How Technology Is Helping (Not Hurting) Nature

Paul Ehrlich predicted that the 1980s would be a decade of unprecedented suffering. He believed that the world would run out of food and that by the time Ronald Reagan entered office, entire countries would have descended into a Mad Max-style hellscape. 

But, of course, that didn’t happen. Something called the “Green Revolution” took place where farmers in developing countries suddenly began adopting advanced Western technologies like fertiliser, combine harvesters, crop rotation, and advanced grains. This shift averted the anticipated crisis and allowed populations in places like India and China to soar past one billion people. It was a remarkable accomplishment, especially considering the popularity of Ehrlich’s book, The Population Bomb the decade prior. 

This astonishing turnaround is an example of how technology can defy expectations and operate in ways people can’t anticipate. Hardly anyone in the 1970s believed that the world would become a generally prosperous place, but that’s precisely what happened over the following 40 years until the Great Financial Crisis. People became remarkably wealthier, owing to the massive abundance of cheap energy, global trade, and relative stability. 

Today, technologists wonder whether human ingenuity can pull a similar rabbit out of the hat for nature. Everyone knows the world is suffering enormously, but whether advanced concepts, like AI, can do anything about it remains to be seen. 

One example of things moving in the right direction is Squarecrows NFTs. The company sells unique digital tokens and uses part of the proceeds to fund the expansion of nature reserves. 

“This approach to using digital technology is unique,” the platform explains. “The idea is to provide people with digital assets they can trade while also attaching them to something physical in the real world. It’s an example of the strange and unexpected world technology can create, often bypassing traditional norms and boundaries.”

This move comes alongside other changes designed to advance the conservation of wildlife. For example, some companies are building drones that will permit improved wildlife monitoring. These tools can fly over hard-to-reach areas and spot species from the air in their natural habitats without disturbing them or causing footpath erosion. 

AI is also finding its way into conservation efforts. Sensors are tracking animals, registering interactions, and then feeding these sightings into databases to predict species health. Populations fluctuate from one year to the next, but AI is making it possible to assess numbers more accurately without the need for complex in-the-field census operations. 

Even acoustic monitoring is advancing conservation efforts. This technique involves analysing the sounds of endangered species and then using this to locate illegal logging. This technology is particularly helpful for authorities in places like Central Africa, Brazil, Russia, and Canada where the largest forests in the world exist. 

“The level to which technology can assist in conservation of natural habitats is extensive,” Squarecrows explains. “It’s not just a matter of monitoring, but also developing additional tools that can help better characterise the health of the natural world, even in poorer parts of the world where resources are being stretched thin already.”

The concept of precision agriculture is driving this trend forward. Companies are investing in technologies that aim to reduce the footprint of food production while increasing abundance for the growing population. 

Paul Ehrlich claimed that the population was likely to collapse. And he may well be correct eventually. But near-term innovations appear to allow the global calorie surplus to continue, at least for the next couple of decades. 

Precision farming is essentially a tool that enables farmers to reduce the resources they require on their farms. For example, instead of fertilising an entire field, new technology allows them to do it piecemeal with drones, saving time, labor and material inputs. The same is possible for watering, only adding water to the parts of the field that need it. 

Vertical farming is more futuristic, but it is helpful for growing various fruits and vegetables in cities close to markets. Solar panels can sometimes provide enough energy to power the LED lighting inside, with other models exploring the use of mirrors. 

Satellites are also a keystone technology for driving agricultural yield. Many are being used in reforestation and seed tracking, determining where new life is springing from the ground and directing future efforts. 

 

 

Plastic, of course, is one of the scourges of the modern world, and a primary reason why the environment is experiencing such challenges. However, fixes are becoming available for that. 

One approach is to use biodegradable solutions. These make packaging from plastic alternatives that have the same properties in the short term, but disappear from the land and oceans in the long-term. It’s this unique combination that makes these some of the most valuable and unique commercial and industrial materials globally. 

Ocean cleanup tech is also making an appearance. Robots scouring the ocean can now collect vast amounts of plastic and take them to land-based processing plants to eliminate. Microbial and plant-based interventions can then remediate fouled land. 

“One of the biggest goals of global conservation efforts is to rewild more of the planet,” says Squarecrow. “This becomes more likely when pollutants are taken away and nature is able to thrive again. Just look at some of the developments around the exploded Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Because it is a human-free zone, wildlife is thriving, despite the enormous radiation.”

Citizen science apps are another unexpected way technology is helping nature. These allow individuals to contribute to environmental data collection, bringing together information that researchers can use to better characterise the local environment. These efforts often give people a sense of being closer to the land, making them care about it more. 

“Linking apps and NFTs to natural resources and landscapes builds a bridge between people living in cities and the natural world around them,” says Squarecrow. “Until people start doing this, it is hard for many to gain an appreciation of nature or how human activity is interfering with it. Now, though, new concepts are coming to the fore and promise to change hearts and minds for the better.”