Lea Schick

Lea Schick is the editor and moderator of this debate forum. During the RETHINK exhibition she will facilitate the RETHINK Technology discussions here on her blog. We will very much encourage you to participate in the debate!

Does bloggers and the internet pave the way for a shift in climate change politics?

“If bloggers had the same kind of influence in 2000 that they have now, would that have changed the outcome of the election?
Oh, my God. No question, no question. Absolutely.” (Al Gore)

In an interview in Rolling Stones magazine Al Gore argues that the Internet will eventually overcome TV in the political discussion (we are not yet quit there, but we are getting there), and this will enable a shift in power and a shift in the public opinion to important matters such as climate change. Obama took the White House using the "here comes everybody" strategy. He is not yet able to rule the country through this people lead structure, but Al Gore are positive that this structure will one day, through the popularity of the Internet and social media,  be possible and effect the way big changes happen.

Knowing that the capitalistic system and the senate are still ten times more powerful than the people, I am convinced that activists, grass-roots organizations and the public will gradually mark a new era for power structure, and make action against climate change happen – the question is just if this will happen in time to save the planet?

Many climate-related events and political actions are already being organized through the Internet (see for example http://www.350.org/actions). Copenhagen will be full of events and activists during COP15, it will be interesting to see how much effect this ‘noise’ will get!
 

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Contributions for RETHINK TECHNOLOGY

 

ABOUT RETHINK TECHNOLOGY

Experts estimate that in order to avoid catastrophic conditions, we must reduce our CO2 emissions by 90% within the next four decades. But the people of the developed world are reluctant to embrace austerity, and the people of the developing world desire for themselves the goods and lifestyles that developed countries enjoy. New technologies and design solutions are our only hope of bridging the divide between the human desire for luxury and the ever-sharper threat our changing climate promises us. New inventions and technological implementations have an essential role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as improving living conditions for the millions if not billions of people who will be negatively affected by climate change. Some argue that we are on the edge of a new industrial revolution, marked by renewable energy and green technologies. But unlike the first industrial revolution, this second, green revolution will be ineffective unless these technologies are made accessible to both developed and developing states, many of which will be among the nations most profoundly affected by climate change.

What can be done to make this vital, green technology accessible to all the people of the world? How can the challenge of serving local and at times unique situations and needs around the globe be met? How can we design and invent our way to a more sustainable lifestyle in the limited time that we have left? How can technologies make it possible for us to change the way we consume without reducing our standards of living? And can artists and designers contribute in the development of new creative solutions?

We here encourage you to read and discuss if and how new renewable technologies, green design solutions, techno-geological fixes, awareness technologies, and so on will possibly influence our lives in the future and perhaps help us to both mitigate and reverse the course of climate change as well as adapt to the inevitable changes we are already beginning to experience.

 

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Discuss the RETHINK TECHNOLOGY contributions on the blog to the left.