Technology for Environmental Impact
Ethical and Impactful Tech: Introduction
How do I know if my tech is the right solution, and if my solution benefits and protects its users?
In this lesson, we’ll dig deep into the design of your tech and some key considerations as you think about how it will be deployed. Beyond just considering the physical environment that a technology is deployed in, we need to design for the political, cultural, and social environment that a technology will work within. Thoughtfully involving the communities impacted by a technology is perhaps the single most important factor in any technology’s long-term success. In the past, there have been occasions when conservationists have not sufficiently considered the rights of stakeholders; it’s time to change this approach by involving them in the design of technology from the very beginning. We’ll practice applying ethical frameworks that can help you ensure your tech does right by its users. Finally, we’ll explore the use case for your tech: how will you use your tech (or the data it produces) to drive change? As you deploy your tech out in the world, who will use it, how and why?
By completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Identify which information is needed to tackle a given problem, and determine what tech (if any) is needed to collect it. Move beyond collecting data just to collect it, and instead think about what will be done with it: who needs to use it, how, and which data would be most impactful.
- Apply ethical frameworks to design a project that collects and uses data responsibly.
- Leverage the opportunities that come from engaging communities in the design and deployment of your technology, and understand how tech can empower or disempower the communities involved in a problem.
- Design a technology that fits its intended environment and use case, including the social, political, ethical, and physical context.
Pre-Reading
- 5 lessons from the field of technology and conservation frames some of the key considerations covered in this lesson for how to be sure a tech solution is as ethical and impactful as possible.
- 5 Smart Technologies That Will Crack Down On Wildlife Trafficking showcases examples of how data generated by new technologies is actually being used, and by whom, to protect wildlife. It reminds us to first consider how data will be used, before deciding how it will be collected.
- Open Source: FieldKit – Shah Selbe, conservation technology builder and expert, shares an example of how technology can be used to enhance collaboration between communities and conservationists.
- Global Assessment of Indigenous Community Engagement in Climate Research highlights the importance of involving local communities in a tech intervention for equitable and lasting change.
- Indigenous-led technology solutions can boost biodiversity and ensure human rights offers some tangible examples of technology being developed in partnership with communities
5 reasons why many conservation efforts fail reminds us that human and political factors, too often overlooked, are amongst the most crucial considerations in conservation projects.