental
problems. This special collection aims to disseminate technologies used for protection of the
environment across the globe.

Earth Summit was created as a response for Member States to cooperate together
internationally on development issues after the Cold War. Due to conflict relating
to sustainability being too big for individual member states to handle, Earth Summit was held as
a platform for other Member States to collaborate. Since the creation, many others in the field of
sustainability show a similar development to the issues discussed in these conferences,
including non-governmental organizations.

Human intervention upon hydrographical basins lead to the increase of soil erosion and to
the increase of chemicals in the water as a result of their depositing on the side of water fronts.
Another very controversial problem is the usage of human and industrial residues.

The impact of technologies upon humans and the environment

As years passed, technological advancement was no longer confined to the mere purpose
of meeting man’s needs for food, clothing and shelter. Different forms of technological
developments described the era of each civilization. It started from Stone Age and was elevated
to the Bronze Age and finally reached the Iron Age, which brought technological advancements
in weaponry.
Neighboring countries and regions came to wage war against each other and often the
victor was the one with better technology as far as weapons were concerned. Even today, major
countries spend billions of dollars for warfare technology to ensure that no foreign leader or ruler
can invade and claim a country or territory as his own. Thus, the negative impact of technology
on the environment began to surface as more of the Earth’s natural resources and ecological
habitats were being depleted or disrupted.

Here are some of the main ways in which technology has contributed to the alteration and
degradation of the soil:

 Agricultural activities (insecticides, herbicides, irrigation)

 Industrial activities which release substances into the atmosphere

 The production and usage of energy with a bad effect upon the environment
(destruction of soil, pollution of air and water, acid rain and the greenhouse
effect). Greenhouse gas emissions have brought us global warming, melting
glaciers, rising sea levels, air pollution, ocean acidification, disrupted marine and
wildlife biodiversity, groundwater contamination, soil depletion and a host of
other adverse effects that stem from other technological innovations that were
conceptualized without considering the consequences. All these effects are
intertwined as a result of gas emissions that accumulated in the atmosphere. It
eventually penetrated the ozone layer found in the Earth's stratosphere.

 The transportation systems (exhaust gases, noise). Technology was used to speed
up production and manufacture of goods, to provide better transport and delivery
as well as make the methods of communication not only faster but also, far
reaching. Trade and commerce flourished at faster rates due to technological
advancements and brought about globalization. As trade and commerce grew, the
more it heightened the impact of technology on natural environment wherein air,
land and water reached certain degrees of pollution, degradation and
contamination.