Digital Changes Everything

On Monday I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a fantastic free lecture hosted by Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group. The lecture entitled ‘Digital Changes Everything’ focused on using digital technologies and communications to address climate change. Ian Abbott Donnelly, of IBM, kick-started the evening with a great presentation on the impact of digital on climate change and the work of IBM in this field. From using biomimicry techniques to increase the efficiency of computer chips, to big data analysis to develop smarter transport systems and more energy efficient cities, the effect exciting new digital technologies can have on climate change is huge. Fast forward from big data to the Internet of Things and technologies such as Sensibo are making energy efficiency fun and practical, presenting us with easy ways to live our lives sustainably. In the panel discussion that followed the inevitable questions over security and privacy of data were raised. How best the protection of personal data is achieved is a matter for further debate, but what was reflected by the discussion was the huge impact that proper collection and analysis of data can have on not only measuring, for example, carbon emissions from civic buildings but also in developing sophisticated digital tools to tackle these problems. Although, as was pointed out, the presentation of such data to the general public could do with some simplifying in order to make the reality and impact of climate change more readily understood. From CD’s to Spotify, we have come an astonishing way in the last 10 years alone. From innovative technologies to better use of data, digital can in all areas address the climate change challenge. As the Scottish Government’s Mike Neilson expressed, digital, data and people should be the 3 pillars at the heart of everything we do. We are in the midst of the digital revolution; let’s use it to bring about a climate revolution too. * Ian Abbot Donnelly’s slides from his presentation are available on Slideshare - http://www.slideshare.net/Scotland2020ClimateGroup/ian-abbott-donnelly-slides-from-digital-changes-everything-lecture