July 3 2018 was held the 8th “Silicon Valley Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum” (SVIEF) in Beijing. Were attending to this high-end event many eminent guests such as Prof. Steve Mann, chairman of SVIEF, considered as “The Father of wearables computing”, co-founder of the Oculus VR Jack McCaulay, CEO of Iflytek Hu Yu, Berkley Professor Pieter Abbeel and Columbia Professor Steven Feiner.
On behalf of the “China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation” (CBCGDF) and its Chairman Hu Deping, key speaker Dr. Jinfeng Zhou, Secretary-General at CBCGDF and permanent member of the Club of Rome, gave a magnificent speech to sensitise attendees about ecosystem conservation and sustainable development.
At the beginning of his speech, Dr. Jinfeng Zhou emphasised on the impact a book called “The Limits to Growth” had in China. Published under the supervision of the Club of Rome, a global think tank which deals with economy and environmental degradation, “This book influenced our generation” he said. Indeed, fifty years ago, China opened up to the outside world and developed an international economic and technological cooperation, which led the country to face trend, development and innovation. Similarly this year, the think tank will be publishing another book, “Come On!”, marking the 50th anniversary of the Club of Rome. “Come On” offers a new vision on artificial intelligence, big data and big trends, but also on the global environmental threats our world is currently facing. “A Chinese version will be published soon, and I hope it will provide you references and clues to face the big trends and the future" asserted Dr. Zhou.
During his speech, Dr. Zhou also talked about the major issue of plastic bottles. Every minute around the globe, one million plastic bottles are produced. Humans have produced around 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic since the 1950s and that figure is predicted to rise to around 34 billion tonnes by 2050. As industries use specific kinds of plastics that are both durable and economical, plastic bottles are practically undegradable when discarded. This has led to huge plastic debris islands in the sea that puts great pressure on the environment and the biodiversity. To offset this issue, CBCGDF has launched the “Green Bottle Action”, an initiative that encourages people to change their behaviour in environmentally friendly ways. Dr. Zhou pointed out that, at the moment of his speech, each attendee had a plastic bottle. He then listed many ways all could deal with plastic bottles. Catchy phrases were displayed such as, “Use less plastic bottles”, “Bring your own drinks” and “Use your plastic bottle more than once”. But to what extent is the “Green Bottle Action” necessary ? According to Dr. Zhou, “this is a major trend being gradually recognised by the scientific community, by the government, by society, by the public, and it is a challenge for mankind”. As a matter of fact, in order to reduce the plastic marine litter in the oceans, the “United Nations Environment Programme” (UNEP) adopted the “2018 Oceans roadmap 2.0” in Brussels and it was decided to put the “Single Use Plastics Directive”, a directive restricting the production of single use plastics such as plastic cups, at the heart of this agreement.
At the SVIEF2018, Dr. Zhou efficiently reminded us that technological development and artificial intelligence (AI) will inevitably cause a massive loss of jobs. However, despite reducing jobs, AI could also be a vector for development and research in the ecological field. “As we have moved from agriculture to industry, much of our employment will be shifted to such industries as ecology, environment, services, and so on.” mentioned CBCGDF’s Secretary-General. He also urged companies to combine innovation and technology with the environment. According to him, sharing technologies, science and big data offers a very wide range of possibilities to tackle plastic waste. To address the threats of pollution, marine litter, and to better support the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, people need to “pay attention to trends, meet challenges and solve problems”. Although studies have shown that some kinds of plastics are degradable, if each person was to use only one plastic bottle, the world production of plastic bottles would be reduced of 500 000 bottles per minute. By using a plastic bottle more than once, we reduce the pressure on the environment and minimise water and soil pollution. Therefore, a small change in our behaviour can have a significant positive impact on Earth.
Dr. Zhou also expressed concern about urban wilderness. He criticised the over-whelming presence of lawns in cities. Laws are not environment-friendly as they need high-level maintenance such as excessive watering, fertilisers, pesticides.. Pesticides and fertilisers are considerable sources of soil contamination. Instead of just creating artificial green areas, CBCGDF advocates for a natural, respectful and sustainable afforestation that fully takes in consideration ecological communities. “Wilderness is now a new concept. Wildness is our concern.” stated Dr. Zhou.
Dr. Zhou also claimed that CBCGDF is deeply involved in environmental protection, ecology, biodiversity, big data, sustainable development, green energy and climate issues. “We are a platform, and we hope to be able to serve you in this regard”.
At the end of his speech, Dr. Zhou expressed his feelings about the “Silicon Valley Innovation and Entrepreneurship forum”. In the past few years, he participated in several activities organised by the SVIEF. “I want to tell you that the SVIEF is more than just a meeting of minds, it is a feast of ideas. I learn a lot from every meeting here. Although I am not an entrepreneur nor an investor now, their knowledge of the world, their new ideas, their technological inventions give me a lot to think about. It has brought us all far beyond the conference itself. I hope you will keep participating and following up this event. Here, on behalf of the organizers and the attendees, I hope you can get the desired ideas, progress, inspiration and power on the platform of SVIEF. Thank you!”
(Photo source: CBCGDF)
by/ Eddy Mayar Ariss