One may respond that it is irrelevant which technologies may be appropriate for a sustainable and just development paradigm since the development of technology follows the interests of the elite and not society as a whole, or envrionmentally sustainable and socially just criteria. This is true to a large extent but by no means total. Increase in inequity and concentration of wealth - yes. Decrease in average living standards in a number of developing nations - yes, but an increase in the majority. While there are many undesirable technologies, we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Technology is as much a part of the solution as it is a cause of the problem.
In an era of neo-economic liberalism, wages of the majority may have barely increased and in some cases may have actually decreased. If new technology were not available to manufacture products more cheaply, with less materials and energy requirements, the average worker would be even poorer than they are today. Since one's home is usually the major cost in anyone's budget, population increase and urban migration can be seen as a major factor limiting growth in standard of living. Urban migration is only indirectly related to technology. We are gradually reaching a number of limits in terms of resources extraction.