Read the notes, then try the practice. It adapts as you go.When you're ready.
Session Length
~17 min
Adaptive Checks
15 questions
Transfer Probes
8
Environmental technology, also known as green technology or clean technology, encompasses the application of scientific and engineering principles to monitor, model, and conserve the natural environment and its resources. It includes a broad range of technologies designed to reduce the negative impacts of human activity on the environment, from renewable energy systems and pollution control devices to waste management innovations and ecological restoration techniques. The field sits at the intersection of environmental science, engineering, chemistry, and information technology, drawing on each discipline to develop practical solutions for pressing ecological challenges.
The historical roots of environmental technology can be traced to the industrial pollution crises of the 19th and 20th centuries, which spurred the development of smoke scrubbers, sewage treatment plants, and early water filtration systems. The passage of landmark legislation such as the Clean Air Act (1970) and the Clean Water Act (1972) in the United States accelerated innovation by establishing enforceable standards for emissions and effluent discharges. Over subsequent decades, the field expanded from primarily end-of-pipe pollution control to proactive strategies such as life cycle assessment, industrial ecology, and cradle-to-cradle design that seek to prevent pollution at the source.
Today, environmental technology is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global economy, driven by the urgency of climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion. Advances in solar photovoltaics, wind turbine engineering, battery storage, carbon capture and storage, precision agriculture, and bioremediation are reshaping industries worldwide. Governments, corporations, and research institutions invest heavily in these technologies, recognizing that sustainable economic development depends on the capacity to decouple growth from environmental degradation.
One step at a time.
Technologies that harness naturally replenishing energy sources such as sunlight, wind, geothermal heat, tidal forces, and biomass to generate electricity or thermal energy with minimal greenhouse gas emissions.
Example: A utility-scale solar farm using photovoltaic panels to convert sunlight into electricity, displacing coal-fired power generation and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by thousands of tons per year.
A suite of technologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions from large point sources such as power plants and industrial facilities, transport the CO2, and store it in deep geological formations to prevent it from entering the atmosphere.
Example: The Sleipner project in Norway captures approximately one million tons of CO2 per year from natural gas processing and injects it into a saline aquifer beneath the North Sea.
The use of living organisms, primarily microorganisms but also plants and fungi, to degrade, transform, or remove pollutants from contaminated soil, water, or air, restoring the environment to a less contaminated state.
Example: After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, naturally occurring hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were stimulated with nutrient additions to accelerate the breakdown of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
A systematic methodology for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product, process, or service throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use, and end-of-life disposal or recycling.
Example: An LCA of a reusable cotton shopping bag versus a single-use plastic bag reveals that the cotton bag must be used over 130 times before its cumulative carbon footprint becomes lower than the plastic alternative.
A multi-stage process that removes physical, chemical, and biological contaminants from sewage and industrial effluent, producing treated water safe for discharge into the environment or for reuse in agriculture and industry.
Example: The activated sludge process uses aerobic microorganisms in aeration tanks to break down organic matter in municipal sewage, followed by settling tanks and disinfection before discharge.
A plant-based remediation technology that uses the natural ability of certain plant species to absorb, accumulate, degrade, or stabilize contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, and organic pollutants in soil and water.
Example: Sunflowers were planted at the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site to absorb radioactive cesium-137 and strontium-90 from contaminated ponds through their root systems.
An economic model that seeks to eliminate waste and maximize resource efficiency by designing products and systems so that materials are continuously reused, repaired, remanufactured, or recycled rather than discarded after a single use.
Example: Interface, a carpet manufacturer, collects used carpet tiles, separates the fibers from the backing, and remanufactures them into new carpet tiles, diverting millions of pounds of material from landfills.
The systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of environmental data using sensor networks, remote sensing satellites, drones, and laboratory analysis to track changes in air quality, water quality, biodiversity, and climate variables over time.
Example: The European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel satellites provide continuous global monitoring of atmospheric composition, sea surface temperature, and land-use change at high spatial resolution.
More terms are available in the glossary.
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