Prior to technology, basic science was the key to gaining information about life and particularly the universe – how it functions, and any other questions that man could ask about life. Then came, applied sciences where basic science was no longer restricted to just hypothetical and theoretical findings but rather being practiced to solve real time problems. Through the application of basic science, we brought about technology. The primarily purpose for any technological device is to make life easier. Think of it! We had telephones but then we introduced smart phones (making life easier), we had computers and we also developed laptops plus tablets (making life easier). It goes on and on every day, there are new advancements in technology.

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge in practical purposes to fashion material artefacts. Discoveries of scientific works and theories, inter -relate to life, society, and the environment, providing a technique to solve problems of human concern. In technology, one important thing to consider is critical thinking. Critical thinking helps manufacturers to have a good judgement in deciding whether the product is really good for the human environment.

Drone technology is my favourite. Despite all the bad deeds that people have utilized drones for, it still remains my favourite technology in solving most of today?s environmental challenges. Drones are being used in National Parks and Nature Reserves in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and DR. Congo to monitor wildlife and also put a stop to poaching. In my country (Ghana), drones have been used to map the level of water body destruction caused by small scale mining. The aerial view and videos presented by drones gives an opportunity for illiterates and sceptics to understand the urgency of environmental protection. Drones have also been useful in fighting crimes and ensuring peace.

There are currently, thousands of technologies that are really saving the environment but we do not realize. For example, smart phones. Probably it has never occurred to you how smart phones are saving the environment. Let?s take a look at the recent rapid charging batteries that have been introduced by Huawei and Samsung. It takes about twenty minutes to fully charge a phone while it took about an hour or two, to fully charge a phone – previously. Still on smart phones and computers, let us also take a look at the use of social media. Earth Hour 2016 was a vivid example of how social media is helping to protect the environment. People who have never heard about Earth Hour were included in the celebration of the hour. The hashtag #changeclimatechange was trending globally and everyone knew what Earth Hour represented and the world also knew how serious we were in protecting our planet. Same as Earth Day, World Water Day and other Global environmental competitions that are facilitated online through the social media.

Fumes from exhausts of vehicles contribute a lot to global air pollution. With the aid of innovation and technology, automobile companies have successfully launched electric cars – which means, we no longer have to worry about fumes and air pollution. Some companies are even digging deeper to introduce solar driven vehicles.

Now, talking of solar. I think solar technology is one of the fastest growing earth protection innovations. I mean, all we need is the SUN and of course, we have abundant of that - especially for tropical countries like Ghana and most parts of Africa. Now almost every electrical device in our homes can be powered by solar! Which also means, if we (environmental leaders and activists) keep pushing and advocating, in some few years to come, the world can be fossil free. Earth can be powered by renewables only. Private individuals are investing towards solar business in Ghana, and the situation is same in most developing countries.

There are a lot more technologies that saves the environment. I believe that if environmentalists are able to influence computer scientists and other application developers, we could have more technologies to preserve.