Global challenges that technology can solve
Technology is constantly evolving and advancing. it has become so advanced and we never thought that it would revolutionise the world.We never thought that it would be so advanced to the point where it can solve global issues.
Today, technology performs a major role in solving a wide range of problems including environmental , social issue, employment, and many more. Here are some major challenges in the world that can be solved by technology.
1.Carbon emissions (solving environmental issues)
Rising of global temperature is a major threat for everyone. Many polices have been setup by the government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from factories and cars, burning produces carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the earth atmosphere. Removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere can help to reduce the temperature. But, it would be really expensive.
Currently, many startups are searching for ways of recycling carbon dioxide into products. It might be helpful, but we require the cheapest way to be able to store the billons of carbon dioxide in these fuels.
2. Secure driverless cars(accidents and drunk driving)
Today, cars have been used for millions of miles on the roads. Most car are equipped with modern technology e.g allowing the user to open the car doors without a key, a touch screen maps that can guide driver to his destination. However, with technology, driverless cars will be a reality soon and will be mass produce for the market.
However, there are many implications that come with it. They are not working properly in disordered traffic, and in weather conditions like snow and fog.
Car accident is a major issue in the world, millions have been involved in accidents because of either the driver or the pedestrian. If self driving cars are extensively deployed, then it can minimise accidents and car crashes. Drunk driving will no longer be a thing with self driving cars.Without a human physically driving the car, the car can continuously drive without getting tired or being distracted.
3.Earthquake prediction (natural disasters)
Earthquake is one of the devastating natural calamities in which over 100,000 people died in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami — prompted by one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded and it had killed around a quarter of a million people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and elsewhere. Most earthquakes occur along the edge of the oceanic and continental plates. We are able to predict hurricanes days much in advance, but we are helpless in predicting earthquakes. Scientists need to analyses past disasters to find patterns in natural phenomena. They study tracking radar systems of seismic waves deep inside the Earth.
We only can predict earthquakes by trends, patterns and by analyzing past disasters. Predicting earthquakes with some self-assurance would let the planners discover some long-lasting solutions. Even a few hours’ before a warning can help people to leave unsafe areas, and millions of lives can be saved.
4.Energy-efficient desalination(getting more fresh water)
The quantity of salt water on earth is about 50 times as there is fresh water. The increase in the world’s population and climate change increase droughts and the call for fresh water is going to develop more. Israel is getting most of its household water from the sea by making the world’s biggest reverse-osmosis desalination facilities. But however, desalination requires a lot of energy and thus it is not pratical to be used worldwide. New types of membranes used for reverse osmosis, electrochemical techniques may be valuable to make salty water useful for irrigation and farming. Similarly, the use of adaptation technologies to create drinking water from the ocean ought to be the main concern.
(Why can’t we drink seawater?)
Seawater is toxic to humans as your body will not be able to get rid of all the salt that comes from seawater.Your body normally gets rid of salt by having your kidneys produce urine, but it needs to dilute the salt in freshwater to be able to produce urine.So by drinking seawater, you will need to urinate more than you drank, which will make you thirster and eventually you will die out of dehydration.
5.Climate change(environmental issues)
Technology can create more efficient buildings and streets, from smart lightning to non-polluting air conditioners, washing machines, fridges and heating systems.There are applications connected to sensors which can measure your house usage of water and electricity and can improve it.In Barcelona, sensors have been installed to monitor the city’s noise, rain, and air quality, and a smart irrigation system has been used to address drought conditions and improve water conservation during farming.
Right now, transport is a major producer of carbon emissions, and represent 23 percent of global energy related CO2 emissions.Electric cars like Tesla may offer a more promising solution to this issue, once more efficient charging and battery-charging technology becomes avaliable. Sensors embedded into roads can also monitor parking and traffic flow to reduce congestion and pollution.However, once driverless cars become available, cars can always be on the move, and parking will be one less issue to worry about.
6.Disaster relief
After disasters in rural areas, homes will usually be destroyed, and so will buildings and other structures. This means that survivors will have nowhere to live and get necessary supplies.It is hard for the emergency services to know where to drop off the supplies as there is no form of communication between them.However, innovation in technology is providing new and more effective to cope with the aftermath of a disaster, from helping survivors to communicate, and to helping emergency services gain precious time and information.
Drones can be used to drop off much-needed aid packages to isolated areas, and mobile communication applications can help emergency services respond more quickly and effectively by providing crucial information quickly.
Conclusion
Technology can be used in many ways and people are innovating to make use of it. It has become so advanced to the point where we can use it to solve global issues.All in all, it still cannot prevent natural disasters and natural phemenons from occurring, even though we can predict them. In conclusion, technology is very powerful. It can revolutionise the whole world and now is even being used to solve global issues.That is probably why it is the best invention of the 21st century.
credit to these sources:
https://industrywired.com/ten-big-global-challenges-technology-could-solve/
