WHY “NO” TO TECHNOLOGY-BASED DEVELOPMENT?

WHY “NO” TO TECHNOLOGY-BASED DEVELOPMENT?

Many critics accuse environmentalists of opposing economic development wholesale. But this is not so. Environmentalists oppose development which involves large-scale displacement of people, or severe pollution which affects the health of many or large-scale destruction of nature and of traditional livelihoods of thousands!

Unfortunately today’s technology-based development inevitably gives rise to all the above problems. Why is this so? Let me explain.

Science can be divided into pure science and applied science which is basically technology. Research in pure science is mostly restricted to astronomy or space science, quantum physics and ecology ( how life survives on this planet). It is applied science or technology which has made modern life possible on this planet. But what in essence is technology? It is redirecting sun’s energy towards things that benefit Man only. That is why we feel happy when new inventions increase our amenities and comforts. But it creates imbalances or entropy in nature which we generally designate as pollution.

Moreover, it essentially violates basic laws of physics. Technology on large-scale has only become possible since the discovery of fossil fuels, i.e. coal and oil. These are the cheapest sources of energy on this planet simply because Nature has done the work of concentration of energy over millions of years. We only have to extract these from the earth.

When energy is applied to convert matter, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics tells us, entropy increases. This means more energy and matter are wasted than are converted into useful product. More energy comes out as heat and more matter comes out as waste than are incorporated in the product. In economic terms it involves loss. That is why all modern industry is interested in getting energy, labour, raw materials, land etc. as cheaply as possible. In historical times technological advances were possible only when western nations established political control over nations and people and made them provide resources, labour, energy etc. at almost no cost. They also completely ignored technology created imbalances in nature.

Today all this is not possible for a country like India. Today’s technology-based development therefore, is based on grants or subsidies from the govt. Govt. finances research in technology, it makes land and power available at concessional rates, offers tax exemptions, promotes export through subsidies etc. One must clearly understand that technology-based development is impossible without such help.

It creates imbalances in nature and even in our economy. I may recommend everyone to go through two excellent reports prepared by India’s leading economists. Their titles are: Disequalizing Growth and The Decline of the Welfare State. In them the economists have clearly shown that poverty and inequality of income have greatly increased in India since 1990 i.e. when the present prime minister liberalized the economy and imported technology.

There are many instances of the use of wrong technology or even dangerous technology promoted by the govt. The latest is the invitation to a French company to install atomic power plants on the Konkan coast. The incipient technology has not yet been successfully tested, has yet to become operational. When Finland adopted it, it created insuperable problems even in its installation. Yet our govt. wants our people to accept it without protest! Such is the pressure of multinationals and western powers who want bolster their economies by exporting technologies that they cannot use in their own lands.

Be assured that technology-based development will never create mass employment as it wants to minimize labour costs to reduce overall cost of production. It may create employment in fields which give rise to high and ostentatious consumption.

The alternative development path is nature based development, i.e. enhancement of our natural resources. Unfortunately there are no facilities in India to train people in this field.

In the present circumstances therefore, social inequalities, social strife, economic disparities and destruction of natural resources in India are likely to continue!


Prakash Gole