New technologies and digital innovations are key to achieving sustainable development goals
The fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 has expanded at an unprecedented rate, and its impact has particularly changed how we address our SDGs. The pressure to mitigate adverse effects due to climate change is increasing. The pivotal impact of technology in achieving sustainable development has compelled companies to integrate technology in monitoring their environmental impact and take a closer look at their carbon footprint.
Science, technology, and innovation were considered the means by the UN to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Affordable technology is yet to be developed and distributed globally for global stakeholders to ensure they are meeting their SDG standards.
Technology has made significant strides, particularly in healthcare, the economy, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action.
How does technology help achieve sustainable development?
The role of technology in sustainable development is helping businesses with net-zero and other sustainable development goals. For example, according to the WEF, measuring carbon emissions is a cumbersome process and even then, sustainability executives at companies are not sure about the accuracy of the results collected.
To mitigate this problem, Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning are taking huge strides to reduce the time taken for measuring carbon emissions.
Technology can drive down the cost of achieving a net zero future for us. One huge impact of technology integration in achieving sustainability goals is that it would become easier to transition when green tech enables profits as well as reduces environmental adversities.
Digital Products and services are other milestones that technology has achieved in reducing environmental impact and increasing accessibility to consumers at the same time. Technology breaks barriers in economic constraints and this makes it a powerful tool for scalability when it comes to mitigating climate change issues.
Tech ecosystems are another innovative way for companies to pool their insights together, fill in the gaps in the market and expand their reach to achieve sustainability development goals. A technology-driven value chain reduces environmental damage. Digital technologies and tools such as Cloud, IoT, and blockchain-enabled tracking systems open channels to measure the environmental impact of the value chains.
The fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 is well underway to change how we think, interact, and exist. New technologies are transitioning from traditional methods of operations in the workplace, education, healthcare, and governance. The untapped potential of technology in reducing environmental damage needs to be addressed closely. It is therefore imperative to leverage technology to achieve sustainable development goals. Bringing forth this change requires us to embrace technology and understand that it is a crucial enabler of sustainability.
