Of all the questions that technology has answered, why not climate change? I mean how can technology help in climate change? This question is more important now than ever and answering the question should be on the priority list of every tech enthusiast. I do not doubt that when intentionally deployed, technology will find its use in combating our fast-changing world.
The application of technology has found its use in almost every sector that one can think of. Although the changes in our planet are almost emerging beyond our control, technology has achieved a far greater feat that combating changes in our planet may be easier than we think when technology is effectively deployed.
Other times Technology has been used in planetary circumstances
The current focus on the temperature changes of our planet seems novel, technology has always created more insight into our planet. Our understanding of the universe today could have faced greater challenges if not for the integration of technology into science.
We can understand our planet better, understand our solar system, and even our universe. Although the totality of what we know about our planet, solar system, or even the universe can be best regarded as extremely minute, in fact, so minute that it makes sense to say humanity hasn’t understood a considerable amount of things about our universe.
Weather forecast is possible today, thanks to technology. Supercomputers can now predict when it will rain, sunny, cloudy, and so on then why can’t these technologies or even new ones be developed to combat more prolonged change in our planet? Although climate change takes more time, it is important to know that the climate and its changes may be predictable just like the weather, the bigger issue with global warming is its reversal.
It is predictable that if the trends of fossil fuel burning, and plastic waste piling don’t change things will get more chaotic along the line but how can we make that crucial and much-needed reverse? By reverse, we mean reversing our actions that have contributed to the unprecedented change in the temperature of our planet. Can technology help?
Today we have rockets and other inventions traveling to space. We have a better understanding of our world. On several occasions, we have seen global changes as industrial problems however they need to be seen as a technological problem; as a scientific problem.
Over the past decades, sailing on our waters has become more advanced and safer, flying airplanes has also become more effective, and even social life has become more effective, so no matter how we look at it, whether as a social problem, industrial problem or science and technological problem, technology can make a difference in our desire to forestall the impact of our world evolving in an out of control fashion.
Adopting general technology to combat global warmingÂ
Most times, when we think technology regarding climate change, we tend to think green, stuff like renewable energy, water management technologies, and even plastic recycling; however, technology can play many more roles that are not exactly from technology dedicated to such initiatives but can be adopted in combating the impact of a fast-changing nature of our planet and its environment.
Computers can be adapted to play more roles. This includes mobile devices and other gadgets. This is because the bulk of the problem of our changing world is a primary human problem.
Can Supercomputers Help?
Supercomputers have been known to achieve lots of astronomical technological feat but how effective would they be in reversing the rate of earth-impacting changes? We have confidence that almost more than any other non-human objects, the supercomputers would be most instrumental if we must understand the ozone layer better and how things can be done differently to balance greenhouse gas emissions.
When supercomputers more dedicated to studying temperature and other changes in our planet are deployed, we could be more successful in our pursuit of a safer world if more dedicated supercomputers join our toolbox.
Approaching the issues from a human angle
Technology will play a major role in shaping our planet if we look at it more as a human issue. Computers won’t pick up the plastic and dispose it properly as humans would. Note, computers or robots as the case may be can be programmed to find plastic wastes and dispose them properly however we are not at that stage currently and again considering the environmental cost of having robots search for and dispose of plastics and other wastes properly could be more than we would like to bargain.
The most important technology would be those that will trigger human consciousness. Social media posts and mobile apps constantly reminding us to pay more attention to our changing world can help. Looking at how technology can help in climate change, we need to understand that the primary contributor to the events of our planet is us.
We manufacture plastics and then use them for our beverages and after that, some don’t care where such plastics end up. Installing a reminder at every beverage store reminding consumers to be responsible for their plastic waste, also social media campaigns, and mobile applications can be built with the primary objective of sensitizing people on the importance of individuals taking responsibility for our planet.
This will include constant reminders and environmental tasks and a reward system where people are rewarded whenever they complete an environmentally friendly task. This may include planting trees, clearing the environment of plastic waste, engaging in water conservation challenges, and so on. Keeping track of these events will require technology.
Developing New Environmentally Focused Technologies
Apart from social technologies being used for awareness and as reminders to take environmental responsibility, new technologies dedicated to the environment and its health can be developed. Technology is almost used in every sphere of life today so why not in our environment?
We have talked about computers predicting the weather but have we thought about computers reversing the weather? This is a very tall dream at the moment but even if computers don’t reverse the weather or climate, there is much more about what technology can do for our planet
Conclusion
More needs to be done because asking “how can technology help in climate change” won’t reverse the change, it is taking a proactive part in integrating technology in the change process that matters. Given all the things that technology has been able to bring to our world today, I do not doubt that when properly applied, technology has answers to several of our concerning questions.
The major challenge with our fast-changing world is that not so many people are aware of what’s going on and some prefer to ignore the situation. We will keep believing that those with the right knowledge and capacity to bring the much-needed reverse of our fast-changing world do so before our planet becomes less habitable for our kind.
You May Also Want to Read About:Business Development in Africa; the Impact Model.