Civilization has brought people many advantages but its products also pollute and damage the environment in which we live. Some countries have been implementing policies to protect the environment against pollution from industry and other sources for more than a century, while in the Czech Republic we are only at the beginning. Pollution affects air, water land, forests, people, animals and plants.
Technology has an important role to play in reducing pollution and developing new means for reducing harmful emissions. It can be used to protect the environment in several ways, including basic changes, which result in less waste or pollution, and developing ways to recycle materials. Waste materials, which were previously dumped, can be converted into useful products. “End-of-pipe" systems can be installed to clean up emissions. And cleaner or less harmful alternative products may be manufactured.