| |
Environmental issues have been on the agenda of the Club of Rome
from its very beginning. Environmental concern became more widely
pronounced with the publication of the Limits to Growth report in 1972,
which was recently published as a 30 years update. The message was clear:
it's still not too late to turn to follow the sustainability path, though
it would have been much easier and wiser to do so already several decades ago.
Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course as the
World Scientists' Warning to Humanity stated in 1992. Climate change and
the resulting global warming is accelerating due to increasing GHG emissions,
largely produced by industry, homes/buildings, and transport.
Good news is that today global consensus has finally been more or less
reached about the existence of the phenomenon of climate change and recognition
of the role humans play in causing it. Bad news is, however, that different political
leaders - and even scientists - disagree about
- the pace and the scale of negative impacts from global warming;
- what schedules and timeframes should be set for action; and
- which measures and steps are the most effective.
Europe has every possibility to become a competitive and innovative harbinger of
environmentally-friendly ICT. A major challenge is to integrate the two usually independent
lines of technological development and policy-making - ICT and environment. In theory, there is great
potential in harnessing ICT to environmentally positive applications. In practice, however, this alliance
is not at all automatically self-evident. (Heinonen et al. 2005).
It is essential to ear in mind that the role of ICT in relation to Environment is twofold:
-
ICT in itself should be greener, the amount of chemicals in production phase and the amount of electronic
waste could be reduced. The EU Directive on electrical and electronic waste is a sign of progress.
The ways to use ICT may also be upgraded in environmental sense. We can, for example, bear in mind
that standby in electronic equipment also uses considerable amounts of energy when the number of
equipment is high. The ecological footprint of ICT can be decreased if closer attention is being paid to it.
The ecological transparency of the information society would help in this. (Heinonen at al. 2001).
- ICT should be applied to help reduce negative environmental impacts of different products, services, processes,
business models. ICT is here an environmentally profiled tool and instrument.
Technology is a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite, e.g. for reducing GHG emissions.
Besides technology we need goals for action and a will to start acting for those goals. We need to
harness technology - here in this symposium we'll concentrate on ICT technology - to pursuing these goals.
Above all, we need a mental shift - through raising environmental awareness we'll pave the way for making
goals into a roadmap - concrete steps to take. Perhaps this Symposium will be a Countdown for making a
Global Environmentally Oriented ICT Roadmap. Technological developments have to be seen in a social and
global context. Consumption patterns should be changed and environmental-friendly lifestyles should be
encouraged, but this may mean quite different approach in different parts of the world. Hand in hand with
economic growth, technology should enable greener applications, more energy-efficient solutions and renewable
energy use policies. The mental shift could also gradually move from energy-efficiency towards energy-sufficiency.
The black-and-white approach to technology is futile.
- Not: Technology will solve all problems.
- Nor: Technology does nothing but cause problems.
- But: We need to encourage technologies that will reduce the ecological
footprint, increase efficiency, enhance resources, improve signals, and end material deprivation.
- And: We must approach our problems as human beings and bring more to bear
on them than just technology. (Meadows et al. 2004, 278).
In other words, social, cultural and policy context should always be reflected upon technological issues.
The role of technology for humans has been intertwined with the role of nature and environment for humans throughout
the history in various forms. (Heinonen 1999).
In developing technology to slow down the climate change through diminishing GHG emissions, it's important to develop a
wide variety of different technologies to choose from (e.g. renewable energy, wind, solar, biomass, carbon capture and
storage etc.). This is essential, since each country or continent may need different technologies to implement. How
ICT can be used in various combinations to other technologies is also an interesting challenge.
The EU could harness its "intellectual energy" and even "ethical energy" to develop and introduce environmentally
oriented ICT for its own region and for other regions to benefit globally. The EU could make combating the negative effects
of climate change into a key driver of the economy. The EU could take the lead in developing ICT applications and market them
worldwide (making business out of them). By reducing GHG emissions the wellbeing and quality if life of people will be improved.
Competitiveness could thus bolster wellbeing.
To conclude, it has been said that in the years to come the issue of climate change and global warming will
dwarf all the others combined. It will become the only issue (Flannery 2006). Now it's time to act seeking
for environmentally oriented ICT innovations, preferably combining technical and social innovations for a
Post-Carbon World.
The experience from the state of California shows that reducing carbon emissions is profitable for companies doing
business in California. Hundreds of companies have reduced energy consumption, making the state more energy-independent,
saving money in the process. We know the science, and we see the threat. The time for action is now. (New Scientist 2006).
Now we have the opportunity to learn from the best practices of European stakeholders and corporations in introducing
environmentally friendly ICT.
Let's Act Before It's Too Late (Peccei et al.)!
References
Flanner, Tim (2006). The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change. New York.
Heinonen, Sirkka, Hietanen, Olli, Lyytimäki, Jari & Rosentröm, Ulla (2005). How to Approach the Sustainable Information Society? In: Progress in Industrial Ecology. An International Journal (PIE), Special issue: Sustainable Information Society. Guest editor: Auli Keskinen, Vol 2, Nos 3/4, 303-328.
Heinonen, Sirkka, Jokinen, Pekka & Kaivo-oja, Jari (2001). The Ecological Transparency of the Information Society. Futures, vol 33, no 3/4, April/May 2001, 319-337.
Heinonen, Sirkka (2000). Prometheus Revisited – Human Interaction with Nature through Technology in Seneca. Doctoral dissertation. Helsinki University. Commentationes Humanarum Litterarum Vol. 115, the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, Helsinki, 232 p.
New Scientist (2006). Cool thinking. Comment and Analysis of Arnold Schwarzenegger's environmental policy. New Scientist. 21 January 2006, 18.
Meadows, Dennis, Randers, Jörgen, Meadows, Donella (2004). Limits to Growth - the 30 years update. The Club of Rome.
Peccei, Aurelio, Ikeda, Daisaku & Cage, Richard L. (1985). Before It's Too Late.
Symposium "Information Technology, Competitiveness and the Environment" in
Helsinki, November 20, 2006
Website Management and Contact:
European Support Centre of the Club of Rome
http://esc.clubofrome.org |
|
