Britt Dielemans

5/5 (2)

Autumn. Some may say the most beautiful time of the year with respect to the changing nature sceneries. Others might say the most awful time of the year due to the unpredictable rainy weather. Although I come home soaked everyday from my 20-minute bike ride, I still manage to get a smile on my face by simply looking around – the sun trying to find its way peeking through the dark rainy clouds, the bright colors that light up boring streets and pavements covered with various shaped leaves.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people”. Did you know that approximately 31% of Earth’s land surface is covered by forests? But did you also know that this number is decreasing at an alarming rate? An equivalent to 27 soccer fields of forestation is lost per minute, and this is a starting number… (WWF, 2019). Since the beginning of this year 41,858 fires have been recorded in the Brazilian Amazon, burning down not only the trees but also wildlife and other habitat (Bajpaj, 2019).

With an ever-rising population on planet Earth and many illegal developments on logging still being encouraged in different cultures, a major declaration on forests was signed at the UNI Climate Summit in September. In this declaration a joint commitment has been made in order to end global deforestation by 2030 (Bajpaj, 2019). But how exactly can this be done?

This is the point where Big Data and Artificial Intelligence step in! There are multiple initiatives talking the problem of deforestation and trying to restore balance in our ecosystem.

Firstly, World Wildlife (WWF) and TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade specialist tackling global timber exports, have partnered up with data scientists from Virginia Tech University (WWF, 2019). Their goal is to develop a software tool and algorithms using publicly available data to identify suspicious timber exports to fight the greatest cause of deforestation, illegal logging of mainly timber with high value (Brookhouse, 2019).

Next to this, Global Forest Watch (GFW) was created, an online platform combining hundreds of thousands satellite images, high-tech data processing and crowdsourcing to provide near real-time data on forests on Earth (Sizer, Cheung and Anderson, 2014). This technology will serve as an enabler for many companies and organizations to localize harmed area’s and track illegal activities.

A more recent example is 20tree.ai. CEO Den Bakker says:” Our system enables us to gain insight into the impact of deforestation by combining AI and satellite imagery, to gain knowledge at a scale which was previously unattainable.” (Brookhouse, 2019). The forest management system can monitor huge scales of forests whilst providing near real-time intelligence into forest and wood-inventory, so that actionable insights can be established. The ultimate goal of 20tree.ai is to create a world in with a more efficient use of resources and a limited negative impact (Brookhouse, 2019)

All in all, these are great initiatives using high-end technology for a greater cause – climate action. Will these innovations make us reach the goal to end deforestation on a global scale by 2030?

References

Bajpaj, P. (2019) How Big Data Can Help Fight Deforestation, Nasdaq, viewed 17 October 2019, < https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/how-big-data-can-help-fight-deforestation-2019-04-12>.

Brookhouse, O. (2019) Can Big Data help reduce Deforestation in the Amazon, Telefonica, viewed 17 October 2019, < https://business.blogthinkbig.com/can-big-data-help-reduce-deforestation-in-the-amazon/>.

Sizer, N, Cheung, L, and Anderson, J. (2019) Counting trees to save the woods: using big data to map deforestation, The Guardian, viewed 17 October 2019, <https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/oct/02/counting-trees-to-save-the-woods-using-big-data-to-map-deforestation>.

WWF. (2019). Saving Forests with Big Data and Forensics, WWF, viewed 17 October 2019, <https://www.worldwildlife.org/projects/saving-forests-with-big-data-and-forensics>.

https://www.traffic.org/what-we-do/species/timber/

5/5 (4)

Nowadays we live in an environment where we are always online. Every minute of the day it is possible for you to reach out to someone or to share experiences. The ease of communication is significantly enhanced since social media has come to life. Many online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat have become part of our day-to-day life. We take it with us to bed and it is the first thing we check in the morning. Being in touch with the world around you 24/7.Sounds good doesn’t it?

Well it may, but life online is not only roses and happiness. Research of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has shown that there is a high correlation between the time young adults spent on social media and the likeliness of them to have problems sleeping or reporting symptoms of depression. The more time spent staring at a screen overloaded with content rings along higher chances of depression, low self-esteem and body shaming. So, is it fair to say that technology is actually an enrichment for our general and most importantly psychological well-being? Or are we digging our own graves by posting more and more content on the internet?

Positive effects of social media are most certainly present, mostly teens that struggle with social skills, anxiety to connect to others or live remotely have access to social interaction more easily. Furthermore, support can be found in social media when connecting with groups that have or had similar experiences in life. More positive effects have been found, but what I find striking is the fact that they all relate to the ultimate goal of where a social platform was initially created for. Creating a network, finding friends, stay connected…..

So, what is happening now that is causing this strong correlation between social media and unhappiness, since the purpose of it seems so justified?

It gets to your brain. Receiving a like on your Instagram post or a positive reaction on any content you post online creates a reaction in your brain. It could actually be compared with taking a drug since this sensation lets your brain produce dopamine. A chemical that is associated with pleasure. This is the case since this experience goes alongside a certain feeling of insecurity or unpredictability. You are always unsure about what kind of reaction you could receive, it could be a 100 likes this time of maybe even go viral and reach over 1 million people on their screens. But still, what is the problem with producing dopamine right? The problem is the way we use Instagram for example, since you are in charge of what you post on it you can present the best version of yourself or only the best events in your life. Which is, for the person on the other side of the table maybe tough to take in, since their life, in comparison, not as good as theirs. Seeing this around you 24/7, when you go to bed, when you go to sleep, wouldn’t make you feel good right? Numbers have shown that only 37% feel happy with their time spent on the app, which on the other had indicates that 63% of the Instagram users report feeling miserable. Time for us to change this, or is it already too late in this content addicted society we live in?

References

https://www.psycom.net/mental-health-wellbeing/mental-health-wellbeing-mental-health-wellbeing-how-social-media-increases-loneliness/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/08/31/loneliness-is-pervasive-and-rising-particularly-among-the-younghttps://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/social-media-mental-health-negative-effects-depression-anxiety-addiction-memory-a8307196.htmlhttps://www.businessinsider.nl/what-happens-to-your-brain-like-instagram-dopamine-2017-3?international=true&r=UShttps://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/05/18/how-heavy-use-of-social-media-is-linked-to-mental-illnesshttps://www.psycom.net/social-media-teen-mental-health

Data to Destroy Deforestation?

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