Green Tech: A shift towards sustainability!
There is no doubt that humans have evolved over the span of time in all aspects of life. Especially when we talk of technology & development, the changes are quite observable & well identified. The question that arises here is, if we are doing justice to the evolution that we are developing & the environment along with it. The answer to it would be a ‘NO’. We might be advancing in terms of technology, only to realize the severe harm we are returning to our surroundings and the environment through those very technologies.
“Suppose that climate change is not real and all we do is adopt green technologies, which our economy and our technology is perfectly capable of. Then all we’ve done is given our kids a cleaner world” – John McCain
The Paris Climate Agreement urges the countries to move to green & reduce carbon emissions, which contributes to global warming. What we see today as the need of the hour, is to shift towards green technology. The reason behind it is to promote a sustainable lifestyle & a better environment for us to live in. The adoption of green technology is seen across several industries today, like:
Education:
The uprise of ed-tech around the globe will see a major turn around in the way educational institutions function today. The paradigm shift has already started, predominantly during the Covid, where we saw students & teachers shift to online & tech-backed platforms. This has resulted in immensely reduced paperwork, facilitating a green environment. Today most of the study materials we get access to are all in electronic formats (pdf, doc, ppt, excel, imageries, or audio-visuals).
Automobile:
When we talk of the big automobile giants in India like Tata & Mahindra, they are trying their level best to penetrate the EV industry, changing and similarly modifying their platforms. They have been doing huge investments in the same for the last year. Apart from this companies like Ather, Bajaj & Revolt are revolutionizing the EV two-wheeler industry. All of these contribute to one goal in common- a green sustainable world. The Delhi government has already started the work of replacing all cars with electric vehicles by 2025 and has been coming up with several strategic campaigns to adapt to the same. Organizations like NITI Aayog have come up supporting the cause, restructuring policies that can be best put to use. Schemes like FAME are further helping the goal to be fulfilled as soon as possible.
Transportation:
When we talk of metro cities today, the states have been trying their best to replace all public transportations running on fossil fuels with electric ones. The shift to CNG buses had been adopted long back, but today as we go along we do see electric buses taking onto the streets, being used for public transportation. Not only this, but we also see cab fleets today that run entirely on EVs like BluSmart, Prakriti e-mobility, Meru, eee-taxi. Ride-hailing platforms like OLA & Uber are also shifting their focus towards EV now, and that is quite prevalent as OLA has recently set up their largest EV factory in Tamil Nadu, which boasts to produce two-wheelers and then slowly entering the four-wheeler sector too.
Logistics:
The logistics industry in India is a vast one, with giant players like Delhivery, Ecom Express, BlueDart, Mahindra almost capturing the entire market. The workforce & processes required to run any logistics hub is beyond a simple man’s understanding. Their technology needs to be updated with the latest modifications, in a way that it serves them for many more upcoming years to play, without having to make changes to it every now & then that means to adapt to sustainable technology. Not to forget, most logistics companies today have shifted their focus to EVs’ for their deliveries. It is mainly because of three reasons:
- EVs’ come at a lower price
- The increasing price of fossil fuels whereas low electricity prices for EV charging
- A sense of corporate responsibility to protect the environment
E-commerce platforms like Flipkart, Grofers & Amazon too, are adapting to the same development of procuring EVs’ for last-mile deliveries.
Real Estate:
When we speak of luxury lifestyle today, to include green homes as a feature, is something clients & buyers dwell into. Today even homes & offices are adapting themselves to green technology, ensuring less CO2 emissions from AC or home appliances. The development of smart homes & automation is fancy today with technological advancement. Most home appliances that we buy today are ensured to have a label of BEE Star, that keeps track of the energy quality & emissions of the product. Housings, societies & corporate firms usually undergo Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) checks to ensure a proper & clean atmosphere for human residents
Energies:
We can see that today sectors are adapting towards more renewable energies like solar, wind & water. This is further supported by the government, which makes it quite easy for companies to establish their power generation. A start-up like Nexus Power has come up with a fast-charging biodegradable battery manufactured from crop residue that is replacing lithium-ion batteries at reasonable prices, with better results. Several companies are coming up with such ideas promoting green energy.
The examples & advancements towards green tech are sure to continue in the upcoming years in almost all sectors & industries.
As John Doerr said “Green-tech could be the largest economic opportunity in the 21st century”, this National Technology Day, let us all try our bit to shift towards green technology, by using LED lights, promoting paperless works, saying yes to e-mobility when possible. Let us normalize & more importantly idolize using technology in a manner that eases human life as well as benefits the environment. A balance between a lifestyle & a safe environment is the most needed criteria now, and with such a crisis pondering upon us, we should prioritize a safe & clean environment for us and everyone. Let’s use technology for holistic and sustainable development: a healthier today and tomorrow.
-Rhittick Das
