HIST 1011 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Cyberwarfare, Subsistence Agriculture, Herbicide
Document Summary
Technological optimism: can solve problems in our society through improved technologies. Idea stemmed from the triumph of technology in wwii: (cid:862)fl(cid:455)i(cid:374)g (cid:272)ars(cid:863) Transformations in global agriculture: huge population growth big question of how to feed everyone. Initially, crops are different genetically in different areas but with globalizatio(cid:374) of the (cid:862)(cid:271)est(cid:863) strai(cid:374) the(cid:455) become all the same. Increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticide and herbicide. Increased use of irrigation: transformation of land to fit irrigation, california and kazakhstan have huge transformations, more implications on the third world, capital intensity. The (cid:862)great d(cid:455)i(cid:374)g(cid:863: marine life as dying oceanic dead-zone, nitrate-based fertilizers draining into water killing lives, ocean acidification, gulf of mexico, expansion of agriculture means clearing of land, amazons, species are disappearing on an unprecedented rate. Increasing number of one strain of crops more vulnerable to diseases and insect infestations and more risks. Irrigation lead to increase demand of water: becoming more of a problem in parts of the world.
