Space Technology For Sustainable Development – How can scientific and technological innovations solve global problems and how can they be used inclusively? Devyani Gajjar explores…
The World Space Week poster is available on their website to download World Space Week Theme 2020 (4
Space Technology For Sustainable Development
October), is ‘Satellites improve life’. Along with other space technologies, satellites are used around the world to improve lives as part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). So, in honor of World Space Week, I decided to tackle the question: Can space technologies solve the Sustainable Development Goals?
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Before answering this question, it is useful to take a step back and ask: what are the Sustainable Development Goals and why are they so important? The Sustainable Development Goals, drawn up in global collaboration and agreed by 193 of the world’s 195 countries, represent a unified vision of equality, justice and sustainability for the future. These goals include “no poverty”, “no hunger”, “reducing inequality” and creating “sustainable cities and communities”.
Realistically speaking, is it even possible to achieve sustainable development goals? There is much discussion on this issue in the academic literature, and with ten years to go before the SDG deadline, the jury is still out on this decision.
The possibilities for achieving sustainable development goals depend on scientific and technological innovations. For example, the United Nations goal of doubling global food production by 2030 to achieve zero hunger requires technological innovation in agricultural systems. My PhD in international development research at the University’s Department of Astrobiology involves investigating the potential and challenges of using innovation in space technologies for sustainable development. Currently in my first year, what I love most about this research topic is how it combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with the social sciences. I have the opportunity to learn all about how space technologies are used for astrobiological research, while also learning how these technologies can improve life on earth.
I learned that the potential of space technologies is huge. For example, first responders use remote sensors to improve search and rescue missions in a disaster. This application helps in the following:
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NASA’s FINDER Device NASA and R4 have developed a Person Locating Device for Disaster and Emergency Response (FINDER). FINDER was used by first responders in the 2015 earthquake in Nepal to locate and rescue four men trapped in more than 10 feet of rubble, a feat previously unachievable with first responder technologies. Space scientists have long used the analysis of weak radio signals to detect small movements, such as changes in the orbits of satellites around planets. FINDER used the weak signal analysis feature to detect heartbeats trapped under the debris.
Another example of space technologies for sustainable development is the use of satellite imagery to map informal settlements in the Global South. Public services such as sanitation and roads were often limited or not provided at all in informal settlements due to their apparent invisibility in spatial maps such as Google Earth. Residents of informal settlements use remote sensing data to produce detailed maps of the areas. One example of this type of mapping is the Kibera Map. These maps can help target pro-poor spending in the most deprived areas. This use of spatial data could help a number of sustainable development goals, such as:
Especially during the global COVID-19 pandemic, the limitations of face-to-face interaction mean that we rely more than ever on space technologies. Internet communications, made possible by telecommunications satellites, keep us in touch with family and friends.
These examples scratch the surface of the myriad ways in which space technologies can be used in society. The Space2030 Agenda, outlined by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, provides a blueprint for using space applications to assist in each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Pdf) Space Technology For Sustainable Development
Space technologies have huge potential to help society, but they also bring complex challenges. Space technologies have huge potential to help society, but they also bring complex challenges. As science and technology scholars have explored, technologies are never neutral and have the potential to exacerbate existing inequalities in the benefits of innovation. A digital divide or spatial gap exists in terms of access to the benefits of space. For example, UNESCO said that 45% of the world’s population still does not have access to the Internet. In the age of COVID, this means a lack of access to vital communication and information. In addition to access to space infrastructure, there are challenges in building space infrastructure and analyzing satellite data.
Historically, the governmental, military and commercial agendas of countries such as the United States have dominated the use and benefits of space technologies. More recently, actions such as US Executive Order 2020 promote the privatization of space for the benefit of a few global elites, such as military programs, agendas of powerful nations, and plans of multinational corporations. Inequalities in who has access to and control over resources can deepen, along with an uneven distribution of the benefits of space.
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which remains the guiding principle for the use of outer space, states that “the exploration and use of outer space … shall be carried out for the benefit and benefit of all States, regardless of u economic or scientific level. Especially in the post-colonial era, when colonial injustices were fresh, countries in the Global South envisioned a space agreement to include ideas of distributive justice. The Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s space policy also include these concepts of equitable benefit sharing.
So, can space technologies solve the SDGs? Space technologies are not the answer to global problems, but in order to realize their potential, they must be used inclusively, fairly and equally. The next stage of my research will involve further exploring how space applications can be used inclusively and I am very excited to learn more.
Asian Economies Prioritise Space Technology For Sdgs
Fletcher, R., Rammelt, C., 2017. Divorce: a key fantasy of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. Globalization 14, 450–467. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2016.1263077
Coleman, D., DiCicco, M., Seck, N., Jones, J., Carroll, R., 2018. Spinoff Technology Transfer Program 2018 (Annual Report). National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC
Hagen, E., 2017. Mapping from the ground up: learning from the Kibera Map (Making Every Voice Count Research Report). IDS, Brighton.
UNESCO, 2019. A new report on global broadband highlights the urgent need to reach the half of the world that is not yet connected. UNESCO. URL https://en.unesco.org/news/new-report-global-broadband-access-underscores-urgent-need-reach-half-world-still-unconnected (accessed 9.2.20)
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UN, 1966. Agreement on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. United Nations General Assembly.
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Pdf) Concepts Of Sustainability And Sustainable Development In The Context Of Human Space Exploration
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Sign up to our regular newsletter to receive news about our new free courses, interactive videos and current content on Learn. Detailed analysis of the TED Talk “Six Space Technologies We Can Use to Improve Life on Earth” by Danielle Wood.
Danielle Wood’s talk: “Six Space Technologies We Can Use to Improve Life on Earth” (TED Talks), uploaded in November 2017, argues that space technologies can be used to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for the benefit everyone on Earth. . First she expresses her ambition to make miracles happen in the space program, but with her experience volunteering in Kenya, she decided she wanted to help women everywhere. He thought there was no way he could be a philanthropist with his space engineering skills, but he learned about a mission that implements the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to achieve 17 goals using space technology. He then lists six space technologies, such as satellites, that are very useful for these goals.
I used to think that technology is erasing our humanity, but after watching this TED talk, I realized that we can use technology to erase our humanity by using satellites to achieve the SDGs.
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In her talk, Danielle Wood presents a new perspective where commonly overlooked technologies are being used to improve society right under our noses. This is a stimulating perspective on the technology debate that I have not seen before, which helps me to further analyze the conversation about technology ethics in today’s world.
In his argument, Wood focuses extensively on the benefits to mankind of the various types of satellites orbiting the Earth. It warns about the use of communication satellites, positioning
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