Climate change and carbon emissions can be regarded as one of the biggest threats on our planet. Actually, the right expression for the environmental and climate issues is “climate crisis”. We are experiencing a climate crisis in every aspect of our lives. The world’s heat is increasing more and more, and every summer, we observe hotter weather conditions. Even this hot summer can be the coolest summer of the rest of our remaining lives. Icebergs are continuing to melt without slowing down; sea level is rising. The threat is not mostly about sea levels, but there is a greater chance that we will face viruses and bacteria that have been sleeping in ice for thousands of years. Also, the number of species is decreasing. These have been the outputs of the climate crisis so far and we will probably face even worse conditions. However, we are not desperate with all these challenges and not everyone just sits and watches what is happening: there are also various solutions and actions against this crisis. For instance, our Sustainable Growth Program was dedicated to Climate Action in 2021. Protecting our planet is up to us so here are some technological advancements like electric vehicles, IoT, and blockchain that can help us combat the climate crisis. 

Electrical Vehicles

Unlike using fossil fuels, electrical vehicles give us the opportunity to reduce carbon emissions. For example, in the Paris Agreement (2015), it is stated that the carbon emission goals set for the year of 2040 can be achieved thanks to the usage of electrical vehicles. There are two types of electric cars: one uses just electric power to run the car; the other is called a hybrid in which both fossil fuels and electric power can be used (but still they mostly consume electric power.)

The main challenge here is that even if 30% of cars are hybrid cars, we cannot achieve the carbon goals, so we must mostly rely purely on electrical vehicles.

IoT

 IoT devices and sensors are indeed a great opportunity to handle the climate crisis. We can measure the level of carbon in air, and in waters with IoT sensors. With this measurement, we can develop better solutions to cope with the level of dirtiness in different environments. Cleaning water and air in optimum levels are possible just with the utilization of IoT devices.

Blockchain

For our carbon footprint, and emissions, blockchain is an awesome technology to better organize and work on the data. “Blockchain can be utilised through smart contracts to better calculate, track and report on the reduction of the carbon footprint across the entire value chain. It can provide instant authentication, verification of real-time data and clear data records.” as stated by the Digital Strategy unit of European Commission. For further vision and intuition, you can visit their Blockchain for Climate Action page.