Walter Moss An Age Of Progress Analysis

People were so full of curiosity on how the light bulb worked. It led to everybody wanted electricity in their homes, and it began to evolve over time to what we have in this time.

Inventions like the plow and combine had many positive effects, however the use of commercial farming has played a big role in overpopulation, and

After learning about the statistics of how much agriculture consumes our planet, I was appalled to see how destructive it is. Jonathan Foley put into perspective the increase and rapid demand for food. Agriculture alone consumes 40% of our land surface, 70% of our irrigation system, and

Most times this view refers to insects or plants being harmed by the crops. herbicide, fungicide, and pesticides. All of these could be used in reduced amounts with the use of more GMOs. This would keep herbicide, fungicide, and pesticides out of our rivers, creeks, and streams. Which helps the environment.

Many support agricultural modernization, as a solution Africa’s, and many other impoverished nations hunger problems. This would include the industrialization of their agricultural industry, using modern, genetically enhanced seeds, and fertilizer. Yet, some of the same groups that are promoting the organic movement in the United States are advocating against the globalization of modern industrial agricultural practices (Paarlberg 179). Those who support modernization of such nations argue that the current process in inefficient, and inadequate. They believe that globalization of the highly capitalized, science-intensive, agricultural system that has been developed in the West, is the answer to the worlds hunger problems. They also warn that if the West abandons its current practices, it may fall victim to famine due to inadequate production (Paarlberg 179). However, supporters of organic production point to the fact that each year, approximately ten million tons of chemical fertilizer are poured onto our corn

Genetic engineering is already providing a more stable solution for agricultural production in the economy to stand on. In nine years (i.e. 1996-2005), profits from genetically modified crops were twenty-seven billion dollars. Those twenty-seven billion dollars were not just in the United States or countries like it, but the profits almost split half and half between first and third world countries (O'Neill 19). In India, for example, cotton yields have jumped to one hundred-fifty percent from the use of genetically modified crops, vastly increasing the farmers’ profits (19). The planting of these crops can really help farmers know what they are going to make every year and plan accordingly. Also, helping the farmers’ expenses is the lack of chemical pesticides needed on the crops and reducing time spent using the pricey traditional breeding methods (Mannion and Morse 749-751). Even if genetically modified crops are not planted in every field, adjoining fields can benefit due to the “halo effect.” The “halo effect” is the ability of pest protection on the genetically modified crops to affect the non-genetically modified crops due to the lack of insects in the genetically modified field (754). Genetically modified crops affect the economy in a positive way and should be seen as a smart

The food we eat and the quantity of it is what industries base their investments on; they use this to their advantage and produce more quantity than quality for us to consume, without taking into consideration the effect this might have on us or on the world as a whole. In the article “When a Crop Becomes King” written by Michael Pollan we see what the excessive use of a crop can do to our health and the environment. The vast production of products made with corn has made it the crop which is grown more than any other in the United States, but the process of adapting to the high consumption of corn came at a high cost. While corn is the easiest and cheapest substitute for sugar and animal food it is also linked to the cause of chronic diseases and serious, long-lasting damage to our ecosystems. The production of certain things is something we might not have control of but what we should have control of is our health and what better way than denying anything that we know might give us a hard time the power to do

This article explained how electricity was generated in the early 1900s. Burning coal in the city centers produced electricity and also helped to heat buildings. Only people near from the city were able to use electricity because there was not way to transmit the electricity to rural areas. After a long time coal plants started to grew and people were facing difficulties because the coal plants occupied space and they also produced pollution to the city. People decided to move coal plants to the outside of the city in that way people would not be affected, they started to use transmission wires to carry electricity. Even though they did not have the same efficacy to obtain electricity they were finding a way to improve it. At the beginning of 1970 technology began to improve, so many mass-produce engines were produce and they can be located in the middle of the population, also decentralized plants were used to recycle the wasted heat. After all these benefits of the new technology, industry decided to make some changes. Electric monopolies started to charge people for the use of electricity. Later on, congress tried to open competition in 1978 and some independent power companies started to develop one site generation. This article was focused in a research on how to build new power generation providing technology, capital costs and fuel prices. After all of this significant and dramatic changes in electricity, United States was facing problems because the power industry

