Data is everywhere today and in every industry ” and it’s remaking how we manufacture products, construct homes and buildings, feed ourselves, manage our resources and much more.
Big data is also the key to improving the way we conduct environmental studies and engage in environmental reporting for the purposes of regulatory compliance ” and, ultimately, the key to making improvements. Here’s a look at why big data is essential for understanding how human activities impact the environment.
Data Mapping for Accountability
Mapping and data visibility tools are incredibly important when it comes to understanding how environmental trends impact business and other human activities. Deforestation, for instance, is a problem that companies, regulators and authorities alike can all get on the same page about thanks to data. In this case, it’s satellite mapping data.
The World Resources Institute founded a group called Global Forest Watch, which utilizes satellite telemetry, crowdsourced data (photo and video coverage, eyewitness accounts, etc.) and comparative analytical tools to identify areas where deforestation is accelerating, where companies are using more than their fair share of resources and areas where industrial activities and a lack of adequate protections have resulted in habitat loss and other changes in land cover and even climate over time.
All of this comes together in the form of interactive maps that can be used to inform the public, help companies prove when they’re being good stewards of the planet, help others find out when they’re not, and aid in a stronger civic response wherever it’s required.
Data Sharing Partnerships for Sustainable Development
We mentioned crowdsourcing a moment ago ” and it’s worth exploring in greater detail.
The Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data is proof of how much interest there is in the development of shared and open databases that companies can draw from to engage in smart, sustainability-minded growth and product development. The list of companies partnered with the GPSDD is pages long and includes names like Microsoft, Philips, the International Labour Organization, the U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization, the Brookings Institution, and representative organizations from countries, large and small, all over the world.
There are major advantages to the pooling of data when it comes to environmental stewardship and reporting. One is that it keeps participating parties honest. The Paris Agreement isn’t legally binding, but it serves as a public declaration of morals. Data sharing provides the means whereby we can back up those words and values with actual measurable progress.
The backbone of the GPSDD’s mission aligns with the UN’s “Sustainable Development Goals,” which emphasize, among other things, economic growth without endangering air and water quality, investing in clean energy, building sustainable communities and managing natural resources equitably.
Besides helping companies stay honest, engaging in data sharing also helps businesses make a return on their venture. Investors today are increasingly looking for intangible assets ” and green credibility, membership in relevant organizations, and a plan to achieve environmental benchmarks and energy independence all certainly fit that description.
Data Visibility and Auditability With Blockchain
If there’s a technology gaining traction now that stands a chance of taking environmental reporting and data visibility to its logical conclusion, it’s blockchain. There isn’t anything about blockchain that isn’t exciting ” and its uses in business accountability are every bit as exciting as its potential applications in crypto-finance.
When any given consumer product comes together, it begins accumulating data from the very first stages. Data on topics such as:
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From where in the world were these raw materials sourced?
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Who is responsible for harvesting this material?
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How far did this material travel before it was processed? By which type of vehicle?
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How many times did this material or product change hands before it reached the end-user?
Blockchain represents a way to “embed” the answers to these questions in cryptographic keys tied to each product or batch of products. The beauty of blockchain is that the information is stored on a distributed, immutable, shareable ledger. None of the parties reporting business logistics data on a shared ledger can remove or change the information afterwards ” it’s as “pure” and real-time a snapshot of a business’s performance (and environmental and ethical stewardship) as you could hope for.
Why does this matter? Because environmental accountability requires the most bulletproof self-reporting tools we have. Right now, that’s blockchain. Every piece of information we’ve talked about here may soon find a home on the public ledger ” including companies‘ and countries’ emissions, where our products come from, how much environmental and habitat damage can be traced back to which industries, and much more.
In fact, big data coupled with blockchain could be the missing link we need to draw up a tax on carbon: a measure long sought by more progressive voices to keep companies honest about their emissions and to incentivize more sustainable, environmentally friendly practices.
By making this information compulsory to report and accessible to the public, watchdog groups, industry consortia and governments, we begin a sea change in behavior. By some estimates, making just a 1% improvement in operational efficiency in the top five biggest industries (health care, aviation, oil/gas, railways, and power delivery) could deliver collective savings of $276 billion over the next 15 years ” and a corresponding improvement in our use of resources and our treatment of the environment.
Doing more with less, and comparing notes with our peers to keep our industries accountable, is unbelievably important these days. Big Data and data sharing technologies help us get there.
