Climate change is a long-term shift in global climate patterns. But from mid 20th century, it has been defined as the rise in global temperatures. Gradually, it has become a worrisome issue for the globe as the whole world is crippled with its aftereffects. The abrupt climate changes normally include a rise in the global temperature and emission of harmful greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which actually deals a heavy blow to the environment and its species.
From the start of the 21st century till now we have seen the dominance of technology in the world. The technology sector has seen unimaginable progress by leaps and bounds by solving the problems of the world and filling the voids in the market whether it is logistics or finance or food. Well, it is estimated that in the years to come every single aspect of our lives is going to come under the hands of technology. The growing dominance of technology on the earth opens a lot of new and next to impossible avenues which have generated a ray of hope for the ones who are deeply concerned about the future of the environment in which we are living now.
So, the question arises “Can technology stop climate change”? The wave of technological innovations is making us believe that the answer is “YES”. But, do you wonder what causes the rise in the average temperature of the earth?
The answer is that in the last 150 years, the concentration of harmful gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide has hit the crest. This is high time it needed to be addressed to give the coming generations a tidy environment by deploying clean technology.7 Ways to Tackle Climate Change through Technology Solar panels and wind turbines:
Solar panels and wind turbines generate electricity by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases which are the main culprit behind the absurd climate changes. Thanks to the technological innovations and scaling up of technologies, these panels have proven to be a cheap source of producing electricity than the sources of greenhouse gases ie fossil fuels, and producing it efficiently.
“The Earth is in a death spiral. It will take radical action to save us.” George Monbiot, Journalist
The issue of overconsumption of energy has resulted in a revolution in the auto industry. The tech company that started this trend of making these electric cars is Tesla. The man behind tesla Mr. Elon Musk realized this overuse of carbon is making the climate detrimental so he came up with the idea of making energy-efficient cars. Now, every auto company in the world is spending millions of dollars in their research and development to make energy-efficient Electric vehicles. It will surely mitigate the exploitation by carbon emissions which could take the temperature of the earth to its natural level.Carbon capture and storage:
Many companies are experimenting with this innovation by storing carbon dioxide from plants and by doing this with biomass plants, they can produce power while reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.Artificial Intelligence:
AI is shaping our future in a way we would never imagine. By deploying AI companies are building sophisticated models to make people aware regarding climate-induced risks by using real-time satellite observations. It is predicted that AI can help to curb the emission of GHG by 4% by 2030.5G based smart grids:
The wireless phone technology can enable these smart grids to collect billions of data from electric vehicles to solar rooftops. Processing this data along with Artificial Intelligence would assure that renewable energy is used cheaply and efficiently. Consequently, it can help to achieve the target of zero carbon emissions.3D Printing:
It has been seen that the construction industry contributes a lot to climate change but soon 3D printing can reduce the GHG emission and offer innovative and creative solutions for calamities prone areas by recycling materials thus deviating waste material- a rich source of harmful gases from landfills and resultantly dwindling the exposure of the emissions to the atmosphere.Smart Meters:
Smart meters in the buildings and other residential areas can provide live data that can enhance the energy supply and improve the building’s energy performance. Smart Sensors can also be installed to keep a strict vigil on the quality of air and water.Satellites:
Methane gas is one of the largest contributors to the deterioration of climate patterns owing to which scientists are trying to send satellites to seek the methane sources and if it gets success then the emission of methane could be reduced by a staggering amount.Conclusion
To encapsulate, the digital technology of the coming age like artificial intelligence, blockchain, internet of things can provide an appealing platform to save the climate from issues like global warming and greenhouse gas emissions. Tech giants are making significant efforts to address this issue and spending a staggering amount of bucks on research and development to come up with unmatched innovations to support this movement of making the environment a better one to live in.
The governments and world organizations are making environment-friendly policies to come up with digital solutions to reach the targets of zero carbon emissions. The rise of social media platforms is also leading to a lot of campaigns being orchestrated to make people attentive and aware of the mighty problem we are grappling with. It is witnessed that people are also leading their small innovative efforts to preserve the planet from ongoing climate change issues.