Science and technology affect us in many different ways. They have invaded every part of our lives, have changed our lifestyles, and improved our physical and mental abilities. The technological explosion which we witness in our daily life has made it possible for us to free ourselves from tedious manual labour and see life as more than a continuous struggle for survival. We are constantly developing and enhancing our knowledge and this has an impact on every aspect of our lives. The mass media provide us with news as it happens and new technological advances mean that various forms of transport now get us to our destinations faster and more comfortably than ever before.. We have even developed our physical strength and stamina with the use of digital body building machines. Our life expectancy has also increased due to advances in the field of medicine, and these have also improved the quality of our lives.
Ironically, in our eagerness to improve our standard of living, we have been irresponsibly indifferent to the side effects of progress, science and technology. We are rapidly poisoning the world with toxic fumes, effluent and waste. Wherever we look we see the devastating consequences of pollution: the blighted landscape, the grimy water of our rivers and lakes and the sickly brown air which covers many cities of the world. As a result, we have drastically reduced the quality of our lives, endagering our very existence.
One of the saddest consequences of pollution is the way it is destroying natural beauty. In a world where more and more space is taken up by concrete, we cannot afford to lose areas of natural beauty.. Yet that is precisely what is happening. Acid rain, a combitation of factory fumes and rain is causing vast areas of virgin forest in Sweden, Germany, Poland and other northern and central European countries to die. On the other hand, climate changes due to global warming which is caused by pollution lead to water shortage, floods or hurricanes.
The time has come to say enough is enough! If we want to save our ravaged world, we must act now, before it is too late. Otherwise, in a very short time we will find ourselves living in what will be little better than a rubbish bag!
