3. The use of fossil fuels as an energy
source has adverse effects on
society
Many of these effects can be
mitigated by using solar energy
4. Multidirectional development (Pinch & Bijker,
1987)
Multiple motivations (Winner, 1986)
Technological momentum (Hughes, 1994)
Changes human behavior (Ritzer, 2004)
Social practices and technology shape each
other in highly complex ways
All of which can be seen in
development of solar power
6. Positive
May better distribute
resources
Help reduce poverty
(Dyson, 1999)
Class, Poverty, and
Technology
Negative
Unequally distributed
technologies worsen
poverty
Common with large
centralized systems
(Palz, 2011)
Technologies can have disparate effects on
class and poverty
7. Enable us to perform many previously
undoable tasks (Latour, 1992)
Coal, oil, and natural gas
Currently main source of energy (Tester, 2012)
Fossil Fuels
Photo retrieved from http://fes-5-energy.wikispaces.com/fossil+fuels
8. Caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from
fossil fuels
Causes environmental damage and economic
costs
(IPCC, 2013)
Issue:
Climate Change
Photo retrieved from http://elgarblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/strategies-in-long-negotiations-what-we-can-learn-
from-climate-change-by-christian-downie/
9. Fossil Fuel
Combustion:
Releases harmful
chemicals into
atmosphere
Damages crops
Enters water supply
(Union of Concerned
Scientists, n.d.)
Issue: Pollution
Photo retrieved from
http://firecatching.blogspot.com/2011/07
/climate-change-not-my-
responsibility.html
10. U.S. imports from unstable
regions (U.S. EIA, 2016)
Total fossil fuel stocks being
depleted (Tester, 2012)
Issue: Energy
Dependence
(U.S. EIA, 2016)
11. Conventional power sources likely to lead to
inequality of service (Palz, 2011)
Contamination is also concentrated in
impoverished areas (Skelton, 2006)
Issue: Inequality
Graph retrieved from http://www.unitedexplanations.org/2014/01/27/50-mapas-que-te-ayudaran-a-
comprender-el-mundo/map-of-global-energy-consumption/
Per capita energy consumption
12. Global impacts of climate change and
pollution
Especially apparent for impoverished
Target Population
13. Technological momentum
(Hughes, 1994; Madrigal, 2011)
Gender (Campana, 2011; Gomez,
1994)
Class and poverty (Palz, 2011;
Skelton, 2006)
Relation to Course Topics
14. Worsen without
immediate response
Require significant
change
Predictions
Retrieved from https://e-
education.psu.edu/meteo469/node/150
15. Incorporate renewable energies, specifically
solar into the energy mix
Reduce and clean up fossil fuels
Make these technologies available
worldwide
Recommendations
Photo retrieved from http://commonsabundance.net/docs/solar-power/
16. Requires
cooperation from
Science (Kitchen,
2014)
Politics (Greene,
2015)
Business (Kitchen,
2014; Tester, 2012)
Implementation
Photo retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremylevinedesign/2814805163/
17. Climate change (Tester,
2012)
Pollution (Tester, 2012)
Energy independence
(Tester, 2012)
Equality (Dyson, 1999;
Campana, 2011)
Benefits of Solar
Photo retrieved from http://astronomylinks.wikispaces.com/Earth
18. Solar power can address
many of the social and
environmental issues
caused by fossil fuel
usage
Perfect example of
intersection of technology
and society
Conclusion
19. Campana, D. (2011). Photovoltaic power systems for lifting women out of poverty in Sub-
Saharan Africa. In W. Palz (Ed.), Power for the world: The emergence of electricity from the sun
(pp. 273-279). Singapore: Pan Stanford Publishing.
Dyson, F.J. (1999). Technology and social justice. In D.G. Johnson & J.M. Wetmore (Eds.),
Technology and society: Building our sociotechnical future (pp.5-12). Cambridge, MA: The MIT
Press.
Gomez, M.C.A. (1994). Bodies, machines, and male power. In D.G. Johnson & J.M. Wetmore
(Eds.), Technology and society: Building our sociotechnical future (pp. 389-405). Cambridge,
MA: The MIT Press.
