Preventing Global Extinction: The Role of Tech Creators

It was a warm summer day in 2018 when Emma, a software engineer, read about a new study revealing that humanity had caused the extinction of 83% of all mammal species and half of all plants since the dawn of civilization. She had always thought that her work in tech was making things better, more efficient, and more connected. However, after reading the study, she realized that technology had also contributed to the environmental crisis that humankind was facing.

The realization hit Emma hard. As a creator herself, she knew that it was time for tech professionals to take responsibility for their impact on the planet. She started researching ways in which the tech industry could help prevent global extinction and came up with some practical tips for her colleagues.

Tech's Negative Impact

Emma's research led her to some horrifying statistics about the impact of technology on the planet. For example:

• According to a recent report by CarbonBrief, the world is on track to surpass a 1.5-degree Celsius warming by 2030 – putting us on target for catastrophic climate change.
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that e-waste generated globally is expected to reach 52.2 million metric tonnes in 2021 – an increase of 21% in just five years.
• Globally, humans kill an estimated 100 million sharks each year – largely driven by the international shark fin trade, which capitalizes on Asian cultural tradition.

Practical Tips for Tech Professionals to Prevent Global Extinction

After delving into the negative impact of technology, Emma was inspired to take action. She came up with the following tips for her fellow tech professionals:

1. Reduce Energy Consumption: Emma suggests that tech engineers aim to design software or hardware with low energy requirements. Lowering our collective carbon footprint is an excellent first step toward preserving our planet. By decreasing the amount of energy consumed in data centers, computing can be made more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
2. Invest in Green Computing Research: Green computing research can help reduce the carbon footprint of the entire IT industry. By letting green energy (like solar or wind power) replace the use of dirty coal or oil, the industry can divert from being the planet's most significant polluter to its most significant clean energy user.
3. Make Sustainable Choices: Emma and her team decided to use more sustainable technologies and packaging alternatives to help reduce waste and environmental impact. Selecting products that use recyclable materials or are themselves recyclable or using biodegradable products is one way to do this. For instance, using HTML5 instead of Flash adobe to build games will help make the internet more sustainable as it has a lower energy requirement.

Conclusion

The responsibility in preventing global extinction falls on everyone's shoulders, but creators and pioneers of tech hold a massive potential for realizing meaningful change. It is essential to employ safe and sustainable practices as technology's presence in our daily lives becomes ubiquitous. If everyone adjusts their behavior accordingly, we still have hope of slowing down, even reversing, the effects of climate change. It was Emma's realization that our world critical juncture motivates the tech community in developing effective solutions that provide innovative and unique approaches for preserving Earth. We must not wait any longer to prevent global extinction.