Novel entities and technologies: Environmental benefits and risks (original) (raw)

2020, Environmental Science & Policy

Novel technologies are continually being developed every day. Lessons from the past show that some resulted in unintended harm to the Earth's system. The challenge for organizations working at the interface of the environment, technology, and society is, therefore, how to best harness the environmental benefits from new technologies while minimizing their potential adverse effects. Here, we identify some of the emerging technologies that the international development community needs to consider as it seeks to take advantage of new technologies to promote sustainable development. There are several innovationssuch as blockchain, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, cellular agriculture, and gene editing techniques that could either positively or negatively affect the environment, food security, human health, and the transition to clean energy. Some of their benefits and potential environmental and socioeconomic concerns are discussed. We further suggest actions that can be taken by organizations involved in sustainable development, such as the United Nations and other global and regional bodies, to exploit the benefits from novel technologies and mitigate their risks. 1. Introduction: lessons from the past One important lesson from past 'innovative' or 'novel' solutions to human and environmental challenges is the later realization that some choices led to unintended harm to the environment. The European Environment Agency documented some of these lessons (EEA, 2013). For instance, chlorofluorocarbons-introduced for use in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents, solvents, and as replacements for toxic refrigerants-were later discovered to deplete stratospheric ozone. Similarly, several chemicals intended to improve agriculture and industrial processes, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), were later found to be persistent pollutants that harm the ecosystem and human health. One of the challenges, therefore, for organizations working at the interface of the environment, technology, and society, is deciding which new technologies offer solutions that can solve environmental problem while minimizing potential adverse impacts, how these technologies relate to their mission, in what time frame, and what strategies will capture the most benefits. This is particularly of interest to the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-an international partnership of 183 countries, international institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector that addresses global environmental issues. The GEF serves as the financial mechanism for five international environmental conventions including, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury (more details at https://www.thegef.org/about-us). The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) of the GEFan advisory body to the GEF partnership, therefore, initiated a study to identify emerging technological advances relevant to GEF's work and to develop an approach for capitalizing on their development. These socalled 'novel entities,' are defined in this study "as things created and introduced into the environment by human beings that could have positive or negative disruptive effects on the Earth's system" (STAP, 2018). The definition here is a modification of the one introduced by Steffen et al. (2015) in the planetary boundaries framework study. Unlike in Steffen et al., which focuses mainly on the potential unwanted