Technology and the Environment in History

New perspectives on how envirotech can help us engage with the surrounding world in ways that are more sustainable for humanity—and the planet. Today s scientists,policymakers,and citizens are all confronted by numerous dilemmas at the nexus of technology and the environment. In Technology and the Environment in History ,Sara B. Pritchard and Carl A. Zimring adopt an analytical approach to explore current research at the intersection of environmental history and the history of technology—an emerging field known as envirotech. Using five concepts to understand the historical relationships between technology and the environment—porosity,systems,hybridity,biopolitics,and environmental justice—Pritchard and Zimring propose a chronology of key processes,moments,and periodization in the history of technology and the environment.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 13 October 2020
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

Today, scientists, policymakers, and citizens alike face a multitude of complex dilemmas at the intersection of technology and the environment. Each day brings forth fresh concerns regarding the dangers posed by carcinogens, superbugs, energy crises, invasive species, genetically modified organisms, groundwater contamination, failing infrastructure, and other distressing issues.

In Technology and the Environment in History, Sara B. Pritchard and Carl A. Zimring adopt an analytical approach to explore the current research at the intersection of environmental history and the history of technology, an emerging field known as envirotech.

The book delves into the significant topics, historical processes, and scholarly concerns that have emerged from recent work in thinking about envirotech. Each chapter focuses on a different urgent topic:

Food and Food Systems: This chapter explores how humans have manipulated organisms and ecosystems to produce nutrients for societies throughout history. It examines the ways in which humans have altered the natural world to meet their needs, including the cultivation of crops, the domestication of animals, and the development of agricultural technologies.

Industrialization: This chapter examines how environmental processes have constrained industrialization and required shifts in the relationships between human and nonhuman nature. It explores the ways in which industrialization has led to environmental degradation, resource depletion, and the emergence of new environmental challenges.

Discards: This chapter explores the multifaceted forms, complex histories, and unexpected possibilities of waste. It examines the ways in which waste has been produced, managed, and disposed of throughout history, and the ways in which it has shaped human societies and ecosystems.

Disasters: This chapter argues that disasters, which are common in the industrialized world, expose the fallacy of tidy divisions among nature, technology, and society. It explores the ways in which disasters have disrupted human lives, exposed vulnerabilities in infrastructure, and highlighted the interconnectedness of human and natural systems.

Body: This chapter explores how bodies reveal the porous boundaries between technology, the environment, and the human. It examines the ways in which technology has impacted the human body, from the development of medical technologies to the environmental toxins that humans are exposed to.

Sensescapes: This chapter examines how environmental and technological change have reshaped humans (and potentially nonhumans) sensory experiences. It explores the ways in which technology has altered our perception of the world, from the invention of new instruments to the development of virtual reality technologies.

Overall, Technology and the Environment in History provides a valuable contribution to the field of envirotech by exploring the complex relationships between technology and the environment throughout history. It offers insights into the historical processes that have shaped our understanding of the natural world and the ways in which technology has both contributed to and exacerbated environmental challenges. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex and interconnected relationship between technology and the environment.

Weight: 332g
Dimension: 141 x 215 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781421438993