When it comes to the issue of technology and its impact on our environment, people tend to have different standpoints on its effects and mostly, the tradeoff of its benefits. On one end, people are driven to believe that given sufficient and advanced technology, solutions to the current environmental problems will eventually arise. On the other end, these set of individuals believe that only practices that encourage economic development but are environmentally sustainable should be employed. While these two might seem correct, it results in a dilemma. The answer to this lies somewhere in the middle.

We might see some advancements and innovations in technology that are able to solve the challenges currently faced by our environment. However, ignoring the current woes it poses to our environment can be extremely hazardous if left unchecked for a long period of time – given the incessant warnings from experts that the earth’s climate is reaching a dangerous tipping point. Much closer than we think, technology and the environment actually have some ties. Despite the fact that technology is beneficial in developing innovative solutions, it also causes harm to the environment.

Internet of Things technology

Internet of Things (IoT) technology looks to be the major application which might pose a technological approach towards solving the environmental issues happening these days. While this is true, IoT tech, while powerful, is highly vulnerable to hacking and can only be thoroughly protected if the traffic is properly encrypted, with a VPN or Wi-Fi network encryption on the device.

With this in view, here are a couple of ways internet-enabled devices are being used to salvage the current environmental challenges:

• Use of Renewable Energy: In lieu of the traditional combustion of fuels used in generating power for machines, technology has provided us with ways of generating energy without polluting the environment with fumes and poisonous gas. These sources of energy such as solar, hydroelectric power and wind have become widely adopted and have even become cheap to acquire. Several modifications and improvements are constantly being made to these sources to make them more appealing to all and sundry for use.
• Digitizing Documents: Paper consumption by individuals and corporations over the years have reduced drastically due to the influence of digital means of communication these days. Unlike before where every mail, news or file had to be printed out on paper, electronic mail, internet news, databases, and cloud storage have gone a long way in reducing the number of trees cut down for paper production and in turn reducing deforestation which is beneficial to our environment.
• Monitoring the Environment: Special technologies have been put in place to monitor the environment for unusual weather spikes, vibration levels, and even water levels to ensure preemptive actions are to be taken in the event of any imminent disaster. In some cases, it is also used to protect the environment from illegal exploitation, and to ensure organizations are keeping to the regulations laid down for them to abide by in terms of production standards.