Societ english4 potx

War

Along with advances in technology came a different kind

of warfare—mass destruction and complete disregard

for the environment. To end World War II and test a new

weapon, the United States dropped two atomic bombs

on Japan, instantly ending countless lives. Chemical and

biological weapons, and cluster bombs containing

depleted uranium, present another danger. All these

weapons affect not only the humans involved in wars

now, but future generations, and plant and animal life.

Solar Power

Solar power refers to the conversion of solar energy to

another, more useful form. Sunlight can be harnessed

and collected in special greenhouses. Photosensitive cells

can produce electricity when sunlight hits them. The sun

produces about ten times the energy fossil fuels create

each year. Many scientists are convinced that this form of

energy will one day replace ordinary fossil fuels. Cur￾rently, one reason that we still do not see solar-powered

cars and houses is because fossil fuels are cheaper to col￾lect and use. But technology is slowly catching up—solar

plants are now being constructed in some parts of the

United States. Scientists are hopeful that these new plants

will be able to produce enough energy to power our cities

in the future.

Genetic Engineering

One of the fastest growing fields in science, and also pos￾sibly the most controversial, genetic engineering, has

been making headline news. The first thing that comes to

mind is cloning. But there is more to genetic engineering

than that. Genetic engineering is used to produce every￾day products such as fruits, grains, plants, and even ani￾mals like fish. This might be a bit pointless, you might

say. Certainly, we have had fruits, plants, and animals

before. Why do we have to genetically engineer these

products?

We do not make these products from scratch. Genetic

engineering allows us to modify the product to bring out

certain qualities or to embed qualities that the product

would not normally have. For example, Florida oranges

grow best in Florida because oranges prefer lots of sun

and warm temperatures. Genetic engineering can mod￾ify the trees so that the oranges can grow in colder cli￾mates, like further north.

While making an orange tree that can grow anywhere

seems like a good idea, we must look at the flip side and

examine other projects. What effect would an orange tree

in Alaska have on other plant and animal life in Alaska?

In China, scientists concerned with overpopulation and

hunger developed a strain of rice that will grow twice as

fast as normal rice. This means that more food can be

produced faster. Unfortunately, the faster-growing rice

has half the nutrients of normal rice. Is this a step up?

Now there is more rice available for the population, but

it is less nutritious than natural rice.

Environmental Quality

Many factors contribute to environmental quality. Pol￾lution, the introduction of substances that affect or harm

the environment, is one of the biggest environmental

concerns scientists face today.

There are many different forms of pollution. Some are

natural, like volcanic eruptions. Humans, however,

cause most other forms of pollution.

Air Pollution

Air is polluted by the introduction of harmful contami￾nants into the atmosphere. In and around big cities,

smoke produced from factories and car emissions is

called smog. Smog in the atmosphere can cause acid rain.

Recently, people with allergic reactions to smog have

found the need to catch the smog alerts commonly read

with the weather reports. In addition to causing allergies,

smog has been known to cause numerous health prob￾lems, damage habitats, and disrupt ecosystems.

Water Pollution

Many companies dispose their waste by pumping it into

rivers, causing pollution in our water systems. Sewage

and pesticides are also factors that contribute to water

pollution. About one in three rivers in the United States

is polluted. This presents serious problems to all life that

depends on clean water for survival.

Oceans also get polluted. Garbage dumping, oil

spills, and contaminated rivers are the biggest con￾tributing polluters for our oceans. This can be devastat￾ing for countries that depend heavily on fishing for food.

In 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez smashed into some

rocks and spilled 260,000 barrels of oil in Alaska. The

–PERSONAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES IN SCIENCE–

255