Gaurav Rathore
His write-ups blend creativity, personal experience, and tailored technical advice, meeting reader needs effectively.
“The use of green technology is essential to reduce environmental pollution. The future depends on how we choose to use the technologies at our disposal to protect the planet.”
-Ban Ki-moon (Former UN Secretary-General)
The continuous decline in environmental health is hidden from none. The changes happening on the global scale lead to various complex and interrelated environmental concerns we often hear about. I am sure you must have seen environmental activists and, media covering issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and more ecological challenges.
Unfortunately, hearing about such problems has become so common that only a few people understand the severity of the matter and what extreme repercussions it can lead to. You will be shocked to know that 24% of all estimated global deaths are linked to the environment. (WHO: Public health and environment)
But, contamination of the environment still persists, is there nothing that can help reduce all these adverse effects? Well, there is and that is the use of the right technology. Yes, you heard it right, technology has now become an ally in the global effort to reduce environmental pollution. In this article, I will tell you more about the role of technology in restoring the damaged environment.
Without wasting more time, let’s jump into it!
I think you all must be aware of the traditional and primary way of generating energy, how fuels are burned to release heat energy which is then converted into electricity or used as it is.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, this burning of fuel accounts for 74% of the total greenhouse gas emissions. Now imagine what a big impact it would have if we shifted to renewable sources of energy, which are naturally replenished. Let’s discuss two of these sources-
Solar energy is basically transforming the unlimited supply of sunlight into energy. Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels do the job by converting sunlight directly into electricity by semiconductor material. Or you can use concentrated solar power systems that use mirrors or lenses to focus the light from the sun on a specific area to generate heat.
As the name suggests, wind is converted into energy. But how, you may ask. When the wind hits and turns the blades of the turbine, this rotation produces kinetic energy, which is then converted to mechanical energy by the generator attached to it.
Renewables are on track to become the largest source of electricity generation in the world by the end of 2027, great news, isn’t it? You can study the graph and understand the renewable capacity additions from 2001 to 2027 (expected).
It is a well-known fact that transportation is another factor that majorly contributes to carbon emissions. Based on the research by Statista, In 2022, global carbon dioxide emissions from cars and vans grew to 3.53 billion metric tonnes.
This number can be brought down by shifting to greener transportation sources like-
Electronic vehicles can be charged by renewable sources of energy and unlike traditional vehicles, they produce no tailpipe emissions, making them a smart and environment-friendly option for transportation.
Public transit like buses and trains can carry dozens of people at once, reducing per-person energy consumption and carbon emissions. With the advancement of technology and more awareness, many cities are taking the initiative to transition their public fleets to electronic vehicles, reducing even more emissions.
Many alternatives to traditional pollution-causing fossil fuels are now available, including,
If you are interested in learning more about these alternatives, you can examine this study.
Looking at the amount of damage that has already been done, only a preventive approach is not sufficient. We need more multifaceted solutions and a combination of prevention, monitoring, and cleaning to restore everything. Let’s take a look at some ways for that –
Smart waste management includes using AI, big data, IoT, robotics, and sensor technology to manage waste in more cost-effective and sustainable ways.
Integrating these technologies provides help with tracking waste levels and types of waste to manage recycling efforts and enhance sorting at the source.
You can understand remediation as the process of cleaning contaminated sites to restore them to a safe and healthy state. Some common remediation techniques include –
Chemicals like pre and poly-fluoroalkyl substances present in AFFF cause major issues as they are responsible for widespread environmental and pose significant health risks. Therefore, remediation is a central issue in AFFF lawsuits.
FUN FACT
Some robots are designed specifically to collect plastic and other debris from oceans, rivers, and lakes.
These robots, like WasteShark (nicknamed “the Roomba for water”), are able to autonomously navigate waterways and “suck up” floating trash, preventing pollution from spreading to larger bodies of water.
To answer this question, many aspects need to be taken into consideration. In terms of long-term sustainability (both environmental effects and meeting demands), renewable sources like solar energy and wind energy can be viewed as the most sustainable clean energy.
The environmental impact of transportation can be tackled in various ways –
The future of the air pollution monitoring system is expected to be driven by data analytics, sensor technology, AI, and the Internet of Things. These strategies will contribute substantially to public health, climate change mitigation, and urban planning.
