Technologies of humility free essay sample

Sheila Jasanoff’s â€Å"Technologies of Humility† are new approaches to decision-making that ‘seek to integrate the ‘can-do’ orientation of science and engineering with the ‘should-do’ questions of ethical and political analysis† (Jasanoff, 2003). In other words, technology needs to be accountable in the production and use of scientific knowledge. The whole premise is to ask the questions: what is the purpose; who will be hurt; who bene? ts; and how can we know? † These questions are presented a counter-balance to what Jasanoff refers to as â€Å"technologies of hubris†Ã¢â‚¬â€a command and control approach to science and technology. The idea behind ‘technologies of humility’ is to consider the consequences of a particular invention/technology through the review of various groups – community, professionals, etc. Oftentimes the consequences are not considered prior to the technology being put out into the community. Framing: In 1800 Thomas Jefferson wanted to develop a waterway to promote the movement of products across the country. We will write a custom essay sample on Technologies of humility or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As such, the invention of transportation was designed initially to move material and products from one point to another more efficiently and improve economies. The elements not initially considered were the roadblocks they would encounter. The waterway that Jefferson envisioned was not quite possible due to the Rocky Mountains that divided the land and the lack of a waterway across North America. There were also elements such as the fuel needed to operate the boats, trains and cars, the maintenance required and the pollution these vehicles would ultimately cause. Vulnerability: People who live near railroads experience health issues ranging from asthma to cancers due to the pollution and toxic fumes emitted. Not only are many people affected Technologies of Humility by the pollution produced by trains and cars, but the environment has suffered as a result. Global warming is in part due to the excessive pollutions caused by these technologies. Distribution: Better testing of pollution emissions must be done prior to releasing these transportation avenues into the communities. What can be done to reduce the emissions that are causing environmental issues and healthy problems for the community residents? Finding other ways to power cars and trains is imperative. The implementation of hybrid and electric vehicles is without a doubt a good start but needs to be expanded upon. Learning: The lessons learned have been those that have affected the health and safety of the community and the impact to the environment. The Clean Air Act is a good way to help prevent future damage to the residents and environment but I’m not sure it goes far enough just yet. The government is fully aware of the damages these inventions have caused – the issue is what all can be done to minimize further damage and reduce or repair the damage already caused. Conclusion: The initial problem that transportation was meant to address was getting people and product from one place to another in a timely, more efficient manner. The problem was addressed correctly but the long-term health and environmental effects of transportation were not considered and as a result, many people have gotten sick and the environment has suffered. Further research and improvements to transportation options is essential to protect the people and to prevent and/or minimize future damage to the environment.

Tropical Rainforest Regions

Tropical Rainforest Regions Tropical rainforests mainly occur in the Worlds equatorial regions. Tropical forests are restricted to the small land area between the latitudes 22.5 ° North and 22.5 ° South of the equator - between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer (see map). They are also located on major separate continental forests which preserve them as independent, non-contiguous realms. Rhett Butler, on his excellent site  Mongabay, refers to these four regions as the Afrotropical, the Australian, the Indomalayan and the Neotropical rainforest realms. The Afrotropical Rainforest Realm Most of the tropical rainforests of Africa exist in the Congo (Zaire) River Basin. Remnants also exist throughout Western Africa which is in a sorry state due to the plight of poverty which encourages subsistence agriculture and firewood harvesting. This realm is increasingly dry and seasonal when compared to the other realms. The outlying portions of this rainforest region are steadily becoming desert. FAO suggests this realm lost the highest percentage of rainforests during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s of any biogeographical realm. The Australian Oceanic Pacific Rainforest Realm Very little of the rainforest is located on the Australian continent. Most of this rainforest is located in Pacific New Guinea with a very small portion of the forest in the Northeast of Australia. Actually, the Australian forest has expanded over the last 18,000 years and remains relatively untouched. The Wallace Line  separates this realm from the Indomalayan realm. Biogeographer Alfred Wallace marked the channel between Bali and Lombok as the divide between two great zoogeographic regions, the Oriental and Australian. The Indomalayan Rainforest Realm Asias remaining tropical rainforest is in Indonesia (on scattered islands), the Malay peninsula and Laos and Cambodia. Population pressures have dramatically decreased the original forest to scattered fragments. Southeast Asias rainforests are some of the oldest in the World. Studies have indicated that several have existed for over 100 million years. The Wallace Line separates this realm from the Australian realm. The Neotropical Rainforest Realm The Amazon River Basin covers some 40% of the South American continent and dwarfs all other forests in Central and South America. The Amazon rainforest is roughly the size of the forty-eight contiguous United States. It is the largest continuous rainforest on Earth. The good news is, four-fifths of the Amazon is still intact and healthy. Logging is heavy in certain areas but there is still debate over the adverse effects but governments are involved in new pro-rainforest legislation. Oil and gas, cattle and agriculture are major causes of neotropical deforestation.