Will technology save the world – The fight against climate change and deforestation enters a new phase of social awareness in which recent advances can contribute to establishing a necessary transformation
Will technology save the world New collection processes
Tech junk is a problem. Millions of electronic devices accumulate in parts of the planet, such as Africa and India. Millions of small chips and microplastics that, once abandoned to their fate, dispersed throughout the environment. Lithium-ion batteries, the 21st-century batteries that power everything from mobile phones to toys of all kinds, have cycles of existence. After which, they deteriorate but often end up in inappropriate containers.
In the cities, clean points where these devices must be deposited, but there is still work to done. In the manufacturing processes of these mass-adoption products, the moment they “die” is not always considered. Moreover, in Spain, there are laws such as the one introduced in 2005 by which it is mandatory to remove refrigerators in suitable spaces. It is compulsory. Therefore, once a new model has purchased, the manufacturer or supplier takes care of recovering it.
Will technology save the world Use recycled materials
Like these measures, other manufacturers of consumer products, such as Apple, have wanted to embrace the fight against climate change by producing many of their devices with 100% recycled aluminium, as in the case of the latest iPad models. “Green” technology is beginning to be a reality and is also moving away from the corporate responsibility strategies of companies. Polluting less and caring for the planet is not just a temporary slogan; social currents beginning to emerge that demand a more ecological world also in technologies. It’s a firm commitment to the circular economy, which insists on recycling materials and products traditionally placed in the waste bin.
A study published in September by the European Economic and Social Committee on the impact of the Rounded Economy on consumption estimates that today there around 700 million mobile phones in Europe that stored unused and not discarded or reused. The reconditioning of mobile phones one of the solutions proposed this report to extend the life of the terminals and, in addition, thus, reduce CO2 emissions. According to this same study, in a period of ten years, it’s possible to reduce CO2 emissions by 29% if its useful life’s extended to one year and by 43% if its extended to two years.
More Use recycled materials
According to the calculations of Back Market, a company specializing sale of refurbished electronics, with the reuse of each of these devices, average emission of 30 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere would avoided, and about 12 litres of clean water would be saved. Taking these data into account, the reuse of the millions of mobile phones that Europeans currently keep in their drawers would prevent the emission of 21 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere and would save 8,400 million litres of water each year
Bioeconomy and biotechnology
It is an excellent idea of connected sustainability. According to Ericsson’s forecast report, 6 out of 10 respondents believe that services based on the internet of the senses will make society more environmentally sustainable. Another significant challenge is to recover the discarded materials as quickly as possible. Hence, another considerable trend measures to use of living organisms to produce other reusable goods such as biofuels and energy to, among other things, improve efficiency in sectors such as agriculture.
Vehicle-powered electric motors considered today as a transition that will take society into the future thanks to their zero emissions in the area of circulation. But, still, it is not the “greenest” alternative since it uses elements such as its highly polluting batteries. In addition, the production of electrical energy is also another controversial aspect.
More about Bioeconomy and biotechnology
The problem is that even though car manufacturers are beginning to open up to this engine type, their sales have not yet materialized at the expected rate. Various studies affirm that this year they have reduced worldwide, and only in China, one of the most polluting countries, is where its adoption increased the most. In such a way, advancing in a cultural change where fewer cars used for short-distance journeys is also a model that is beginning taken into account in large world capitals.
Biotechnology, as the Valencian company Aina considers in an investigation, provides solutions for this in biofactories: microorganisms that have the capacity (natural or induced) to produce substances (molecules) of industrial interest with a high yield.
Robots and Artificial Intelligence as support
One of the significant impacts on the environment comes from microplastics, non-recycled items and other polluting agents. It’s estimated that around eight million tons of these imperceptible pieces dumped into oceans. Recently, a report has highlighted that 2% of the oxygen in the water lost. Something worrying.
Faced with this, proposals beginning to appear in which some advances in robotics applied. However, they carry out cleaning and care work. opportunity to extract them avoiding, in addition, that they affect living beings.
