Panel: The Tech We Want is Sustainable for People and the Planet

The Tech We Want Summit took place between 17 and 18 October 2024 – in total, 43 speakers from 23 countries interacted with 700+ registered people about new practical ways to build software that is useful, simple, long-lasting, and focused on solving people’s real problems.

In this series of posts, OKFN brings you the documentation of each session, opening the content generated during these two intense days of reflection and joint work accessible and open.

Above is the video and below is a summary of the topics discussed in:

[Panel 3] The Tech We Want is Sustainable for People and the Planet

17 October 2024 – 12:30 UTC

Eco, green, or simply sustainable technologies have several implicit meanings: long life, affordable maintenance, skilled people, resource-friendly, economical to use, renewable, regenerative, etc. In this panel, thinkers, practitioners and promoters of different aspects of software sustainability will discuss if and how it is possible to achieve a development model for people and the planet. Is there a way out of the disaster versus greenwashing narratives?

Christoph Becker – Professor, University of Toronto, author of ‘Insolvent: How to Reorient Computing for Just Sustainability‘
Maxwell Beganim – Director, Open Knowledge Ghana, and Co-lead of the Open Goes COP Coalition
Shweata Hegde – Developer at #semanticClimate and Young India Fellow at Ashoka University
Fieke Jansen – Co-principal Investigator, Critical Infrastructure Lab
Valmik Patel – Data Scientist, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
Paz Peña – Independent consultant and activist, author of ‘Technologies for a Burning Planet‘
Lucas Pretti – Communications & Advocacy Director, OKFN [moderator]

Summary

This panel explored the multifaceted issue of achieving sustainability in technology. The lively discussion touched on several critical issues:

The inherent violence of the internet infrastructure: Fieke Jansen emphasised that the current internet infrastructure is built on a foundation of exploitation and violence, and called for a shift from the technocapitalist mindset of Silicon Valley to a more reparative and redistributive approach.
Energy efficiency vs. true sustainability: Christoph Becker explained that simply improving energy efficiency is not enough. He argued for sustainable technology that is simple, repairable and supports community and local economies – essentially the “bicycle” of the tech world.
The role of government and policy: Several contributions highlighted the central role of government intervention in regulating and guiding sustainable technology development. From enforcing end-of-life optimisation for hardware to investing in renewable technologies, the role of the state is indispensable.
Open source and the commons: The panel highlighted the importance of open source projects as a means of reducing waste, fostering community-driven innovation, and creating sustainable, collaborative technology solutions.
Indigenous knowledge and pluralism: Paz Peña and Lucas Pretti made a compelling case for integrating indigenous knowledge systems and plural perspectives into technology design and policy-making. Indigenous lands, which make up 6% of the Earth’s surface but contain 85% of its biodiversity, offer crucial lessons in sustainable living.
Technodiversity and anti-monopoly measures: Speakers called for a move away from tech monopolies towards the promotion of technodiversity. Supporting a variety of smaller, community-driven projects can provide more resilient and contextually appropriate technological solutions.
Practical tools and youth engagement: Shweata Hedge shared insights from the #semanticClimate project, which transforms static reports into dynamic, machine-readable formats, making climate knowledge more accessible and actionable. She also highlighted the importance of engaging youth in these initiatives to build a sustainable community for conservation and innovation.

Ultimately, the panel converged on the urgent need for systemic change – moving away from the unsustainable practices of the current technocapitalist framework towards a more equitable, just and sustainable technological future. This will require collective activism, policy intervention and a fundamental rethinking of what ‘development’ means in the context of a finite planet.