Those who have seemingly questioned the benefits of technology have undoubtedly been mocked for the last quarter century. Those who have occasionally queried whether children’s access to the internet technology is a force for good may consider themselves as pragmatic or concerned, but instead they have been branded as prudes, unrealistic or anti-progressive.
This is because so many people consider themselves as techno-optimists. This near-cult holds an unwavering belief in the power of technology and all technology is ultimately a force for good – easily proven by better access for education online and diminishing levels of hunger. They also argue that ultimately the dangers posed by global warming, rising sea-levels and biodiversity loss can be solved by technology in the end and there are plenty of examples of how this can be done.
In recent years, we have felt inundated with pictures of wildfires from Australia and California across the media. This is where technology can come in – AI has the potential to both help us understand and accelerate progress towards the SDG targets, by helping protect forests from rapidly spreading wildfires.
Source: Markus Spiske
AI firm Terrafuse has recently partnered with Microsoft to create sophisticated models, built on Microsoft’s cloud computing service Azure. The company is using historical fire data, existing physical simulations and real-time satellite observations to forecast wildfire risk at a hyperlocal level.
Meanwhile, SilviaTerra combines satellite imagery with machine learning to inventory forests more precisely. The data collected through their technology can help conservationists and landowners manage and understand forests, including determining climate impacts, improving species habitats or promoting sustainable harvesting. It’s no wonder why companies are keen to talk about new technologies that demonstrate their relevance and engineering prowess in an increasingly sustainability-conscious world.
This is perhaps why so many people believe technology can unlock the barriers in climate change and for a long-time, this notion felt untested. However, they are increasingly getting a reputation as unrealistic, simplistic nay-sayers who ignore the need for real transformational and societal behaviour change.
Source: Markus Spiske
For example, technology discourse often ignores the huge environmental impact of agriculture – an elephant in the room for most governments who would seldom consider their irritating farmers. However, with a growing middle class across the world, our appetite for a meat-based diet and processed food knows no bounds.
According to a University of Oxford study, if everybody cut meat and dairy from their diet there could be not only a 49 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from food production but also a 76 per cent reduction in land used for food production – land that could be used for forest. Despite such a strong case for a vegan diet, many view this as infeasible as it ignores how embedded meat is with diets across the world. However, it is not beyond the realms of reason that most people could start swapping to plant-based alternatives without feeling too underfoot.
There is no clear fix or silver bullet for climate change policy. This is why governments and businesses should consider how to mitigate further climate change through technology, without individuals ignoring the role they play through their lifestyle choices. The world as we know it has never faced such a seemingly insurmountable challenge, which is why we need to throw everything at it that we can -simply put, we need a holistic approach.
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