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Second forum, technological innovations can be the path to a sustainable future

The population growth we are currently witnessing makes the scenario of the planet's future composed of catastrophic images. The global overpopulation highlights the importance of developing innovative technologies that result in efficient alternatives capable of sustaining the planet in the future. However, one question must be discussed: is the key to a sustainable future in technological innovations? This was the theme of the forum chaired by Atlantic Council in 2013 in the city of Washington, USA.

The initiative of Altantic Council it consisted in thinking about solutions based on current trends that can create a more favorable future perspective for the planet that we will leave for the next generations. Instead of taking a fatalistic stance, the forum promoted discussions on strategies that can be adopted to reduce damage to the environment and overcome the depletion of natural resources.

Innovate to preserve

That the human being is an innovative creature is not new to anyone. Some may be more than others, but we are all always looking for solutions to improve our daily lives. And everything indicates that this same concern will be able to solve the problems that have been the subject of many discussions engaged in a sustainable future. Every day, solutions to old and new problems are found. There are several innovations, such as a bonsai-shaped device that absorbs light to charge electronics, an electrical energy generator powered by urine, an aircraft fuel made from used cooking oil, among many others.

And for the forum speakers, it is innovations like these that could serve as a means to combat the water, energy, food and unemployment crises, all linked to the world's overpopulation. These crises present a dynamic in which three factors interact with each other: the environmental, the social and the political. Therefore, to overcome them, it is necessary to have innovations that manage to articulate these factors with the purpose of providing a more promising future for the next generations. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, affirms that science and technology are the tools to be used in building a more sustainable future. For him, these two instances are essential in promoting development in the poorest and most vulnerable countries, enabling the promotion of education, the growth of small farmers, access to energy, information and quality of life.

Innovate in green and yellow

The discussions developed during the forum lead us to think about how Brazil is part of this search for solutions. According to professor Jacques Marcovitch, from the University of São Paulo, in an interview given to the FAPESP Agency, Brazil cannot conform to what has already been done in terms of environmentally favorable initiatives. Although the country is favored by the presence of many natural resources and the eventual reduction in deforestation compared to the rest of the world, it is important not to forget that there is much to be done.

The professor also claims that technological innovations can and should be used in favor of the environment. For him, the advances made in the area of ​​optics, nanotechnology and remote high-definition monitoring should be used to combat illegal deforestation, in addition to the need to invest in technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to preserve the planet and also create new jobs.

But, if a new consumption logic is not thought of, technology alone will hardly be able to reverse the environmental damage that continues to be applied by man to the planet.