In an ever-changing and rapidly evolving world, technology and innovation play a significant role in shaping the future. Studies have shown that new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) have the potential to make an impact on sustainability efforts across the globe.
These new technologies, known as emerging technologies, are defined by Sinan Küfeoğlu as “the ones whose development and application areas are still expanding fast, and their technical and value potential is still largely unrealised“.
The World Economic Forum and PwC estimate that these technological innovations can enable 70% of the 169 targets of the UN SDGs. However, they also present challenges that may hinder social progress, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.
The global adoption of emerging technologies is transforming many sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, energy, education and transport. These technologies offer the potential to improve efficiency, effectiveness and productivity. But, at the same time, they introduce new risks and concerns that must be addressed.
It is said that “every silver lining has a cloud,” this article explores the impact of three emerging technologies – AI, Blockchain and IoT, on the three pillars of sustainability: Social, Economic and Environmental.
Impact on the Environment
1. AI Technology and the Environment
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is often pictured in a futuristic and dreamy way as the future of human intelligence and technological advancement. However, this one-sided way of thinking does not consider the adverse effects of such technologies on our environment. It is not that AI can not help boost environmental sustainability, but often such thinking obscures how AI exacerbates climate crisis and environmental degradation.
Some positive environmental impacts include
Transportation: A study by Lang-grant University in Davis (UCDAVIS) reported that AI can help reduce 80% or more CO2 emissions for urban transit by 2050. Also, they stated that it can help reduce energy use globally by over 70% and cut vehicle, transport and infrastructure operational costs by over 40% by 2050.
Agriculture: In India, farmers employed AI technology in their farming and got an increase in crop yield by over 30%. This more yield means agriculture can more efficiently deal with climate change impacts.
Research by Tahna et al., 2020, which focuses on AI implementation in Agriculture, found that:
1. AI helps optimise irrigation and weeding using technologies like sensors in robots and drones.
2. Real-time crop monitoring was observed, and these technologies helped save excess water, herbicides & pesticide use, thereby boosting productivity.
3. Policy Implementation: AI can monitor government agencies, businesses and companies to know if they comply with their carbon emission targets, which helps boost transparency, accountability and & Policy implementation.
Some possible adverse effects of AI on the environment include the following:
Energy and Emissions: The supercomputers used for AI use public electricity grids and fossil-fuel generators. Over 250,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted to have a single AI system trained. These emissions worsen pollution and climate crises, especially amongst historically disenfranchised and marginalised communities.
Employment: Many fear that the coming future of AI will render many workers unemployed, thereby creating an economic gap which will adversely impact the well-being of the people and the environment.
2. Blockchain Technology and the Environment
This technology is developing and is expected to reach larger markets in the coming years. However, the environmental costs linked to it have raised concerns for many. First, let’s examine the positive effects on the environment before moving on to some negative ones.
1. It can help keep track of data like the carbon footprint of products, waste carbon emissions of factories or the company’s historical data for environmental compliance.
2. By giving out tokenised rewards during recycling and waste disposal, companies and agencies can encourage recycling and waste management and boost environmental sustainability.
3. Help decrease fraud & manipulation of data by government, agencies, companies and individuals by monitoring transaction processes in a transparent manner.
Some negative impacts on the environment
Most blockchain businesses, including the Stellar Development Foundation, use about 480,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which, when converted to CO2 equivalent, results in about 173,000 kilograms of CO2. Between 2021 and 2022, it was estimated that cryptocurrency mining, while consuming electricity, produced excess amounts of CO2 (about 27.4 million tons).
3. The Internet of Things (IoT) and Our Environment
The internet of things refers to physical objects which enable connection and data transfer with other devices through the internet or other means, for example, home automation systems, connected cars, wearable technology, trackers, and smart thermostats.
During the time IoT started blooming, many considered them to be environmentally friendly. However, there has been a tremendous surge in the number of IoT devices/computing devices globally increasing energy consumption. Companies and industries leverage technologies like IoT to smoothen the transition to a circular economy and reduce CO2 footprint.
All activities on the internet need physical infrastructure to support and access them, and those devices need data centres and servers worldwide. These data centres use fossil fuel generators to power them, and as internet usage rises, so does energy consumption. In 2018, online video streaming generated 1.5 billion tons of CO2, equivalent to Spain’s annual CO2 emissions, which are projected to double by 2024. 34% of CO2 comes from amazon prime and Netflix, 27% comes from pornography streaming, and YouTube and social media platforms contribute 36%.