Relevance Statement: Electricity is the heart of our current civilization. Without electricity we would regress into a feudal like stage which will slow down our evolution as a society

After world war 2 about 70 years ago, scientists bred of corn and rice. These new crops helped make twice as much grain as earlier crops. This was helpful for poorer countries with growing populations, such as India and Mexico. They were able to make quicker, more food for the people who needed it. This was helpful for avoiding hunger. It solved one problem, but another was created. It led to monoculture of crops. That means that only one type of crop was grown in some places. This hurts the soil and forests by quickly consuming the nutrients in the ground. Biotechnology is good, but after it led to monoculture.

One of the largest, and unspoken issues being dealt with in the United States today is the use of pesticides and their rate of decay on soil rejuvenation. American culture currently accepts the adaptation of genetically modified foods without regard to its various effects. In fact according to the Organic Consumers Association,” It 's estimated that 75 percent of processed foods contain GMOs and 80 percent of all food consumed in the U.S. is processed.”(5) Our country has developed a system in which the agricultural norm is to use genetic modifications in order to keep up with the demand for fast, good looking produce. As long as America is choosing the cheaper option of mass produced GMO infested product, we will see a continual decline in soil quality and American health problems. In an economic sense, due to the oversupply of genetically modified foods farms with GM foods are having to deal with the over-exposure of pesticides, which slows down the rejuvenation rate of the soil.(5) In fact, the government purposefully pays farmers to use pesticides in order to keep the cost of living down for people who are currently living in poverty. The soil in the America needs to be organically restored in order to have this finite resource withstand the lifespan of the human race.

     Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity rose due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labour demands to produce the majority of the food and fibre.

By the late 1800s, the world’s first coal powered electric generator was made, the world’s first electric light was used, and the world’s first hydroelectric plant was utilized. A few years later a new type of fuel was becoming well-known, petroleum. Initially it had been an inconvenience for polluting water but by the end of the century oil, turned into gasoline, powered up engines. With the spread of economical gas cars and electricity, society’s energy use rapidly increased. Power plants became massive and power lines stretched out from hundreds of miles between cities, even during The Great Depression. After World War II, the use of energy was quickly doubling every 10 years and it concerned no one.

In our society one of the most prevalent problems facing the human race is the future of food, how we plan to sustain the bodies of our future generation. Many corporations have already started to genetically modify food so that they can be able to return more of a profit or grow bigger, better crops. They also commonly use pesticides and other chemicals in the process of growing their crops to better benefit their business plan. However, since these corporations have been so focused on gaining the upper hand in the industry many of them have thrown old methods of farming out the door there has been much debate over whether or not these crops are truly better for the human body. Another major concern over new farming methods and the advances in agricultural technology is if these corporations can destroy the many ecosystems of our earth just to be able to one up the competition. This is a pressing matter due to the fact that as stated by Usman Chohan, who is involved in finding sustainable agriculture methods for the future and was invited to Pakistan Agricultural Research Council site at Fatehjang to analyze their sustainability initiative “sustainable solutions are at the heart of our efforts to satiate our developmental needs whilst minimizing our ecological footprint in the years to come.” (Chohan, 2014). My question that I will be investigating is, how can agricultural processes of today be altered to be more environmentally sustainable yet still

Agriculture has faced some of the most significant challenges in recent years. Major challenges include: the rapid growth of the human population, and the increased demand for agricultural land and environmental costs of non-renewable resources. The current industrial agriculture system consumes water, and topsoil at unsustainable rates. It contributes to numerous forms of environmental degradation, including water pollution, soil depletion, and diminishing biodiversity. The following environmental problems are associated with prevailing production methods: Synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers are polluting soil, water, and air. Soil is