Technology causes environmental damage

Technology causes environmental damage

JAKARTA (JP): Advances in science and technology have caused a degradation of the natural environment, former environment minister Emil Salim said on Saturday.

"Modern technology like air conditioners, pesticides and motor vehicles could lead to the destruction of humanity," Emil said at a seminar on the environment and development.

The one-day seminar, attended by some 200 participants, was organized by the Center for Human Resources and Environmental Research of the University of Indonesia in cooperation with the Association of the National Heroes' Families and the Jakarta city government, Antara reported.

The use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in air conditioners and refrigerators was damaging the ozone layer, Emil said. "Damage to the ozone layer will bring the sun's rays to earth without any filtering," he said, adding that the unfiltered rays would cause skin cancer and cataracts.

The use of pesticides in farming would increase the level of soil acidity and cause the death of worms and other living organisms which had provided natural fertilizer in the past, he said.

The use of fossil fuels in vehicles, such as benzene and diesel fuel, caused air pollution in big cities and affected the human respiratory system, he said.

The former minister proposed the enactment of an environmental code of ethics in the application of science and technology to stop further destruction.

An aide to the current environment minister who also spoke at the seminar, Budhi Santoso, said advances in technology had enhanced people's mobility, which was, in turn, breaking down their sense of responsibility and care towards the environment.

People living in big cities and industrial centers had to live in apartments or in barren circumstances that were not friendly to the environment, he said. (imn)