Environmental pollution is one of the most harmful effects of industrial technology. Most industrial countries face problems of air, water, soil, and noise pollution. Motor vehicles cause most of the air and noise pollution in these countries. But many other products as well as many processes of technology also pollute the environment. For example, certain insecticides pollute the soil and water and endanger plant and animal life. Factory smoke and wastes also contribute greatly to air and water pollution. In the United States, power plants that burn oil or other fuels to generate electricity add millions of tons of pollutants to the air annually. Junkyards, open-pit mines, logging operations, and freeways detract from the beauty of the natural environment.

The rapid advance of technology threatens the supply of resources. For example, the use of electrically powered machinery in the United States and other industrial countries has greatly increased factory production. But at the same time, it has reduced reserves of oil and other fossil fuels needed to produce electricity. These fuels cannot be replaced after they are used. As power production increases, the supply of fuels decreases.

Excerpt from the "Technology" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999