Digital revolution’s impact on sustainability goals

At June’s Global Sustainable Development Congress in Bangkok, much interest centred on the possibilities technology may offer for tackling climate change and finding the balance between economic growth and care for the environment. In particular, the subject was addressed in a high-powered panel discussion focusing on regional solutions and global lessons and how the digital revolution can help to turn things around.

The panel featured Dr Jie (Jay) Liu, currently Chief Engineer of the Green Carbon Research Institute of Xian Nonferrous Metal Exploration Research Institute, along with Xi Chen, Chair Professor and Dean of Lingnan University’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Joining them for a very informative session were Dr Liangliang Zhu, Associate Professor at Northwest University’s School of Chemical Engineering, and Dr Sawaros (Sam) Thanapornsangsuth, Professor at the Chulalongkorn School of Integrated Innovation and Director of the CSII Social Innovation Lab.

The moderator for the occasion was Dr Hang Xiao, Assistant Professor at Lingnan’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies.

They discussed how the challenge of climate change requires further scientific advances and new ways of thinking among the public at large. The crisis urgently calls for revolutionary solutions in the development of super-efficient energy materials and systems, as well as more effective measures to mitigate emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. Fortunately, there are a number of encouraging signs. These include several recent breakthroughs in AI-driven material and system design.

At one level, this offers significant potential to enhance energy conversion efficiency and storage capacity. At another, it presents opportunities to close the “carbon loop” by employing innovative technology for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide and making productive use of CO2 in agriculture and various industrial processes.

“Those of us working in science and technology, rely on the power of AI to accelerate developments that may enable wider and more efficient deployment of technology in the sustainable cycles,” Professor Chen said. 

The cycles referred to are those for carbon, water, energy and materials. Now, for example, AI can help in detecting where to place sensors for better waste water management, to check water quality, trace contaminants, determine where they are going, and evaluate the potential risks.

In the case of carbon, drones can be used to map actual emissions across particular areas, making it possible to collate evidence and force big power plants and chemical plants to do more to reduce their emissions. Other applications can be used to track the CO2 from more distributed sources like cars and aircraft, and decide how and where improvements must be made. 

“Overall, AI not only helps us analyse data, but also to predict the future direction of the development of technology,” Professor Chen said.

Acknowledging the challenges in adopting AI, Dr Zhu highlighted the importance of fostering collaboration. This is the best way to accelerate advances, especially with relation to transportation and smart cities, where so many players are involved and where achieving the right results will contribute so much towards meeting sustainability targets.

In turn, Professor Thanapornsangsuth spoke about the most effective methods of preparing students to apply sustainability principles in their future careers. The key is to think about innovations being for profit but also driven by a greater purpose, such as health and well-being or mitigating climate change.

“We really encourage hands-on practice, design thinking and going into the community, so students really understand the underlying issues and root causes of these social and environmental problems and can come up with ideas,” she said. “For example, we have one group with a project to identify recycling shops throughout Thailand and facilitate the process with technology. We see AI as a core skill to help them deliver and we believe students need to be at the centre of the problem. That is where learning actually happens.”

Dr Liu addressed the question of what leading companies and research institutes in China are now doing at the intersection of technology and sustainability. He noted that industries like green power and clean energy can create a lot of jobs, citing the examples of electric vehicle manufacturing, energy storage, waste heat recycling, carbon capture, and natural gas purification.

“However, these new developments may also impose new problems,” Professor Chen said. “For instance, I’ve heard that the Earth’s lithium reserves cannot meet the energy storage needs of a mega-city like Tokyo. So, the overly aggressive development of electric cars may be a challenge for sustainability in our mining industry and in our natural environment.”