Introduction
It is important to note and acknowledge that climate change is one of the greatest existential threats to humanity and all life on the planet. Therefore, it is only natural to perceive it as a sense of doom and gloom, but there are strong reasons to be optimistic about it by utilizing humans’ biggest strength. The latter is people’s addiction, obsession, and ingenuity when it comes to technology, which was the main cause of climate change and will be the primary solution to it as well. Although technology impedes individual memory, it strengthens the collective one through devices and provides global unity in acting against a climate in unison.
Transformation Requires Challenges
Firstly, technology has always been the main reason for the improvement of human life’s prosperity, well-being, longevity, and happiness since the dawn of time. Spears made hunting easier, fire made the nutrients more bioavailable, masonry made houses safer and warmer, agriculture enabled civilizational rise, cars made travel faster, and satellites created the connectivity of the modern age. Since technology is the reason why most people are able to lead comfortable lives, it will be the reason why even climate change will not stop human progress in the future. All major innovations, inventions, and discoveries are the direct results of challenges faced by humanity, and a greater challenge enables more monumental goals and achievements.
Climate change is the greatest civilization threat there is, only on par with nuclear war in terms of the scale of destruction. It is a challenge that needs to be overcome by humanity which will mark the historical moment in history as a mastery of the planet itself. However, overcoming this problem and checkpoint will need technological solutions at its core. Technology can help human civilization in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, communication, disaster management, water preservation, sustainable industries, and many more areas. It is stated that “At first, many of us were shocked that a lightbulb could cost $50 … that the prices dropped rapidly. By 2017, the cost dropped to less than $2 per bulb” (Chen & Murthy, 2019, para. 17). Not only technology provides effective solutions, but its ability to solve a problem always improves as well.
Optimism
Secondly, technology is already making a significant difference in reducing humanity’s harmful impact on the environment. It is reported that “it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the climate change crisis. But not only can this be dangerous, but it also ignores the progress we have made in the five decades” (Chen & Murthy, 2019, para. 9). In other words, the scale and severity of the challenge must be viewed with a perspective of the humanity’s existing and prospective capabilities in dealing with it. Not long ago, renewable energy systems were deemed ineffective, expensive, and practically useless for scaling, but now, green energy sources are cheaper to utilize than coal (Chen & Murthy, 2019). The given trend of constant improvement of sustainable energy systems is still ongoing, demonstrating that renewables are not in a distant future but closer than most realize.
Sustainability is a common priority not only for nations but for major organizations as well. The largest conglomerates and multinational corporations are racing towards becoming more sustainable and less wasteful because there is a demand for it from both investors and consumers. For example, “In 2017, Walmart launched Project Gigaton, an initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the global value chain. More than 200 suppliers of products … have joined that effort” (Chen & Murthy, 2019, para. 10). Policies and legislative measures are being implemented to incentivize the use of greener products, creation of more environmental-friendly industries, and more sustainable business models. It is stated that “in the U.S., more than 100 cities and eight states plus the District of Columbia have committed to 100% renewable energy” (Chen & Murthy, 2019, para. 12). This is a worldwide phenomenon and not exclusive to the developed world since China more solar power installations than any other nation, while Kenyans are getting their geothermal power sources (Chen & Murthy, 2019). In other words, a collective global effort is already taking place to combat climate change.
The United Nations and its actions best reflect the serious intentions of the world governments about climate change. The common objective is set to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 while cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030 (Chen & Murthy, 2019). Human civilization is undergoing a transformation and transition in combatting climate change and mastering the planet itself. The overall success is determined by the collective will to act, and it assumes that there is no time to dwell excessively on possible failures.
Sharper Collective Memory
Thirdly, since climate change action requires collective effort and a clear understanding of the consequences of inaction, smartphones’ effect on human brains is a positive change. Instead of relying on how each person remembers the effects of climate change the last year, social media can remind everyone at once what the implications were, especially for the vulnerable. The criticism of technology as an impediment to human memory is not necessarily a negative change since with weaker individual memory comes a sharper collective one. Nicholas Carr (2017) presents evidence and findings on how technology is diminishing people’s capacity to reason, think, and, most importantly, remember. He states that “their extraordinary usefulness gives them an unprecedented hold on our attention and vast influence over our thinking and behavior” (Carr, 2017, para. 3). However, the entire article lacks a weighted analysis of the pros and cons of smartphones. For example, with the invention of cars came air pollution and lowered physical activity since it is physically unchallenging to drive a vehicle compared to horse riding or walking.
It is possible to focus on the negatives alone and depict cars are evil inventions, but the range of possibilities and advantages brought by them cannot be overstated. Many lives were saved because an ambulance was able to reach the dying person on time, rescue teams saved people about to be drowned, and police officers arrived at a crime scene faster to save one’s life. These examples are only the minority among a multitude of pros of cars, which exclude the supply chain, resource distribution, and the mere pleasure of traveling within hours rather than days.
Conclusion
In conclusion, technology strengthens the collective one through devices and provides global unity in acting against a climate in unison, although it impedes individual memory. When it comes to technology, people’s addiction to it will be the primary solution to the climate change challenge. Technology can actually make humans more optimistic about using technology to help the issue of climate change because it comes with more benefits than harms. In the case of climate change, the benefits will overwhelmingly outweigh the potential damages via clean air, clean water, a preserved environment, biodiverse ecosystems, and an unpolluted green planet.
References
Carr, N. (2017). How smartphones hijack our minds. Wall Street Journal.
Chen, A., & Murthy, V. (2019). Should we be more optimistic about fighting climate change?Harvard Business Review.