Engineering the environment

[gL.edu] This article gathers contributions by Micha Schöpf, developed within the context of the Conceptual clarifications about "Utopias and the Information Society", under the supervisión of J.M. Díaz Nafría.

This article analyzes the various ways humans use technology to change the environment. On the one hand, our society has benefited and likely will continue to benefit from several technological innovations that influence the way we live. On the other hand, these changes pose significant challenges, as they often negatively impact our natural ecosystems. By discussing utopian and dystopian arguments, we can better understand the potential paths our society might take and make more informed decisions about our future transformation.

Historical Background

Going back into the past humans have a long history of manipulating and designing the environment, using technical innovations for thousands of years to influence and reshape it.

Environmental engineering in history

In the early state of ancient Mesopotamia (5000 to 2100 B.C) people began to develop some of the earliest known irrigation systems. Those irrigation canals usually stretched over a length of a few kilometers and highly changed the landscape. By redirecting water to arid regions, a better agricultural production was possible, leading to a significant increase in wealth.

A notable historic example of ancient environmental engineering is the construction of aqueducts. These structures allowed water to be transported from other regions to cities that would otherwise suffer from water shortages. This was a very labor-intensive process. For example, the construction of a single aqueduct by the Emperor Claudius required 560,000 wagons of tufa. In the provinces, aqueducts often crossed deep valleys, making the construction of high bridges necessary. The Pont du Gard, for instance, has a maximum height of 160 feet.

With the beginning of industrialization, human technology began to advance rapidly. Innovations such as the steam engine, cars, and later planes brought numerous benefits to society, allowing mass production, improving transportation, and enhancing overall quality of life. However, these achievements came hand in hand with complex environmental challenges. Air pollution became a significant problem, as many technologies emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which led to the current issue of climate change. Additionally, the pollution from disposable products and resource shortages also emerged as a major issue of our time.

The perfect social order

In response to these challenges, various utopian ideas have emerged, aiming a more environment friendly approach for the future. Concepts such as "100% green energy", which visions a complete transition to renewable energy sources, "A world without growth" to prevent the exploitation of natural resources, and "The end of waste" with a 100% recycling and recovery rate, represent ideas of an ideal society. These concepts can be classified under the broader concept of a "Perfect Social Order", which emerged within Plato's "The Republic". In this philosophical drama about justice Plato discribes an ideal state, which can be divided in three classes: Counsellors and rulers, Guardians and producers.

Tragedy of the commons

One key aspect of social order is its affiliation with the environment, which becomes especially significant in the context of modern challenges such as climate change and the overexploitation of natural resources. This connection is exemplified by the concept of the "tragedy of the commons", which dates back to the age of Antiquity. As Aristotle states:

"For that which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it. Everyone thinks chiefly of his own, hardly at all of the common interest; and only when he is himself concerned as an individual." (Aristotle, Book 2, Part 3)

When individuals - without considering the consequences it may have on the general public - exploit shared resources only for personal gain it can be described as "tragedy of commons".

Therefore, a well-structured (or in the best case perfect) social order is essential for sustainable management of natural resources and preventing their depletion. With effective social governance that establishes laws and regulations for the protection of common goods, a sustainable environment can be preserved. In contrast, Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel "Brave New World" illustrates the dangers of an imperfect social order that prioritizes consumption over nature:

Dystopic Aspects

Huxley, A. "Brave New World" (1932)

In Huxley's seemingly perfect world, characterized by a strict social order, engineering plays a significant role. Central to their worldview is Henry Ford, with their calendar even beginning after Ford (A.F.). Humans are genetically engineered and conditioned to fit into specific social classes and consume "soma", a drug that manipulates human experiences and emotions to maintain social stability. The strict social order consists of Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons.

In the interest of the industry, they need to consume as much as possible. For example they believe in the mantra "Ending is better than mending"(Huxley, p. 22) which encourages a throwaway culture where it is preferable to replace items rather than repair them. This mindset is severely problematic to the natural environment, as it leads to excessive waste and continuous depletion of resources to sustain the cycle of consumption. Parallels to today's society can be seen, as for example people often buy clothes only to wear them a few times. Furthermore, the lower classes are conditioned to hate the natural environment, ensuring that their desires and activities remain centered around consumption and industrial production.

In this way, the society depicted in "Brave New World" illustrates the negative consequences of engineering the environment and human behavior to maintain a stable, oppressive social order. The environment is controlled psychologically, ensuring that every aspect of life supports the highest goal of societal stability at the cost of individual freedom and environmental sustainability.

