Ss20-05 Climate Change: The Curse and Blessing of Technology

Abstract Impulse climate change is on everyone's lips at the moment. Almost all of our actions in every area of life are associated with it and judged accordingly. Digitalisation is also mentioned and evoked as a solution to the climate crisis. This is certainly not correct. Digitalisation is a tool, which initially has nothing to do with climate change. However, it can have an effect on processes that are important in the context of climate change. But technology also requires a lot of energy. With conventional energy sources, fossil or nuclear, it will be difficult to introduce or further develop technology in an environmentally friendly way. Therefore, the expansion of technology can only go hand in hand with decarbonisation and is inevitably linked to it. In addition, there is an increased importance of the circular economy, which must include both supply chains and the processing of products, up to and including the breakdown into individual groups of materials. This is a challenge that must already be considered in product development. But technology also helps us to make our lives easier and safer. In addition to the obvious improvements in communication, medicine or other areas of life, it enables people to participate into old age. Especially in the area of care or personal mobility, the limits of technological progress have not yet been reached. Technology can trigger climate change, both positive and negative. Humans can be the cause of both, but they have the choice.