Green Scene on the bad and good sides of progress

Technical progress has spurred some wasteful use of resources; but it's also key to green thinking, argues Andrew Donoghue.

Switching PCs off at night and sensible recycling are just some of the ways to tackle climate change, we are told. But if, as a society, we are really concerned about global warming, surely some more radical action is called for?

For example, why not just ban progress? I mean we've got garlic crushers, iPods, electric cars and SuBo on Britain's Got Talent - how much more progress do we really need?

We could simply decide that all the current designs for cars, washing machines, medical endoscopes and wind turbines actually work pretty well thank you very much; so let's just stop developing any new ones.

If your toaster breaks down, don't buy the latest Toast-amatic 3000 with self-levelling Bagel cradle; just fix the one you have. Or if you really must consume, order exactly the same model again.

Sweat those assets

A ban on all thing new would go down well with environmentalists, who are very keen on the idea of using things for as long as possible, otherwise known as "sweating assets". Their reasoning is that everything comes with an in-built carbon debt accrued during its production.

For example, academics at Tokyo University recently conducted research which showed that up to 75 per cent of the total carbon footprint of a PC over its lifetime could be attributed to the energy and resources required to manufacture it.

So the argument goes that while energy efficiency is all well and good, a lot of the environmental damage has already been done before you even un-box that new gadget, so the least you can do is to use it as long as possible.

The government, unsurprisingly, has been giving out mixed signals on the sweating assets theory. Most government green thinking has been focused on energy efficiency. This goes down well with industry, because things can be badged as being green, even as the public continues to consume them.

Meanwhile, the recently announced car scrappage allowance is an example of an anti-asset sweating move: why bother maintaining that perfectly good "old" car when you could have this nice new shiny one with the help of £2,000?

The cars that qualify for this scheme need to be at least ten years old, so they have been sweated to a degree; but several green groups are up in arms because rather than encouraging drivers to upgrade to more fuel-efficient cars, some car makers are using the scheme to off-load stock-piles of models that might not qualify under upcoming emissions rules.

Other elements of government, though, are embracing the idea of asset sweating. Speaking at the recent Green IT '09 event in London, Cabinet Office deputy champion for green ICT Catalina McGregor, said that as well as facing mandated targets, government departments will be asked to hold onto existing IT kit even longer.

A flaw in the theory

Meantime, although the asset sweating idea seems to have common sense behind it, reality has to get in the way. Quite randomly, reality in this instance comes in the shape of the moon.

One of the most iconic moments in human technological progress also happens to be one of the pivotal moments for the environmental movement as we know it today.

The "Earth-rise" and "Blue Marble" taken by Apollo 8 astronauts were the first globally popular images of the earth (and remain the most licensed photos of all time). They also helped to engage the thinking that spurred the development of environmental organisations in the 1970s.

In other words, if it wasn't for one of the most technically advanced projects in human history, chances are we wouldn't see or care about the planet half as much as we do.

Recognising the contribution that space flight, the pinnacle of human endeavour for some, has had on the development of technological progress, the Department of Health has lined up a NASA representative as one of the key speakers at the NHS Innovation Summit.

In the words of Health Minister Lord Darzi: "Creating a culture of innovation is also essential if the NHS is to meet the current economic challenges."

Away from the NHS, here's a lot of hope being pinned on technological innovations – such as carbon capture and storage technology - to help curb direct greenhouse gas emissions. And while we might have a sprinkling of electric vehicles at the moment, the technology is only going to improve, especially now that it's the only way some car makers are going to make any money.

So it looks like we are stuck with progress for the foreseeable future. The Toast-amatic 3000 with self-levelling Bagel cradle (© A Donoghue, 2009) may never hit the top of the NHS IT team’s shopping list; but cutting budgets for technology to deliver innovation in healthcare is not the answer. It won’t save patients, it won’t rescue the economy, and it won’t save the planet, either.

Microsoft at the NHS Innovation Expo: Microsoft has a stand at the first NHS Innovation Expo, which will be held at the ExCeL centre in London’s docklands from 18-19 June. To find out more, read our feature on the work that Microsoft and its partners will be showing at the event.