Weather Manipulation

With increasing water use for agriculture or industrial purposes on the one hand, and the consequences of global warming on the other hand, more and more places on Earth suffer from a decreasing water supply. But what if we could manipulate the weather, to let the rain fall at the exact location water is needed? What sounds like science fiction is at some scale already possible.

Since 1974, Bavaria has used cloud seeding to mitigate severe weather. The goal is to reduce collective damage, such as to agriculture, by transforming hail into rain. Although a general decrease in hail has been observed during hail suppression flights, it remains uncertain if cloud seeding truly makes a difference, as there is no way to compare what would have happened without it.

In a dystopian future, wealthy nations and corporations gain the ability to manipulate rain weather patterns, leaving poorer countries at a severe disadvantage. For example, if a wealthy country induces rainfall within its borders, neighboring impoverished nations might experience a drastic reduction in cloud cover and rainfall, worsening existing water shortages and leading to severe water crises. The disparity grows wider as those with the technology control their climate, while those without it suffer the consequences.

Even worse, the potential to create extreme weather conditions in this scenario creates a major danger. In the wrong hands, this power could be weaponized, unleashing devastating natural disasters upon less powerful nations. Furthermore, this could deepen global inequalities and trigger unprecedented humanitarian crises.

Atomic disaster

Big companies like Google are considering building their own atomic reactors to achieve sustainable energy solutions. However, what if these reactors, along with many others, have security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by adversaries such as enemy nations, terrorists or hackers? For instance, if enemies were able to turn off or damage highly significant parts of nuclear power plants, it could lead to dramatic environmental disasters and create completely uninhabitable radioactive zones. Such catastrophic failures highlight the importance of strict safeguard measures against cyber attacks and physical sabotage.

The disastrous extent of such atomic disasters can be illustrated by the Chernobyl incident of 1986. Following the meltdown in the USSR, a radioactive cloud spread over Germany, where the ground has still not fully recovered. Especially in the south of Germany, mushrooms, wild animals, and berries are to this day radioactive. This serves as a reminder of the long-term environmental impacts and health risks posed by nuclear accidents. Investing in other sustainable energy sources can prevent the risk of power plants, while reducing the radioactive waste, which has significant storing challenges.

Alternatively, if current wars and conflicts spiral out of control, the use of atomic bombs or even more devastating weapons could become a reality. Such scenarios could result in severe environmental problems and widespread panic. The use of atomic weapons would not only cause immediate harm to everything and everyone in its radius, but would also have long-term impacts, such as an increased risk of cancer. Take Japan for example, where 1945 the atomic bomb "Little Boy" killed about 1/3 of Hiroshima's population and damaged nearly 90% of buildings. With the technical advancement of the last decades a more violent bomb is imaginable, which highlights the importance of international cooperation and resolution of dispute to prevent such dystopian futures.

Other Examples

Undoubtedly, a lot more dystopic scenarios - some more realistic than others - exist, since engineering and its negative consequences on the environment often go hand in hand. Just to mention a few, bioengineering of deadly bacteria, complete pollution of Earth, or an extreme climate change with all its negative consequences could each serve as foundation of a dystopia.

Utopic Aspects

When discussing technology, the narrative often tends towards the critical, dystopian point of view. We hear concerns about AI limiting our personal autonomy or automation systems and robots potentially displacing jobs. It is however crucial to also include the positive, utopic ideas for a broader picture, which technology can offer. By considering these mentioned optimistic scenarios, we are able to imgagine how thoughtful engineering can lead to a greener environment and improved life quality, while solving complex problems of our time.

Smart City

The first utopic example of engineering the urban environment in the information society could be smart cities. With the help of modern digital technology those mentioned cities analyze large sums of information in public sectors and utilize this data for various purposes, with the goal of enhancing efficiency and reducing complex matters, thus strengthening the economy. Those public sectors can reach from transport systems to water supply networks, waste disposal, energy usage, and even public safety. In the case of transportation for instance, a smart mobility domain, that shortens travel time, could be archieved by using adaptive traffic lights or intelligent transport systems that calculate the best possible route for each destination. Furthermore, a smart parking system with sensors beneath each parking spot in a city, as tested in Paderborn, could show the nearest available space to cars searching for one. This reduces energy consumption and traffic, which could enable emergency vehicles to arrive at their destinations faster and, therefore, even benefit the health sector.

