Technology or nature? Climate change can only be stopped together

Normally I would prepare for the World Economic Forum in Davos during these weeks. But this year everything is different. The summit in Switzerland is always inspiring and last year gave me an important experience that changed a lot: I was allowed to feel like a tree. A virtual reality demonstration gave me the chance to see for myself how he grows, lives and dies.

It was amazing to see how technology is able to bring something like this close, realign our ecological awareness and even encourage more sustainable behavior.

Many experts see this as the solution to global climate problems. However, in many debates the approach “technology will save us” is contrary to a reinterpretation of the “back to nature” idea. But does this tension really exist?

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The influence of near-natural solutions can be enormous

It is true that technological innovations have the potential to significantly reduce our ecological footprint and in some cases even to reverse it. For example, there are new processes for capturing and storing CO2 – even if they are not undisputed.

At the same time, natural solutions are just as essential. Otherwise efforts to achieve effective change will be unsuccessful. For a long time, many experts thought that the only way to combat climate change was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate fossil fuels. Today, however, we know that more needs to be done.

Protecting and restoring natural habitats is enough, for example, to create at least 30 percent of the greenhouse gas restrictions that are needed to limit the average rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The declared goal.

Water should be used more effectively in the future

At Procter & Gamble, the focus has always been on technological solutions. Today, however, there is an urgently needed rethinking. We are now investing in both areas. Because the small, everyday measures are the strongest driving forces of change. So what people do at home to save water, use less energy, or stop causing as much waste. Here, companies and corporations can make a decisive contribution with products for a more sustainable everyday life.

At the same time, you have to give the earth a chance to recover. Together with various partners, we promote solutions to protect and restore nature. The first projects include preserving the mangrove forests in the Philippines, protecting the rainforest in Brazil and reforestation in Northern California. Likewise in northern Saxony.

Everything has to go hand in hand. The “50 Liter Home” initiative is an example of how technology and a nature-conscious approach can complement each other. It is an attempt to counteract water scarcity and at the same time reduce household energy consumption. The aim is to develop products that reduce water consumption from the average 500 liters per day to 50 liters without restricting the user. Hair care products, for example, that require less water.

A symbiosis of nature and technology

Another example: More than 85 companies and organizations are working to overcome one of the biggest obstacles to recycling: ineffective waste sorting. You are developing a digital watermark that transforms simple packaging into “intelligent objects”. So the separation works reliably.

To solve the complex global problems the whole world is facing, it takes creativity, impartiality and a willingness to work together.

New technology and the desire to preserve nature are positions that not only complement each other perfectly. They cannot do without each other if we as a company want to take decisive action against climate change. For a more sustainable future, we need to reconcile the two.

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