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The future is set
to be packed full
of awesome things,
from flying cars to
holograms, through
to fancy molecular assemblers
and disease-hunting nanobots
that’ll make you feel warm
and fuzzy from the inside while
also performing basic surgical
procedures. And that’s before
we discuss the arrival of
biological computers and
transparent gadgets.
All of this sounds great, of
course, except for the fact that
there’s a major problem brewing.
Not the current global pandemic,
the other one: climate change.
And as things stand, unless
we’re prepared to get used to
an underwater existence while
the planet above us burns to a
crisp, we’d better come up with
some solutions – and the sooner
the better.
So it’s fortunate that, from a
technology perspective at least,
we have a myriad of solutions
coming to the table to help usout – and that we can now see
a path to eliminating up to 75%
of all of today’s greenhouse gas
emissions forever.That’s a significant percentage,
young man. How so?
Let’s kick off by talking about
cows and fish. Livestock farming
accounts for over 15% of all global
greenhouse gas emissions, but
we can eliminate almost all of that
thanks to the arrival of lab-grown
meat and fish, and even lab-grown
dairy products – a type of tech
that’s better known as ‘cellular
agriculture’. This allows us to
produce everything from chicken
nuggets to fish fingers and steaks,
plus dairy, without the animals
themselves. And we’re not just
talking about plant-based meat
alternatives like the ImpossibleBurger, but the real deal: real fish,
real meat and real dairy. We can
even make food and protein from
thin air using bacteria, but that’s
another story.Don’t forget your five-a-day,
Matthew...
OK, so if you’re a meat-eater who
can’t have a steak without veg, or
you’re simply a vegetarian, we’re
also talking about organic crops
grown in robot-tended vertical
farms that use no pesticides or
chemicals, and up to 98% less
water, to produce up to eight times
the yields – and eliminate another
10 % of emissions.Sounds great. But besides
grub, what about our energy
consumption?
Well, renewable energy is helping
us eliminate the 20% of global
greenhouse gas emissions
associated with electricity
generation. And what about the
airline, shipping and transportation
industries? Thanks to the gradual
electrification of every type of
vehicle, from commercial aircraft
and bulk cargo ships through to
everyday cars and trucks, we can
eliminate another 20% of global
greenhouse gas emissions. These
are huge figures that will have
a significant impact in turning
the tide, but it’s going to require
everyone playing their part across
the planet.And there’s still more to be
done, right?
Well, we’re left with a bunch
of other technologies to help
us in the good fight against
climate change, from carbon
sequestration – that’s the
long-term storage of carbon
dioxide in soil, underwater
reservoirs and more to defer
global warming and slow the
accumulation of greenhouse
gases – through to green
concrete, where Portland cement
is replaced by fly ash, helping us
eliminate a further 10%. We might
still end up living underwater,
and the only cows left will be
in museums, but at least we’ll
all have food and clean transport.CELLULAR AGRICULTURE ALLOWS US TO
PRODUCE EVERYTHING FROM CHICKEN
NUGGETS TO STEAKS, WITHOUT ANIMALS
SOME SERIOUSLY
COOL(ING) TECH
THE FUTURIST
Stuff futurist Matthew Griffin reveals how
technology can combat climate change
RADICAL
RADISHESThere are many
things lurking
beneath London:
bus-sized lumps
of grease, a
procession of
passing turds, the
government’s
underground
defence bunker
(the last two are
not related). But
somewhere close
to Clapham in a
former air-raid
shelter you’ll find
the world’s first
underground
farm. Growing
Underground uses
subterranean
agricultural
techniques and
hydroponics to
farm microgreens
and salad leaves
unaffected by
seasonal changes,
so it’s the perfect
environment all
year round.