How Can Digital Technologies Help Track Carbon Emissions
The Earth is on the verge of reaching tipping points in its life support systems. When this happens, self-reinforcing loops begin, which might lead.
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Key takeaways
- The Earth is on the verge of reaching tipping points in its life support systems.
- Driverless cars will hasten the move away from vehicle ownership and toward mobility and transportation as a service.
- Further, the digitization of energy management may reduce transmission losses and hence minimize prices.
The Earth is on the verge of reaching tipping points in its life support systems. When this happens, self-reinforcing loops begin, which might lead to a ‘hothouse Earth’ condition.
Nonetheless, we still have a chance to keep global temperatures under check. To achieve this, greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2020 and then decline substantially - by 50% per decade: this is known as the carbon law.
Energy, industry, buildings, transportation, food, forestry, and agriculture all have solutions. In society, the gap between science and knowledge has virtually closed. Now we must bridge the gap between comprehension and action. We need rapid scaling and exponential climate action now, not incremental improvements.
How May Digital Technology Aid in Reducing World Emissions By 15%? #
Connectivity will be a critical facilitator for many of the exponential climate solutions, if not the majority. The recently released ‘Exponential Climate Action Roadmap’ investigates how to implement the carbon law throughout all critical sectors of the global economy. The digital technology industry is likely to be the world’s most significant influence in hastening action to keep global temperatures well below 2°C.
The digital industry is already on pace to reduce its own emissions, which account for 1.4% of world emissions, and it has the potential to cut global emissions in half by 2030 while generating an exponential growth in data performance. The internet industry may potentially play a significant role in increasing demand for 100% renewable energy.
The Exponential Climate Action Roadmap states that through solutions in energy, manufacturing, agriculture, and land use, services building, transportation, and traffic management, digital technologies could already contribute to a reduction in global carbon emissions of up to 15%, or one-third of the 50% reduction necessary by 2030. This is greater than the existing carbon footprints of the EU and the United States combined. However, it is through the Fourth Industrial Revolution - namely 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) - that the digital industry will be able to accelerate the speed of transformation.
For Exponential Advancement, We Need Exponential Technology #
Exponential technologies have a steady increase in production per size or price. The silicon chip is a famous example: from the mid-1960s, the power of computer processors has doubled every 18-24 months while the price has half (according to More’s Law, which inspired the Carbon Law). 5G is the next generation of exponential technology. It marks a significant advancement in mobile technology, with data rates that are 10 to 100 times faster than 4G. However, the advantages of 5G go well beyond speed. It has ultra-low latency, higher dependability, tighter security, and reduced energy usage.
According to the newest Ericsson Mobility Report, the number of cellular connections will reach 4.1 billion by 2024, more than double earlier forecasts. 5G paired with AI has the potential to make our society and economy drastically more efficient and sustainable, with sensors in industries, smart cities, farms, and our homes.
To demonstrate this, consider one of the industries listed in the roadmap: transportation. Transportation contributes to 21% of world emissions, with short trips accounting for 73%. Several technologies are currently convergent, ensuring that the transportation sector suffers its most drastic shift in a century.
All major vehicle and truck manufacturers have disclosed electrification intentions in the previous two years. In China, Shenzhen’s bus fleet of 16,000 buses is all-electric, and taxis are on the way.
The true game changer, though, will be electric and autonomous automobiles and trucks. 5G is a critical technology in this field for safety, efficiency, and dependability. Driverless cars will hasten the move away from vehicle ownership and toward mobility and transportation as a service. This means that fewer people will own cars, preferring to order shared trips from autonomous electric vehicles or use a driverless bus.
Within the industry, Ericsson, Celia, and Einride are developing a connectivity-based 5G solution that might lead to an exponential change in public road short-distance transportation.
The idea is based on Einride’s T-pod, an autonomous vehicle that runs continuously, and it intends to make all road freight transportation electric. A sustainable and cost-effective approach like this may replace more than 60% of today’s transportation footprint. According to Einride, the CO2 reduction potential per pallet of freight when switching from diesel to electricity is 90% in nations with a low-carbon energy mix, such as Sweden. It will also lower dangerous NOx and ultrafine soot particle emissions.
Next Generation of Exponential Technologies #
To cut emissions in half by 2030, we must optimize technologies at various stages of development. Cloud computing, first-generation industrial automation, and 3G and 4G mobile networks, among other things, are already laying the groundwork for significant efficiency benefits.
Then there is 5G, AI, IoT, and drones, all of which rely on connection and bring up entirely new possibilities. With the correct legislative frameworks in place and strong climate leadership, these technologies will play an essential role in transitioning society to a circular and lean economy focused on increasing service value while decreasing waste and pollution.
Taken as a whole, this will necessitate a global economic change and climate leadership at all levels from cities, governments, and companies. The global economy is already being transformed by digitalization, which is unleashing enormous forces in every industry. As we go deeper into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there is mounting evidence that exponential discoveries in both information technology and biotechnology have the potential to provide a more sustainable and prosperous future for everybody. The grand challenge for mankind is to guarantee that new technologies serve a clear purpose for our planet and all of its inhabitants. We can develop exponential momentum and make the Carbon Law a reality if we embrace an integrated framework for sustainable innovation within planetary limitations for people and the planet.
Digitalization’s Role in Easing the Challenges Associated with Renewable Energy #
The advent of major technological players facilitated a significant rise in the production of renewable energy. For their affiliates that are spread around the globe, these players buy renewable energy.
For instance, during the past several years, corporations in the information and communication technology sector have procured a significant portion of the world’s corporate renewable energy. However, the switch to renewable energy brought about additional difficulties and raised the price of power.
With the rise in electricity production from renewable sources, the number of devices connected to the renewable energy grid increased significantly. The IoT application has seen the most growth among digital technologies, primarily due to new technology standards like 5G.
Additionally, for the subsectors of the wind and solar business, the task of enhancing supply stability has expanded dramatically. Greater predictability and independence from weather conditions, integration with current energy systems, and energy storage from renewable sources were the most frequent problems addressed by the solar and wind energy industries.
Forecasts for insulation were created using satellite data, and a more effective design of whole wind and solar energy systems was made possible using LIDAR and satellite mapping technologies. Additionally, with the adoption of new sensors with a greater degree of control, the volume of data given by wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) systems was dramatically expanded, which translated into increasing demand for analytical solutions in the wind and solar energy business.
Another significant worry for the wind and solar energy industries was the problem of energy storage. It was necessary to construct expensive and big batteries to store wind and solar energy because, despite advances in battery technology, batteries were still particularly expensive and large. The massive storage of renewable energy can, however, lead to a rise in carbon dioxide emissions, according to recent studies.
The problem of energy storage may be solved by using adaptable renewable energy storage systems, AI algorithms, and more effective analytical tools for the real-time management of energy systems. Further, the digitization of energy management may reduce transmission losses and hence minimize prices.
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