Geography Edexcel Unit 3 Technological Fix

1. Technological Fix
3. What is the role of technology in the management of the
contested planet ?
a) The impacts of intermediate / appropriate technology
with hi-tech megaprojects
b) Role of technology in global issues
c) Chances of technology contributing to a more
environmentally sustainable future
d) The technological future – convergence or divergence?
Learning Objectives:
• Understand that technology operates at different levels and has
various social and environmental consequences
• Appreciate the differences between appropriate intermediate
technology and the megaproject approach

2. Starter – Polluter Pays
• Summarize the polluter pays principle into 3
key words

3. Our Future?
• Shortages of fossil fuels
• Global population growth (over 8 billion)
• Persistent poverty (1.1 billion living on
less that $1 per day in 2011)
• Climate change (1-2°c warming by 2030)
• Water shortages (By 2030, people will
have access to 30% less water)
• Famine

4. Views
Pessimist – Malthus
• Population growth
at geometric
growth
• Food production
increase at
arithmetic growth
= Starvation
Optimist – Boserup
• Possible to
overcome
environmental
limits through
culture and
technology

5. Types of Technological Fix
Labour
Intensive
Capital
Intensive
Low Tech
High Tech

6. Technology Definitions
• Intermediate Technology – relatively low,
usually low labour-intensive technology that
can be mastered by local people, especially in
the developing world
• Appropriate Technology – Technology that
suits the level of income, skill and needs of
the local people
• Megaprojects – Looks to develop a high-
income, consumer economy through large scale
projects such as dams, airports motorways
and power stations etc.

7. Case Study – Tackling water
shortages in Ethiopia
• Considered one of the poorest countries
in the world
• IMF puts Ethiopia's growth for 2007 at
11.4%! But in 2012 it was only 7%!
• Issues of drought – can technology have
the answers?
• Huge water potential that is currently
not being used

8. Task
• Summarise each of the three schemes
• Are the social and environmental consequences of large dam schemes,
such as the Tekeze Dam, justifiable in order for poor countries to
develop? (249-251 in Parrot text book)
• Explain how each of the three schemes aims to tackle the issue of
water security for Ethiopians
• To what extent do you agree with the view of the World Bank that
‘Ethiopia is poor because it doesn’t use its enormous water potential’?
Social Impacts Economic Impacts Environmental
Impacts
Low Tech solution –
Harvesting the rain
High Tech solution –
Tekeze Dam
Intermediate
Technology – small
dams

9. Plenary – Just One Minute!
Topic – Water Shortages in
Ethiopia

10. Plenary – Just One Minute!
Topic – Water Shortages in
Ethiopia