Did you know that there is a 25% chance your death will be related to environmental pollution? According to the World Health Organization, about 12.6 million people - or one in four worldwide - died in 2012 due to living or working in unhealthy conditions. In addition, environmental degradation is seriously affecting the overall quality of life and the balance of the Earth's ecosystem through the loss of forests, open spaces, marine environments and biodiversity.
While technological advances and industrialization have historically contributed to such challenges, the latest technologies - from robots and artificial intelligence to biotechnology - will also help us create healthier, cleaner industries that help both people and the planet.
Here are some examples.
More efficient transport system
While affordable electric and hybrid vehicles will certainly help reduce pollution and fossil fuel use, self-driving cars will make our logistics and transportation systems more efficient.
Cars, trucks, ships, drones and airplanes that drive themselves and communicate wirelessly with others will be able to coordinate and optimize the delivery of people and goods while reducing energy consumption.
Depending on how the system stacks up, individual car owners will see 15 percent fuel savings simply from more efficient driving skills. Car sharing, carsharing (which will result in fewer vehicles overall), optimized freight deliveries, and integrated transport networks (where cars no longer need brake lights or stop signs) will lead to even greater savings.
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A self-governing future is fast approaching. Eleven companies are currently testing self-driving cars in California alone. New self-driving car initiatives are being launched in highly polluting countries such as China.
Such systems would later include drones, cargo ships and small delivery vehicles.
The next agricultural revolution?
The agricultural industry is another major pollutant in our world, and as with transportation, technology can help a lot in this area too.
Japan opens a series of robotic vegetable farms, including Spread, which will harvest up to 50,000 heads of lettuce per day. By using LED lighting and operating in confined environments, robotic farms like Spread can reduce energy consumption by 30%, water consumption by 98% (through recycling) and do not require chemicals or pesticides.
Seated on vertically stacked shelves, these farms could reduce land use and allow island nations like Japan to become more self-sufficient in food production and others to use land more wisely.
In addition to vegetables, biotechnology enables the production of organic, laboratory-grown meat. Stem cells and bioreactors are used to grow meat in the laboratory; such meat does not require growing and killing animals. Animals in the meat industry consume 30% of the world's grain reserves, occupy 25% of the land used and are the main source of pollution.
While these technologies offer hope for a clean future and clean industries over the next ten years, it will still be years before it starts around the world.
AI, forecasting, response, sensors
Meanwhile, the exponential advancement of technology will help us solve more pressing problems.
IBM recently unveiled an artificial intelligence platform for predicting, monitoring and managing air pollution in China, and early innovators are looking for ways to enable individuals and families to use artificial intelligence to monitor air pollution at home.
Scientists are developing networks of smart sensors and robotic fish to find and identify pollution in the sea at an early stage. In the past, researchers could only test the water once a month. These sensors allow spills to be quickly detected and dealt with in real time, even before they spread.
Wildlife innovators are also testing robotic animal decoys to help trap poachers, virtual geofences to protect endangered birds from wind turbines, and analyzing big data to prevent illegal fishing.
Solving one problem can lead to others
While all of these developments are promising, one of the most challenging aspects of the coming decades is to properly deploy these technologies.
New technological innovations continue to emerge first in developed countries. Unfortunately, pollution is currently the leading cause of death in developing countries, from sources such as indoor cooking, second-hand tobacco smoke and waste effluent from factories.
In addition, solving one problem can lead to new ones. As we move to green industries, we need to find a way to somehow move the billions of people dependent on the old oil industry and economies to new livelihoods.
For example, while more automated farms can solve environmental problems, they can also unbalance up to 40% of people in developing countries dependent on agriculture for their lives. Likewise, while self-driving cars can improve transport efficiency, millions of professional drivers can lose their jobs.
Countries that are highly dependent on oil - such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela, Libya and Kuwait - will have to start diversifying their economies and face the risk of economic hardships with geopolitical consequences.
ILYA KHEL