Often lost in the discussion about the Internet’s ability to protect the environment is a point about the power of the open-source movement. A few weeks back, I read about an innovative technology that might actually take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. (Yes, I know that trees already do this, but this technology might potentially to do it on a larger and quicker timescale.) The technology is still in an early stage of development, but there is a way the Internet could help it along.
There is a universe of bright, intelligent people who are accessible via the Internet. If given access to the right information, they might be able to build upon the technology and facilitate its entry into the commercial marketplace.
To opponents who question why anyone with such a potentially valuable technology would share it, I would answer that the Internet is already being successfully exploited by innovative companies that solicit online talent to do everything from searching for new gold deposits to developing new blockbuster drugs. There is no reason why this technology or other new clean technologies can’t be developed in a similar fashion.
Think different Economist John Maynard Keynes once said that it is more efficient to “ship recipes than biscuits.” His point was that shipping information and knowledge -- and not physical products -- is the key to an efficient economic system. The farsighted economist was absolutely right, and the Internet provides society a grand opportunity to rethink this maxim anew -- and in an environmental context.
Consider the case of Amazon’s new electronic book-reader, Kindle. If we truly want to protect the environment and reduce our impact on the environment, does it really make sense to cut down trees to produce the paper for books; use tons of coal-power electricity to manufacture the books; and then transport those books across the country with gas-guzzling, fossil fuel-powered trucks -- all for the privilege of then storing the books in rooms and libraries that must be heated? How much better would it be to digitally transmit books to electronic devices in a way that leaves only a fraction of the book publishing industry’s carbon footprint?
This, however, is just the beginning. As advances in digital, computer-aided design are coupled with advances in rapid prototype manufacturing (e.g., printing physical objects) and nanotechnology, the list of future products that might also be shipped in the form of information could grow exponentially.
What’s really needed: a change in behavior These modest proposals only hint at the Internet’s potential to enhance the environment. The one common element is that they also require a change in human behavior. And that, perhaps, is where those of us interested in protecting the environment might want to continue to leverage the Internet. We must continually educate people on how their current behaviors are adversely impacting the environment, and then convince them to act out their lives in new, different, and more sustainable ways.
It has been widely reported that the Internet can reduce greenhouse emissions by 1 billion tons over the next decade as a result of companies such as EnerNoc and Verdiem developing better methods to monitor and control residential and business energy usage. This is undoubtedly true, but people need to begin thinking even more broadly about the Internet’s ability to protect the environment.
The discussion is interesting and definitely welcome. At a time when global warming is center stage on the world scene, it is important that we all consider what we can do to solve the problem.
However the post and its related posts show that we are still in the brainstorming stage and that there is the need of more research into the the alternatives available in order to know which truly brings benefit to us.
Are felling trees for books and the subsequent production processes of the supply chain more costly than having the content of the books developed as Internet Content and distributed? There is the need for more research and it behoves all of us to see what we can do to help.
In case using the Internet is less costly, then we need to see how to convince less developed countries in the world to consider the Internet route and not get hooked on books (which they currently cannot afford in the numbers required). This way we begin to stem the tide of harvesting trees by discouraging an increase in demand for books but rather leverage the Internet.
When my oldest daughter was getting ready for kindergarten, we toured a local private school as we considered our options for her education. As the principal took us through a very bare library she said, "you might notice we don't have that many books, well I'm sure you've all heard of that thing called the Internet." While we didn't walk out then, we didn't enroll our daughter there either.
That book consumed resources to create and distribute, sure, but the always-on Internet consumes far more resources on a daily basis than that book, the library, etc.
If you want to save the planet, turn off the computer, grab a book and go sit under a tree and read.
But you're right, I'd be interested in the numbers. I'm betting that the costs to the environment from production, transportation, and disposal of books would outweigh the toll of ebook reader production and the necessary servers. But by how much?
We are going to have to innovate our way out of global warming.
In order to do this we need the rapid communication of new ideas and the internet is a useful tool for this. These new ideas need to be implemented in a short time scale and require more technology and initially may have an associated increase in energy use. Individuals reducing their energy use has a part to play, of course - but won't have enough impact, quickly enough.
If you want to return to the energy balance of the eighteenth century you need eighteenth century population levels and lifestyle expectations.
And how'bout the petrochemicals consumed in the manufacture of all those plastic (disposable) devices -- laptops, cellphones, Kindles...? I'd bet it at least rivals our gasoline consumption.
I can still read my books when the power goes down. And when the heat is out, well... burning Atlas Shrugged alone will heat a family of five for hours.
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The Google backlash continues. After seeing their Project 10^100 submissions disappear into the bowels of a Google server farm, a group of irate developers has started their own site to re-collect and vote on the ideas.
Two studios have filed suit against an ad broker for placing ads to help monetize P2P sites suspected of copyright infringement. That's taking a dangerous step toward what might be a worthy goal.
By 2014, mobile devices will overtake laptops as the appliance of choice for consumers. But device makers still have some wishes to fulfill, including mobile app simplification and the ability to better perform word processing/spreadsheet functions.
Do you ever want to send an email hours after you've written it? Ever want to receive an email at a later time? Ever want to defy gravity? You can do some of those things with Boomerang for Gmail.
Location-based services could be combined with ad malware to facilitate targeting of demographic groups such as young females, creating a safety and privacy risk.
Pew says that 53% of the US population doesn't think broadband policy is necessary. Other data shows that most consumers who don't have the Internet just don’t want it. Perhaps the Internet’s problem has more to do with content than policy. Hmmmmmm...
Marketers want to sell you stuff, and they need your help. It's crazy, it's crass, it's fun for the whole family! It's the art form of the new millenium!
RIM is giving in to demands by India to snoop on encrypted BlackBerry data. It's time to develop cheap or free encryption software for BlackBerrys and other cellular phones.
Nielsen’s recent numbers on the increasing use of texting bode well for enterprise networks. Shunning the phone in favor of text messaging could mean reducing bandwidth.
Two studios have filed suit against an ad broker for placing ads to help monetize P2P sites suspected of copyright infringement. That's taking a dangerous step toward what might be a worthy goal.
By 2014, mobile devices will overtake laptops as the appliance of choice for consumers. But device makers still have some wishes to fulfill, including mobile app simplification and the ability to better perform word processing/spreadsheet functions.
Google's foray into pay-for-view movies may be an indicator that the days of free ad-sponsored content are numbered, or at least that ad sponsorship won't fund nearly enough content.
Online education, improving to better replicate the interactions that occur between teachers and students face-to-face, grew in double digits during the recession. Still, there’s more work to be done.
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