How can technology deal with climate-related concerns?
When we think of carbon emissions we usually think of coal-fired power stations, petrol and diesel cars or lorries pumping out pollution.
Some of us may think of the clearance of vast swathes of rainforest to provide pasture for rearing cattle for meat or growing palm oil. But few of us think of tech firms. Those often conjure an image of sleek modern design, social media and work places for Gen Z. So this is a welcome article outlining the grimier side of tech and the challenge ahead for clean information. But it is important also to remember that we need the tech revolution. It will be impossible to achieve the vision of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development or the ambition of zero carbon without the incredible advances we have witnessed in this latest revolution. It has given us the ability to produce, analyse and process the volumes of information necessary to enable us to understand and act on our impacts on nature in a way that could not have been imagined ten years ago. If the climate crisis is the Moon mission of our age, then like in the 1960s it is technological innovation that will be vital to get us there. So it needs to be green and it needs to solve more than just first world problems.The full article is available to faculty members as part of their subscription.