Greene, N. (2015, December 21). Solar and Wind Power Soar in 2015. With Tax Incentives'
Renewal, Expect More of the Same in Years to Come. Retrieved from
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ngreene/part_of_nrdcs_year-end_series.html
Hughes, T.P. (1994). Technological momentum. In D.G. Johnson & J.M. Wetmore (Eds.),
Technology and society: Building our sociotechnical future (pp. 141-150). Cambridge, MA: The
MIT Press.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2013). Climate Change 2013: The Physical
Science Basis. Retrieved from
http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/docs/WGI_AR5_2013_Poster.pdf
Kitchen, D.E. (2014). Global climate change: Turning knowledge into action. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Education.
Latour, B. (1992). Where are the missing masses? The sociology of a few mundane artifacts. In
D.G. Johnson & J.M. Wetmore (Eds.), Technology and society: Building our sociotechnical future
(pp. 151-180). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
References
20. Madrigal, A. (2011). Powering the dream: The history and promise of green technology.
Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.
Palz, W. (2011). Power for the world: The emergence of electricity from the sun. Singapore: Pan
Stanford Publishing.
Pinch, T.J. & Bijker, W. (1987). The social construction of facts and artifacts. In D.G. Johnson &
J.M. Wetmore (Eds.), Technology and society: Building our sociotechnical future (pp. 107-139).
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Ritzer, G. (2004). Control: Human and nonhuman robots. In D.G. Johnson & J.M. Wetmore (Eds.),
In Technology and society: Building our sociotechnical future (pp. 227-255). Cambridge, MA: The
MIT Press.
Skelton, R. & Miller, V. (2006, October 12). The Environmental Justice Movement. Retrieved from
http://www.nrdc.org/ej/history/hej.asp
Tester, J.W., Drake, E.M., Driscoll, M.J., Golay, M.W., & Peters, W.A. (2012). Sustainable Energy:
Choosing Among Options (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Union of Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). The Hidden Cost of Fossil Fuels. Retrieved from
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/the-
hidden-cost-of-fossil.html#.V32Fn7grLtQ
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2016, March 2). Oil Imports and Exports.
Retrieved from http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=oil_imports
Winner, L. (1986). Do artifacts have politics? In D.G. Johnson & J.M. Wetmore (Eds.), Technology
and society: Building our sociotechnical future (pp. 209-226). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press
References (continued)
Notas do Editor
Society and technology have a complex relationship with technology consisting of the interplay of scientific advances and societal need. Problems with either society or technology can lead to problems with the other, but technological and societal solutions can also impact each other.
The current issues associated with fossil fuels and the advent of solar power highlight this relationship.
Social practices and technology shape each other in very complex ways.
Pinch and Bijker
Pinch and Bijker (1987) claim that technology develops multidirectionally instead of linearly, with some versions dying off while others succeed. They also say that technology develops to solve the social problems of relevant social groups.
For example, solar power has developed somewhat sporadically. Solar water heating was common in the early 20th century, but it died off due to falling natural gas prices. Political and economic pressure has kept solar from becoming more common in America but it has been more successful in Europe and Asia. Although solar heating was originally more common, today photovoltaics are more popular due to perceived problems with solar heating (Madrigal, 2011).
Winner
Winner (1986) claims that there are many motivations behind developing technologies, including politics, and that certain technologies lend themselves to different types of power structures.
Winner (1986) specifically mentions how solar power is more decentralized than conventional power sources leading to greater autonomy.
Hughes
Hughes (1994) focuses on how society and technology build upon each other, eventually creating so much “technological momentum” that it becomes difficult to change directions
Solar power is only now developing any sort of technological momentum but the technology is beginning to grow rapidly. The Solar Investment Tax was recently extended, helping solar power to grow about twenty-four percent in 2015 (Greene, 2015).
Technology as force for social change
Technology can also be used to control human behavior. Technology deskills many human behaviors and even replaces human workers entirely (Ritzer, 2004).
Often the introduction of a new technology can lead to societal issues. For example, the introduction of solar power led to political upheaval and disputes with competing industries (Palz, 2011).
Technology shapes the field of environmental science by allowing scientists to conduct research and communicate rapidly.
Scientific instruments enable environmental scientists to measure accurately and make more accurate models.
Communication is now possible in remote locations of ecological interest due to the internet and satellites.
Technology has a long relationship with class and poverty.
Positive impacts
New technologies like solar power, genetic engineering, and the internet can better distribute resources, hopefully reducing poverty (Dyson, 1999).
Negative impacts
In the reverse, unequally distributed technologies can lead to worsening inequality. This is common with large, centralized systems like the current fossil fuel industry (Palz, 2011).