Impacts on Society
Social sustainability is an essential aspect of sustainable development, as it focuses on improving the quality of life for individuals and fostering development and equality. Although emerging technologies can promote social sustainability, there are also indications that they can play a negative role.
It has been a topic of debate whether employing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in society will positively or negatively influence human life.
Of the 169 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets, 82 focus on social sustainability, and a recent study indicates that 67 of these 82 targets can be supported through the use of AI. Its ability to automate routine activities and solve tasks in the workplace could significantly reduce an individual’s working hours, which in turn, increases workers’ physical and mental well-being and their working efficiency. AI can also be used in schools to enhance learning and in healthcare facilities to assist in disease diagnosis and treatment.
However, ethical concerns are associated with AI, such as biased algorithms. When models are trained on biased data, AI may replicate societal biases that deepen existing inequalities based on gender, race, and age.
Many industries, including healthcare and education, use blockchain technology to store and transfer data securely and transparently.
In the healthcare industry, blockchain can be used to safely store medical records and securely transfer patient information across healthcare systems. As a result, it can help prevent healthcare fraud and medical errors, leading to improved patient outcomes.
Similarly, educational processes can be made more efficient and effective for students, employers, and educational institutions by utilising blockchain-based solutions to verify students’ credentials and store educational data and documents.
Nevertheless, it’s important to note that due to the public nature of blockchain transactions, users’ personal information and identities may be exposed, which raises concerns about privacy and security.
IoT is an emerging technology that can improve social sustainability by providing access to vital information and resources. IoT-enabled smart city systems such as traffic sensors and GPS tracking can increase the efficiency of public transportation and reduce traffic congestion, improving social mobility. Advanced surveillance systems can also monitor crime, making cities safer for citizens.
In healthcare, IoT-enabled devices can provide patients with accurate and timely health information, helping them make informed decisions. IoT-enabled healthcare systems can also improve access to medical care, particularly for people with disabilities, the elderly, and those in remote areas. This is achieved through virtual consultations and remote monitoring systems such as wearable devices that collect and transmit vital signs data and send them to healthcare professionals. This can reduce the cost of healthcare and make it more accessible to all individuals.
However, IoT can also threaten social sustainability because it can lead to the digital divide, where different groups do not have equal access to technology and its benefits because of factors such as income, race, and location. There are also concerns about privacy and security, as the growth of internet-connected devices, data collection and increased surveillance by IoT-enabled systems may lead to violation of privacy rights and would heighten the risk of cybercrime.
Impact on the Economy
AI has its greatest positive impact on economic sustainability through increased work efficiency, reducing manual labour while conserving time for increased productivity. However, one of the concerns stemming from the use of AI is that it will automate many tasks previously performed by humans. It is estimated that by 2030, 44% of low-education workers will be at risk of job displacement due to AI. Presently, workers in industries such as transportation and manufacturing are also vulnerable to job displacement caused by AI. Therefore, AI’s lower labour requirement will lead to increased unemployment and a decline in economic sustainability.
Next, blockchain has been reported to cause a steady rise in GDP as its decentralised network encourages trust between consumers and producers from traceability to transparency to the reliability of products and services. Adversely, blockchain can be used to hype a company’s performance which negatively affects an economy’s productivity as low-performing organisations are most likely to blindside well-meaning investors.
Finally, while IoT has enabled the responsible digital transformation of mundane cities into smarter cities, boosting cost savings and productivity to skyrocket the global economy through return economic gains, its poor security track record and poor data privacy threaten corporate organisations and with most technological advancement, there is the downside of increased unemployment.
Call to Action
It is evident that emerging technologies hold the capability to bring about significant advancements; however, it is crucial to assess the potential negative impacts they may have on the economy, environment and society and take steps to address them.
To address these issues, it is imperative that governing bodies and relevant organisations establish policies and regulations that guide the development and deployment of these technologies. This could include policies supporting data protection, equitable access to technology, and the promotion of ethical principles in emerging technologies. It is also necessary that stakeholders, including organisations and communities, are educated on the impact of the technologies; this can ensure that these technologies are used responsibly and sustainably. Taking a proactive approach, we can ensure that the implementation of emerging technologies is directed towards achieving a sustainable future for all.
Authors: Chisom Nwosu, Excel Amaefule & Sotonye Dere-Biemgbo.