By Nisha Masih
Rising temperatures, overpopulation, increasing livestock farming, over reliance on fossil fuelsand deforestation. These are the questions that are likely keeping global leaders awake as they contemplate what their countries should do next in a bid to tackle climate change. But could 2021 be the year that we finally see action rather than aspirations reaffirmed?
Technology is becoming more advanced every day with new intelligent technologies changing the way we work, live, and manage our daily lives. And with billions in investment being pumped into Climate Tech, advancements in modern environmental technology could actually help us save the planet.
According to GeSI and Deloitte’s Digital with Purpose report suggests that;
“Digital technologies can help combat climate change through reducing emissions, strengthening resilience to climate-related natural hazards, and improving our capacity to act.”
The positive impacts of technology can help us shape our environment for the better. Here are three ways technology is currently helping the planet.
Artificial intelligence of things (AIoT)
The World Economic Forum states that Artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) “solutions are integral to tackling some of the challenges associated with carbon management. There are three main areas of focus to make carbon management more efficient, transparent, and effective.
With a myriad of databases and systems involved with different carbon-producing assets, the labour required to simply categorise and organise the data from multiple business units and assets is immense.
AIoT integration enables seamless sourcing of real-time activity level data and asset inventory data from a variety of systems. This provides an organization with the capability to efficiently structure, collect and transform data into reports for accurate emissions monitoring and measurement, reducing overall efforts around data collection and enhancing data quality and report resolution.”
Increasing Livestock Farming
Rising temperatures are already affecting agricultural productivity, putting supplies at risk. Unpredictable conditions and more extreme weather events are adding to disruptions in the food system. According to research carried out by Tech Republic:
“The livestock industry is a massive contributor to climate change. It takes more power to make one burger than to fully power seven iPads. Beef alone requires 28 times more land to produce than pork or chicken, 11 times more water and has five times more climate-warming emissions, which estimates to a fifth of total emissions, according to a new paper published by Bard College, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Yale University.
Technology is making it easier to cut out the animal-based foods. Startups are trying to tackle these issues. Hampton Creek is making egg-free substitutes for cookie dough and mayonnaise, with plans to do much more in the future. Beyond Meat is a plant protein that looks and tastes like meat. Modern Meadow uses tissue engineering to make leather and meat products.
Mobile Apps
More of us now rely on the use of our smartphones for convenience and to help us get from A to B at the click of a button. But have you ever thought about the impact on the environment when you click to order your food or use public transport? There’s plenty of Apps that can help you monitor and reduce your carbon footprint.
- Oroeco is an app that turns carbon footprint reduction into a game. It keeps track of what you do each day and makes suggestions for how to do a better job.
- Capture is an app that allows you to track things like the type of food you eat as well as the carbon you use getting around. It can predict the mode of transport and calculate accordingly. You can also set a weekly goal to see how you measure up against friends as well as compare your own emissions from week to week.
- LiveGreen is an app that allows your company to understand and reduce its carbon footprint and incentivizes action by allowing anyone to plant real trees in reforestation projects globally.
To hear more ways that technology is helping to support climate change, join us this November, Digital DNA brings a new event to Belfast, focusing on the biggest challenge facing our society today.
