Technological Outcomes

Technological advancement sometimes has a negative effect on society or the environment. Sometimes the effect is almost unnoticeable; at other times, it is drastic and costly.

One example is the production of electricity. We need electricity to keep our homes warm, to cook our food, and to run our businesses—to name just a few. However, the methods by which we produce electricity often pollute Earth’s atmosphere or have other negative effects on the environment and our health. The positive outcome for producing electricity, of course, is that it allows us to live our lives more easily, more securely, and more efficiently than if we had no electricity.
Another example is the advancement of fishing technologies. New fishing technologies have allowed fishers to catch more fish, thereby increasing the seafood industry’s profits and building a stronger economy. These same technologies, however, have also had an impact on sea turtles and other ocean wildlife populations.

Example: Use of a pesticide.

1. Expected-Desired: It exterminates the insects you want to exterminate.
2. Expected-Undesired: It is harmful to pets and animals if they ingest it.
3. Unexpected-Desired (an unplanned, yet positive result): It exterminates other types of insects that are harmful but that you did not intend to exterminate.
4. Unexpected-Undesired: Run-off of the pesticide from your yard into the nearby lake harms or kills plants and animals in and around the lake.

Now make a list of how technological advancement in the fishing industry has affected leatherback turtles. Use the format of the example above to describe the four types of outcomes for fishing technologies such as longlines, gill nets or shrimp trawls.