Latour (1992) says that to understand what a nonhuman technology does, we have to compare it to what humans would need to do. In that sense, fossil fuels have been marvelous, allowing humanity to travel faster, light our homes, and run devices that would have be completely impossible without them. Unfortunately the technology has a dark side. For years, the world’s reliance on fossil fuels has led to environmental damages and unequal energy distribution. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and natural gas, and they are currently the primary source of energy worldwide.
Climate change
Primarily caused by addition of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by humans through consumption of fossil fuels (IPCC, 2013)
Political disagreements, but scientists nearly unanimous (Kitchen, 2014)
Causes air and sea temperatures to increase, ice levels to decrease, and oceans to rise (IPCC, 2013)
Rainfall patterns- storms and droughts (Kitchen, 2014)
Combustion releases many harmful chemicals into the atmosphere, damaging respiratory systems and slows crop growth (Union of Concerned Scientists, n.d.)
Also may enter water supply through acid rain or oil spills (Union of Concerned Scientists, n.d.)
Affects environment, economy, and health
In U.S., most oil is produced domestically, but still receives imports from unstable Persian Gulf countries (U.S. EIA, 2016)
All fossil fuels will eventually be depleted, and long before that occurs prices will rise as extraction becomes more difficult (Tester, 2012)
Conventional power requires a lot of infrastructure and initial financing, favoring wealthy developed countries (Palz, 2011)
Contamination is more likely to occur in impoverished areas (Skelton, 2006)
Global: everyone is affected by issues like climate change and pollution, though not everyone realizes just how much
Impoverished: although everyone is affected, they are not affected equally
Many people living in developing countries are unlikely to have access to conventional power sources (Palz, 2011)
The poor and disenfranchised are much more likely to live near sites of environmental contamination (Skelton, 2006)
Poor women in developing countries are least likely to have access to conventional power (Campana, 2011)
Technological momentum
Hughes (1994) describes technological momentum as the interplay of technology and society that builds up over time, making it difficult to change course
Madrigal (2011) specifically mentions that the energy industry has a lot of technological momentum due to its large infrastructure and economic involvement
Gender
Poor women in developing countries often spend most of their days doing tasks, like collecting water, carrying firewood, and grinding grain, that could be greatly simplified by access to a regular power supply (Campana, 2011)
Gomez (1994) mentioned how technical jobs are often structured around masculine values. This seems to be shown in the current energy industry and similar STEM fields where women are in the minority.
Class and poverty
Many people living in developing countries are unlikely to have access to conventional power sources (Palz, 2011)
The poor and disenfranchised are much more likely to live near sites of environmental contamination (Skelton, 2006)
I believe that many of these issues will worsen without immediate response. The IPCC (2013) states that continued use of fossil fuels will further destabilize the Earth’s climate. None of these problems are likely to go away on their own—they require a significant change in technology and society.
One way to address the problems caused by fossil fuel usage is to incorporate renewable energies, like solar, into the energy mix. This may not be easy due to technological momentum and other societal pressures, but I believe it is necessary. I know it will not provide a quick fix and that society must change as well, but this will help address the aforementioned issues.
Recommendations
Increase use of solar and other renewable energy sources to address the issues associated with fossil fuels
Although solar power is not exactly new, it has not been widely used, but it would replace conventional power sources
Even using fossil fuels could be cleaner. Technology now exists that can clean impurities from fuel sources and run machinery more efficiently (Tester, 2012)
Make these new energy sources widely accessible worldwide
I would implement my plan to increase solar power usage by having scientists work together with politicians and industry experts.
Science- continue to gather and disseminate data, focus on education, make it personal for the audience b/c more effective than hard stats, and go outside the scientific journals (Kitchen, 2014)
Politics- continue to pass laws to support alternative industries like recent tax incentives (Greene, 2015), bipartisan committees
Business- emphasize potential costs of fossil fuels like global warming (Kitchen, 2014), show increasing cost-effectiveness of solar (Tester, 2012)
Climate change- Solar power does not emit any GHGs that contribute to global warming (Tester, 2012)
Pollution- Although some pollution occurs during the manufacture of photovoltaic cells, energy generation itself does not release harmful chemicals (Tester, 2012)
Energy dependence- Solar is in plentiful supply globally and does not need to be imported. It also will not run out until the sun does (Tester, 2012).
Inequality
Solar power is available in impoverished countries, more evenly distributing the wealth (Dyson, 1999).
Poor women in Africa have been able to pump clean water, freeing up their time and preventing disease. For these impoverished women, solar power also means access to education and economic security (Campana, 2011).
