Giving green technology a new life
Green technologies aim at cutting or controlling the harmful impacts of human activity on the habitat and environment. This covers the development of clean and/or renewable sources of energy, new-age green materials, or innovative technologies that recycle waste materials.
Investments in green technology across the globe peaked at a little over USD 750 billion in 2021 with electric vehicles and energy solutions being the largest beneficiaries.
The benefits of such technology are manifold:
The Construction Blitz
The construction industry has an immense appetite for raw materials is vast and is probably the largest consumer of them in the world. It is responsible for nearly 40% of all energy-related CO2 produced in the world.
On the other hand, not much gets reused or recycled. A report from the World Economic Forum revealed that only a fraction of construction waste gets recycled.
The rise of urban agglomerations ensures that the construction industry will play a considerable role in how the world’s resources and materials are consumed. How can the industry manage wastage and recycling?
The WEF report suggests that just about a third of all construction and demolition waste is recovered and reused. The construction industry utilizes nearly 50% of global steel production while over 3 billion tons of raw materials are used to manufacture building products worldwide. Nearly 40% of solid waste in the USA is accrued from the construction industry. This also includes a great loss of valuable minerals and metals.
Given the high volumes involved, marginal improvements can yield an immense impact from a sustainability perspective. Recycling and urban mining can bring about profitability and efficiency.
Green technologies in the construction industry can include considerations in the usage of energy and water or even natural air conditioning. Some new-age materials can include green insulation, rammed earth bricks, grey water recycling, or even electrochromic smart glass. Technologies can cover light and water timers, AC smart systems, renewable energy systems, rainwater harvesting, geothermal heating, or smart appliances
By adopting the tenets of a circular economy as well as collaboration and sharing knowledge within the sector, organizations can drive a lot of transformative change. Government and industry bodies can support and foster such collaboration as well as facilitate processes for the same.
Enthusiastic about plastic
One of the biggest challenges for the waste industry has the ability to help lower GHG emissions. Plastic is currently a challenge for recyclers with over a million tons entering landfills every year because technologies to break it down faster need to be continuously improved.?
领英推荐
Designing innovative solutions to the plastic challenge can result in lowering vehicle movements, and creating more jobs as well as infrastructure for a sustainable industry.
No doubt, plastics are a catalyst of growth and consumption in the modern economy due to a combination of product attributes and pricing. Beyond the advantages, the drawbacks are a high level of waste and low recycling rates found in plastics. ?manufacturing - today, globally just 14 % of plastics are used for recycling.
Recently, scientists at the University of Cambridge developed a way of transforming plastic waste and greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels using solar power. This breakthrough could then manage the plastic pollution menace and become a “game-changer” towards fostering a circular economy for the plastic industry. These findings as a way to transform plastic waste into useful products.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research based in South Africa has developed a bioplastic technology for producing plastic that is completely biodegradable and compostable plastic. The technology can aid in biodegrading single-use plastic products lying in landfills within 6 months. As part of the commercialization process, the CSIR is now working towards licensing the technology.
Technology in agriculture
Agriculture is a significant contributor towards the degradation of the environment. The production, transportation, and consumption of ingredients that constitute the food chain are carbon-intensive while consuming a great volume of fossil fuels. This causes a considerable amount of global warming making it imperative to ensure that the agriculture sector has access to innovative green technologies.?
New technologies such as vertical farming can be a sustainable technique that has environmental and social benefits. In addition to higher yield, Moreover, there is a drastic reduction in water usage with less fertilizer wastage.?
The health of the crop health is essential for good productivity in agriculture which means that Integrated Pest Management is a vital green technology for the future.?IPM is a sustainable approach to pest control that aims to grow healthy crops with the least disruption to natural ecosystems and the environment.
Another green technology is biotechnology which utilizes organism components to enhance the development of the crop. This helps to yield plentiful and cost-effective crops. It also helps to grow pest and disease-resistant plants that reduce waste and increases yield.
Telemetry Systems aid farmers to incorporate bio-implantable systems in agricultural designs. Such technology enhances field monitoring and decreases food waste.
Such technologies can merge prosperity and progress with human ingenuity & capability for the greater good of the planet. Growing crops with a negligible amount and water or even producing meat through technologies that free up more than 75% of agricultural land is a reality.
Green technology investments when combined with innovative minds, passionate entrepreneurs, and progressive governments can always challenge the limits of technology. Such technologies are environmentally friendly and not very cash intensive while conserving the environment and arresting global warming.
Greenscape Eco Management has established itself as a formidable player in the urban mining movement since 2007.