During Storm Dennis, eight people apparently had narrow escapes because their Teslas' automatic braking systems stopped them in time to avoid a falling tree. But what other benefits might disruptive technologies like autonomous vehicles, AI, or big data have in the climate and ecological emergency? I was lucky enough to chair an IEMA Fellows and Futures event recently, and hear about disruptions from blockchain to bicycles.

The panel were Mike Lachowicz, Alex Ward and Lizzie Ashford and we looked most at those disruptive technologies which make compiling and sharing information exponentially easier and more powerful. This included:

distributed ledger technology (e.g. blockchain) which essentially keeps information about transactions in multiple places on a distributed information system, making it all-but-impossible to alter that information. The implications for traceability of materials in supply chains are exciting: knowing that a piece of timber definitely came from a sustainably managed forest rather than being illegally felled or fraudulently labelled.
monitoring environmental and ecosystem information, and modelling alternative scenarios, for example the impact of transport infrastructure options or flood risk management.
connecting people with surplus materials with those who might make sure of them, powering the sharing economy.
real time reporting on sustainability impacts and enabling this to go much further down supply chains, changing the nature of reporting on greenhouse gas emissions.
online connections and conversations between people, reducing the need to travel and also connecting people with shared interests, enabling them to share information and perspectives.

Thumbs up, thumbs down?

So were the panel optimistic or cynical about the potential of disruptive technologies?

The same power dynamics which exist in wider society can be replicated and solidified by disruptive tech: for example the built-in weaknesses of facial recognition which stem from the narrow perspectives and unconscious biases of the (largely white, male) design teams, or the lack of access to smart phones or the internet providing a further barrier to homeless or economically disadvantaged people or the elderly, if consultation processes about flood schemes or transport planning rely on online channels.

On the other hand, visualisations of possible future scenarios, made possible by ever more computing capacity, can help people understand the impact of choices being made about the places where they live, play or work.

And knowing much more about vulnerabilities and opportunities can help investors direct large capital flows towards businesses and projects which will do best in a zero carbon economy.

We were reminded about the 200-year old disruptive technology which is the bicycle, and it's worth reflecting on how much change can flow from a deeply practical, easy-to-use and widely available bit of tech which solves a problem or creates opportunities.

Thanks to Hannah Lesbirel and the rest of the IEMA Futures team for organising this event. You can read more about sustainability and disruptive tech in this paper by the IEMA Fellows working group.

Making the Path by Walking

This post was first published in the February edition of my Making the Path by Walking newsletter. Scroll right down to subscribe.