Business + Tech = Climate
You like the title? I’ll show you how I derived it. !
TLDR: We need the upcoming generation of innovators, engineers, and business
folks to make the new, affordable, and clean energy technology we (desperately?)
need. !
________________________________________________________________________!
So for context, I was trying to thinking about the perfect idea to blog about. It
needs to be related to Business and Technology related (since I’m applying for a
job there) but I also want to talk about something that is interesting.!
And then, it hit me: The Climate.!
Setting The Stage
Apparently, rich people are investing in climate change. I heard one ex-banker
guy say he’s investing in the state of Michigan because he thinks that Michigan
will be warm enough from climate change that a bunch of people will flock to the
state. Successful venture capitalist John Doerr expressed that there was huge
potential in addressing climate change. Doerr also gave Stanford more than $1
billion dollars for its new School of Sustainability. !
Money here, money there, money everywhere! !
But how did the US and other developed nations become so prosperous in the
first place? It's not just technological innovation or more collaboration. There is
something more that fuels all of that, something we all take for granted: ## #
# # Energy !! !
Energy usage is
directly
proportional to
the growth of a
nation!
Source: Penn State
University!
I bet we could last at least 500 years (as a human civilization) with our current
energy mix. But we should and can do better.!
Doing Better
To limit human tampering with the climate (and therefore address climate
change), it boils down to: !
# 1. Maximize energy output for a given amount of time and space!
# 2. Minimize associated costs for scalability and accessibility!
# 3. Integrate with current operations, grid, and energy storage!
First, we need tech experts to develop new technology that outputs significant
amounts of energy in as little time and space possible. This includes high
efficiency solar, nuclear fission, perhaps geothermal, and nuclear fusion - the
most perfect energy source imo. It’d also be cool if we could increase energy
efficiency because a lot of energy that we make is wasted in the form of heat.!
!
See all that rejected energy to the right side (65.4 Quads)? That’s energy that
was made but can’t be used for anything useful (aka heat). !
Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory!
But we also need business experts to realize how easily the energy can be
generated and if it will be affordable for the developing world. After all, climate
change affects the whole world.!
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And finally, we need both business and tech people who smoothly integrate new
technology with existing systems and store, distribute, and sell the energy
effectively.!
So even though Ross and Engineering kids might have some unspoken beef,
we’re going to need to squash it .!
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See? Business + Tech = Tech + Business = Climate!
Proof done.!
These are just my thoughts. The main idea is: If climate change is due to the
industrial revolution and the rise of technology, then technology is the way to
counteract climate change. We all play a role, despite our different skillsets, to
develop the new tech that is environmentally safer and economically affordable
for the whole worlds to adopt.!
Highly recommend reading Steve Koonin’s book Unsettled for a interesting viewpoint of
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climate change while still based on data-grounded analysis
Just like detect-and-squash for control hazards; only EECS 370 kids will understand this
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