Science, Technology, Society and the Environment
Science, Technology, Society and the Environment tests how evidence informs technology and decisions, and how technologies create benefits, risks, and environmental effects. Questions often ask you to evaluate a claim or identify a trade-off.
Core concepts
- Science explains; technology solves problems. Both interact with society through funding, regulation, values, and access.
- Risk assessment considers likelihood and severity, not just hazard.
- Sustainability meets present needs without compromising future needs; life-cycle thinking examines materials, energy, and waste.
- Evidence quality depends on sample size, controls, replication, peer review, and conflict of interest.
- Decisions often involve trade-offs among cost, safety, effectiveness, and environment.
Worked example
A town considers a new plastic road surface. A company reports it lasts longer in one test. Before adopting it, ask whether the test was replicated and compared with standard asphalt under the same traffic and weather. Were costs and microplastic runoff measured? What happens at end of life? The claim may be true but insufficient for a decision. A fair conclusion weighs evidence quality and trade-offs, not just one trial.
Traps that cost marks
Treating an anecdote as evidence; assuming natural means safe; confusing correlation with causation; ignoring scale or unintended consequences; saying a technology is risk-free; accepting a claim because it sounds scientific.