Though at the regional level the effects of global warming are not clearly visible, at the global level it is accelerating faster than humans can handle. With the trend creeping ahead from past 50 years, the hottest years in the history were recorded since 1990. Considering what the scientists have to say, if the emissions responsible for global warming are not stopped from increasing ‘now’, the average global temperatures can rise from 3 to 9 degrees in the later years of 21st century – we all know it will lead to rise in sea level, drought, rising storms, flooding, wildfire, and heating up of ocean currents affecting the human life with most dangerous outcomes. We need to act now by understanding how we need to begin and in which direction.
Where Do The Highest Amount Of Emissions Come From?
Can Smart Cities Help?
The existing major cities across the globe are fuelling their infrastructures with technology to give birth to what is popularly called as ‘smart city’ today. The fuelling needs to be aimed at using the newly arrived sustainable technology in cleaning what the previously used technology has done to the society – this needs to be done wisely. Smart cities are actually that last tool standing to curb the carbon and greenhouse gas emissions at its earliest.
Benefits Of ICT
According to Ericsson Mobility Report, ICT has the potential to curb global greenhouse gas emissions by 15% by 2030. This estimation has been calculated to be more than the total carbon footprint of the United States and the European Union. Approximately, 70% energy gets wasted before it reaches the place of consumption. ICT-enabled solutions in the form of smart grids and smart meters have a greater potential to deliver energy more efficiently – energy efficiency and consumption can be enhanced significantly in homes and commercial buildings.
Smart grids offer a supply of energy through renewable energy sources like the solar and wind. With this, the energy can be optimised, reducing the peak demand and need for bigger grid infrastructure.
The microgrids offer supply of energy to areas that are still out of reach via the traditional energy delivery practice. On the other side, smart meters make the consumption wiser, by improving our knowledge on how much energy we consume and how we can optimise the use by making it available to others through economical consumption and decreased use at low peak times.
Similarly, ICT can be applied to mobility and transport within the cities making travelling more efficient. The renewable fuel and low-energy consumption in smart vehicles have tremendous opportunities to eliminate carbon emissions completely.
Constructing Energy Efficient Buildings
The solutions to energy efficient buildings lie in integrating solar powered grids, high ceilings, making use of natural ventilation, insulation and daylighting – a part of the green building rating system. The Council also says that on an average, LEED-certified buildings use 32% less electricity saving 350 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in a year.
Enhancing The Neighbourhood Energy Efficiency With Nature
Not To Overlook The Countryside
A Look At What The World Leaders Are Doing For Our Environment
More than the national governments, the city leaders are showing active participation in solving the global warming problem at the local level. From London to Beijing, mayors are focusing on including climate change challenge as the key to their growth. Sadiq Khan, London Mayor has initiated the T-charge to move the diesel vehicles off the road. Mayor of Beijing, Cai Qi has deployed pollution targets across the city. And, Anne Hidalgo is acting towards making the Parisian roads function only with electric vehicles by 2030.
Contribution From The Private Sector
In a recent blog post published in December 2017, Microsoft announced that it is committing $50 million along the span of five years in providing artificial intelligence (AI) technology to organisations that work on climate change, water, agriculture and biodiversity. The decision is part of the company’s AI for Earth program which was launched this year in July – 37 grants have already been awarded to individuals and organizations across more than 10 countries. The grant recipients of the past include Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, the Chesapeake Conservancy and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture.
Thus, along with city officials if private companies focus on the impact over our environment we can definitely reach 100% renewable goals and hence eliminate and ward off international level issues like global warming and climate change.
Let’s conclude our talk with what Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith has to say – “ When we think about the environmental issues we face today, science tells us that many are the product of previous Industrial Revolutions. As we enter the world’s Fourth Industrial Revolution, a technology-fueled transformation, we must not only move technology forward but also use this era’s technology to clean up the past and create a better future.”