Ensure sustainable production and consumption
As discussed earlier, NT is expected to solve both the basic needs and comfort want of human beings. The basic needs of human beings are food, drinking water, energy, cloth, shelter, health, and environment, and the comfort wants are realizing automation in every field, space travel, and expanded lifespan, and so on. NT is the manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. Planned and controlled development of NT leads to environmental sustainability and hence can be used as GT. GNT is evolving as a general‐purpose technology due to its applications in all areas of society. Hence in the advanced form, it will have a significant impact on almost all industries and all areas of society by offering better built, longer‐lasting, cleaner, safer, and smarter products for the home, for communications, for medicine, for transportation, for agriculture, and for every industry, in general. Thus, by controlled utilization of NT for environmental sustainability, it can be developed as GNT technology for sustainable development.
3.6 Contribution of Universal Technologies on Achieving Sustainability Developmental Goals
It is argued that the dream of realizing Global SDG of the United Nations is possible through the proper use of technologies. In this process, two mega technologies, NT and ICCT, have potential abilities and if used systematically by every participating country can reach the goal.
NT, being a mega technology with many branches including Nanomaterials Development Technology, Nanomechanics Technology, Nanoelectronics Technology, Nanophotonics Technology, Nanobiotechnology, and Nanomedicine, is considered as a general‐purpose technology of the twenty‐first century. NT has expected to change the rules of development games in many areas including agriculture and food industry, drinking water systems, efficient automobiles, renewable energy systems, high‐speed optical computers, low‐cost durable shelters, embedded intelligence, space vehicles, health and medical solutions, etc.
Similarly, ICCT being a mega technology supports many innovative general‐purpose technologies which are going to change the business models of almost every industry. ICCT underlying technologies are supporting total automation of primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary industries by creating artificial intelligence to replace human beings totally, ubiquitous 3D printing through internet of things (IoT) and cloud computing, optimum business model creation through data science and business analytics, online education, retailing, entertainment, social connections through virtual and augmented reality, and high‐speed processing of information supports the total transformation of society by changing the lifestyle and comfortability levels of individuals. ICCT allows human beings to become ubiquitous and total automated products and services for individuals and hence acts as a pillar of social, technological, and economical transformation.
These two technologies are capable to transform human life by offering more and more comfortability. As discussed earlier, every human being (i) needs nutritious food, clean drinking water, clean air, affordable shelter, energy from renewable sources, and good health as basic needs, (ii) many products and services as advanced wants for comfortability and satisfaction, (iii) dreams to realize many individual and collective desires to enjoy and get happiness to acquire the status of super‐human with three desired abilities as (i) ubiquitous, (ii) omnipotent, and (iii) immortal. Both NT and ICCT can work together to realize the basic needs, advanced wants, dreamy desires at an affordable cost in the near future [90]. Since, based on our prediction of the ability of these two technologies to convert humans into super‐humans in the process of transforming society by serving and solving everyone's problems, they are collectively called Universal technology [91]. This integration of ICCT and NT into Universal technology allows us to solve all the above three kinds of problems in society.
3.7 Risks Associated with Nanotechnology
Though NT has innumerable benefits including improved manufacturing methods, improved environment, and water purification systems, efficient renewable energy systems, physical systems property improvement, and performance enhancement, optimization of health problems through nanomedicine, better food production methods, and enhanced nutrition in food, large‐scale infrastructure auto‐fabrication through self‐replicating machines, etc., if not handled properly with creating proper awareness and precautions may have potential disadvantages in terms of risks to the health of living beings, environment, social life, and economy of the countries. Some of the issues related to health, environment, social, economic, and a newly predicted effect called green goo are discussed below:
3.7.1 Health‐Related Risks
Nanomaterials are expected to show toxicity effects that are not associated with larger particles. For example, even inert elements like gold become highly active at the nanometer dimensions. Size is a key factor in determining the potential toxicity of a particle. However, it is not the only important factor. Other properties of nanomaterials that influence toxicity include chemical composition, shape, surface structure, surface charge, aggregation and solubility, and the presence or absence of functional groups of other chemicals. The inhaling of nanoparticles due to their size may mainly cause the toxic effect of damage to the lungs and sometimes they may reach to the bloodstream and are predicted to cause heart problems. The ingestion of nanoparticles into the human body may also become toxic and lead to various diseases including colon cancer, Crohn's disease, arrhythmia, asthma, lung cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurological disease, etc. Only little is known about the ill‐effects of nanoparticles on the living body and further study, as well as precautions, are essential.
3.7.2 Environmental Related Risks
The unused nanoparticles or waste nanomaterials during synthesis may agglomerate into larger particles or longer chains with modified physical and chemical properties, which may expose to the environment and may enter the human body and spread toxicity. Unused silver nanoparticles if mishandled may contaminate sewage sludge and affect the microorganisms of soil of agricultural fields. The silver nanoparticles show a toxic effect on fishes and other marine animals in the ocean. Silver nanoparticles at high concentrations may be toxic at high concentrations. Thus, it is assumed that nanotechnological products, processes, solutions, and different applications may affect significantly to the environment and climate. Thus, nanoparticles are likely to be more toxic due to their particle size, surface charge, and characteristics compared to bulk materials and hence may pose a risk to the environment.
3.7.3 Social Risks
NT