There are more than 100 smart city projects all over the world, including cities like Ottawa and Quebec City in Canada. These projects contribute to the utopian vision of global commitment to creating smarter, more sustainable urban environments.

Saving Ecosystems

Furthermore, organizations like "Global Forest Watch" leverage technological innovations such as satellite imagery to monitor the decline of ecosystems, specifically forests in their case. With this information actions can be taken to prevent further change of natural environment. For instance, a study published in "Nature Climate Change" suggests that analyzing these data sets can reduce the probability of deforestation in Africa by 18%. Ideally, with a mixture of different technologies, many other crucial ecosystems, from coral reefs to populations of endangered species, could similarly be monitored. This combination of technology can include satellite imagery, providing long term environmental changes. Drones and ground sensors however could create real time monitoring, that with the help of artificial intelligence, could identify endangered species from images, enabling effective conservation actions.

A "remote environment"

A more ambitious utopian vision is the plan to find a "Planet B" where humans could live if Earth becomes uninhabitable. One example is the attempt to transform the inhospitable Martian environment into a sustainable living habitat. To achieve this, the University of Bremen has launched an initiative. One proposal suggests creating a living habitat by constructing a bioregenerative life support system utilizing photosynthetic organisms to generate oxygen. This habitat would incorporate sensors to monitor both the crew and the life support system. Moreover, the University of Bremen believes that the exploitation of Mars will not only influence the planet's environment, but also revolutionize our society, because the technology invented for Mars could be able to solve our current problems on Earth. These advances might include better irrigation methods or the development of plants that can withstand extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, it might help us manage our energy more efficiently by allowing renewable energy to be better stored in huge smart accumulators. This would ensure that energy produced during peak times can be stored and used when production is low, creating a seamless interplay between energy generation and consumption. Additionally, a waste recycling system perfected by the Mars mission could be adopted on Earth, leading to significantly less pollution and a cleaner environment.

Direct Air Capture and Carbon Storage

The global community's goal is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Currently, even with strategies to limit greenhouse gas emissions, achieving a "zero emission world" doesn't seem feasible anytime soon. Therefore, the next strategy could be to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so-called negative emissions, transporting and storing it to reduce global warming. There are natural ways to do so, but one technical method is called Direct Air Capture and Carbon Storage (DACCS). DAC-technology is used for the removal of CO2. Storage (CS) usually happens beneath the Earth's surface, as this has been the best method in the most studies. The duration for which the carbon remains stored is still being researched but will have to be tested for a few thousand years. Other storage methods include storing in water or long-term use products like building materials.

Considering the cost of DACCS, optimistic research suggests about 40 euros per ton of CO2, with the average around 200 euros per ton. This makes it cheaper than other carbon capture methods but not profitable within the current CO2 emission trade system, thus needing at least short-term financial support of some kind.

A utopic dream is that with the help of DACCS, we could return CO2 levels to pre-industrial times, thus reducing the global temperature back to "normal" and restoring ecosystems damaged by the drastic human-made climate change. However, this would mean huge financial investments and international cooperation.

Ironically, the very engineering that contributed to the problem of climate change can also be used to engineer solutions to minor its effect again.

Criticly examining utopic ideas

The illustrated examples explain how engineering can increase substantial benefits for our society and environment. Nevertheless, it has to be mentioned that all those ideas have to include ethical considerations, because they could otherwise turn into dystopias. For example a smart city should not be fully digital to avoid excluding those who are not comfortable with digital technology like the elderly who otherwise could not take part in social life. Monitoring systems can have a huge benefit on our environmental systems possibly saving endangered animals, but the risk of totality surveillance, as for example shown in Orwell's "1984", should also be considered. Balancing the benefits of technology with the protection of privacy is essential to avoid unintended consequences.

Conclusion

Engineering has undeniably brought immense wealth and opened up new dimensions that past generations could only dream of. Just considering that humans have landed on the moon is astonishing. However, it must be stated that our advancements have greatly impacted our environment, especially in the last 200 years. We have abolished forests, polluted our air and waters, and altered ecosystems beyond recognition. It is time to stop this harmful trend. Nevertheless, we do not need to abandon technology altogether. Instead, we must use it wisely and responsibly. By focusing on sustainable and ethical engineering practices, we can utilize technology to restore and sustain our planet for future generations. The key lies in a balance of embracing innovation while keeping an eye on the environment. For this goal, all nations should work together, demonstrating that collective action can lead to positive change, as evidenced by the healing ozone hole resulting from the global agreement to limit harmful chemicals.