E-waste contributes greatly to this as the group of chemical fire retardants that are commonly associated with the disposal of electronic waste, is likely to cause thyroid issues, neurodevelopmental
deficits, and cancer (Campbell, 2022).
As a result, this exploitation raises both environmental and social justice
concern as harmful emissions have a direct impact on individuals’ health in these
areas.
Question 3:
Going beyond examples from this course, think of an example of a technology that has impacted our ecological footprint.
The increasing use of electric vehicles has acted as a transformative technology that is reducing the ecological footprint of many Canadians.
Electric vehicles help to mitigate ecological overshoot by addressing several key
environmental challenges associated with traditional engine vehicles.
This includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, decreasing air and noise pollution, as well as putting less strain on resources (Sen, B., et al., 2019).
The rise of fast fashion websites/platforms represents a technology-driven trend that increases the ecological footprint of Canadians.
Fast fashion has accelerated the speed at which consumers access, purchase, and dispose of items (Binet, et al., 2018).
Question 4:
Do you think that having as many children as you want should be an individual right for Canadians? Or should the Canadian government restrict the number of children born?
For me personally, I believe that families should NOT be limited to having only one child and therefore that the Canadian government should not implement restrictions
regarding the number of children born. As proven in the past, China’s one-child policy produced many consequences for their country beyond just reducing their population growth. This included a rise in abortions, a growing proportion of elderly people, and hidden/unreported births hidden from authorities (Pletcher, 2024). Overall, this government policy questioned the “good life” for many individuals who felt they did not have control of their own life choices. As Canada functions within a framework with values and principles that underpin our nation’s democratic
and inclusive society, I believe that having as many children as you want provides freedom and social justice/ equality
for Canadians. However, it is also crucial to address the rapid growth of earth’s
population as it is increasingly creating environmental concern. Through various ways such as the extraction of resources, burning of fossil fuels, urbanization, extinction of species, global warming, and food shortages, there is much concern of environmental collapse. As the population grows, it may be initially below the carrying capacity if
