We have been thanking technological advancements way before the discovery and use of fossil fuels, although this technology of discovering fossil fuel has contributed to climate change, “technology” has also made humans become aware of our impact on the planet and find the solution to climate change and global warming.
Check out these innovations in technology that could help humans to avoid the disastrous effect we might add to global temperatures:
Technology Solution for Climate Change and Global Warming
Feeding Seaweed to Cows
Another gas that sums up the greenhouse emission is methane, due to cattle farming; the emission of methane is obtaining record high levels. This methane is primarily produced due to cows burp, as cows digest their food; the fermenting in their stomachs converts sugars into less complex molecules that can be absorbed by the body.
Methane emissions can be reduced by 80% by mixing seaweed as a supplement to cattle feed. However, with the presence of almost 1.5 cattle globally, the availability of seaweed is way too less to suppress these cows burps.
Insects Can Be Delicious
Technology and the food industry have always made things easy for us humans, however, in this case, technology has made an innovative food itinerary for us. This is an interesting way to reduce the methane emission from cattle farming, just by replacing beef with a substitute made from insects, you heard that right and it’s already taking place in many countries!
Protein-rich insects such as mealworms can be cultivated without land or water that cattle farming requires, though these insects are high in protein there are numerous other crucial nutrients that we all generally find in meat, that’s including iron. A few scientific research however suggests that a range of insects could provide all the mineral nutrients which humans need. The only issue is, it can’t be mass-produced and consumed as easily compared to beef.
Carbon Capture Technology
It’s evident that the rising global average temperature is mostly blamed on scientists as man-made emissions of greenhouse gases create and trap radiation in the atmosphere which would otherwise escape into space.
Carbon dioxide makes the most harmful substance in greenhouse gases, and its concentrations have increased by almost 50% since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Advancements are being used to decrease CO2 emissions by capturing, utilizing, and storing them, Net Zero Teesside (NZT) project is the best example for such activity and many businesses/government organizations or NGOs can take this as a method to reduce CO2 from the atmosphere.
NZT intends to capture CO2 produced in industrial processes and power plants and then transport these emissions by pipeline to offshore storage sites located kilometers underneath the North Sea. Isolated in secure areas deep below the sea, this carbon would never again contribute to the greenhouse effect and it could even be utilized into new fuels for transportation in the future. The aim of NZT project is to reduce carbon emissions in various carbon-concentrated industries across the North East to zero as soon as the year 2030.
Improvize The Climate
University of Cambridge is examining various ideas and methods which would repair the harm caused to the environment due to pollution.
One idea amongst them is to refreeze the North and South Poles by brightening the clouds above them, particularly by spraying tiny drops of salt into the sky which could assist the clouds in reflecting radiation into space.
Another idea is about “greening” the oceans, basically by fertilizing them for the growth of plant matter and algae so that they can absorb more CO2. Though the research warns that the “greening” process could cause an enormous threat to oceans ecosystems, and even then it won’t be able to capture enough CO2.
Continue OR Maintain Remote Working
The 2020 pandemic has shown that emissions can be reduced if businesses can successfully implement work-from-home arrangements. Driving to and fro being the largest source of carbon emissions, this step could make a huge change.
Apart from that, the use of paper and plastics in offices has dropped the rate of pollution slightly.
Also read: Climate change resolutions 2022
Use Of Data Centers
The invention of computers has drastically increased electricity consumption, but modern data centers are quite more energy-efficient than personal computers. Rather than performing power-intensive processes on local machines, people could save a considerable amount of energy by having these applications perform in the cloud.
Famous technology companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft provide cloud computing services and are large consumers of renewable energy.
Consume Household Energy More Efficiently
The absolute best method and effective technological solution to climate change is by reducing overall energy consumption, this change can be easily done by making homes more energy-efficient. With a significant number of products on the market capable of saving hundreds of money annually, the technology to achieve it is already available! The energy labeling scheme that labels appliances on how energy sufficient they are informs consumers about how much it will cost them to run these appliances, be it refrigerators, washing machines, light bulbs, and televisions.
The solution for climate change finally depends on reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions through innovations in technology, research institutes will require more numbers of skilled workers, particularly engineers and scientists across the globe with a wide variety of disciplines, which also includes social sciences. At the end of the day, it depends upon the people who innovate. Both private, as well as government sectors, have critical roles in attracting and maintaining the best people to address the challenges and invent opportunities to find solution for climate change and global warming.
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