Tech For Good - Issue 17 by NODE

AUTOMATING THE AVIATION INDUSTRY ARE PLANTS THE ANSWER TO GREENER PLASTICS? DEMANDING DATA RIGHTS FOR CHILDREN THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF NFTS

ISSUE 17

SMARTER, GREENER, HAPPIER

Schneider Electric is committed to an all-digital, all-electric future. Ranked as the world’s most sustainable corporation, we find out how the firm is putting the environment at the forefront of everything it and its partners do

DANIEL BRIGHAM Content Director

“

uild Back Better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah blah blah. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah. This is all we hear from our socalled leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action. Our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises.” Greta Thunberg’s words, delivered in a September speech to the Youth4Climate summit a month ahead of Cop26, summed up the general feeling around the lack of action taken by world leaders. The previous 25 climate summits have failed to stem greenhouse gases, and the temperature is still rising. Where our political leaders may be failing, some organisations are stepping into the breach. Schneider Electric is one of those organisations, and it is fully committed to meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Earlier this year, Schneider was named No.1 in the annual index of The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations In The World by research company Corporate Knights. It was a significant achievement, and confirms that there’s no box-ticking with Schneider: its commitment to a greener future is fundamental to everything it does. In our cover story, we speak to Schneider’s digital energy leaders to find out why the future is all-digital and all-electric. Rest assured, there’s zero blah blah blah from them. Elsewhere, we catch up with NATS’ Head of Research Louisa Smith to find out about the future of AI in aviation. We also look at the data rights of today’s youth, with a little help from Cloudera Fast Forward Labs. There’s all that and much more. I hope you enjoy the issue!

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CONTENTS 06

From affordable food to green hydrogen

Why children are being left behind in the battle for data rights

GLOBAL GOOD

SOCIAL GOOD

All-electric. All-digital. We hear about Schneider Electric’s future vision

Good plastic? Could plants be the future of greener plastics

CASE STUDY

ENVIRONMENT

HEALTHCARE

The NFTs the future of art or a drain on the environment?

We speak to 14-year-old tech entrepreneur Camellia Sharma

Ready for take off: Automation in the aviation industry

GOOD OR BAD?

Bad plastic? Why microplastics are an increasing health threat

TEEN TECH STORIES

GLOBAL GOOD

Tesla soars to $1tn valuation Tesla has become the fifth-ever company to reach a market value of $1tn. The electric carmaker reached this milestone after striking a deal to sell 100,000 vehicles to car rental firm Hertz. Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft are the only other fourth companies to have reached this valuation. Tesla became profitable for the first time one year ago and it is now worth more than the 11 next largest automakers combined.

Drone delivers lungs to a transplant patient in a historic moment for medicine For the first time in history, an unmanned drone has transported a set of two live lungs between two hospitals in Toronto. The University Health Network and Unither Bioelectronique have powered the drone that has completed the flight between Toronto Western Hospital and Toronto General Hospital in six minutes. The lungs transported saved the life of 63-year-old engineer Alain Hodak, who has an interest in drones.

Twiga raises $50m to make food more affordable in Kenya

GLOBAL GOOD In case you missed them, we’ve debriefed six of the most interesting Tech For Good stories from the last four weeks 6

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Twiga Foods uses technology to build better supply chains in food and retail distribution in all of Africa, starting with Kenya. The company, born in 2014, has announced a $50m Series C funding round to scale its operations. Twiga plans to use the fund to support its proof of concept, which aims at taking over 30% of the price that consumers pay for domestic plant-based food products.

NEWS DEBRIEF

Foxconn will build Evs in Europe, India and Latin America

JCB becomes UK’s biggest supplier of green hydrogen Construction equipment firm JCB has signed a multi-billion pound deal to buy green hydrogen from Australia-based Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). British firm JCB will partner with Ryze Hydrogen for UK distribution. “This is a major advance on the road towards making green hydrogen a viable solution,” said JCB chairman Anthony Bamford.

Foxconn’s chairman, Liu Young-way, says the company will build electric vehicles in Europe, India and Latin America. The Taiwanese tech giant is making a major strategic pivot towards EVs. Liu also revealed that it will cooperate “indirectly” with German manufacturers in EV production. In May it joined forces with Stellantis to create a joint venture to supply in-car and connected-car technologies.

China proposes guidelines for internet platforms China’s market regulator has proposed a new set of guidelines that it wants the country’s internet platforms to uphold. This is only the latest move in a series of measures taken by the Asian country to establish an oversight framework for its technology sector. The guidelines ask companies to open their services up to other platform operators and to be transparent about their use of data.

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CASE STUDY

Amel Chadli VP Strategy & Digital Energy Middle East & Africa 8

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SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Smarter, greener,

happier

Sustainability is in Schneider Electric’s DNA. We speak to the digital, energy and automation giant’s MEA region, which has over 5,000 partners and 6,000 engineers, about why it believes an all-digital, all-electric world is required for a smarter and greener future FEATURING: Amel Chadli (pictured), Vice President Strategy & Digital Energy for Middle East & Africa Aimen Abd-El-Azim, Digital Energy Channel Sales Leader. PROJECT DIRECTOR: Richard Durrant AUTHOR: Daniel Brigham VIDEOGRAPHER: Ewan Donaldson

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CASE STUDY

ometimes, it is easy for companies to talk a good game about sustainability. They can reel off targets, throw about buzzwords such as green energy and net-zero, and give anyone listening the impression that their attitude to the environment, and the future of the planet, should be celebrated. But, look a little deeper at what they are actually doing, and all too often the words sound increasingly hollow: all style and no substance. Some companies, though, are different. They back their words up with actions. Schneider Electric, leaders in digital transformation of energy management and usage, is very much in that latter camp. It talks a good game, and plays an even 10

TECH FOR GOOD

better game. It is proud of its commitment to putting environmental and sustainability considerations at the forefront of not just its own practices but all the activities of its customers and partners. For Schneider Electric, its style is met with substance. In 2005, it was an early adopter in tackling environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, and since then it has reviewed and improved those ESG commitments every three years. In January this year, Schneider’s consistent adherence to sustainability goals was rewarded by research company Corporate Knights, when it named Schneider Electric No.1 in its annual index of The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations In The World.

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Based on corporate sustainability performance, the award was testament to Schneider’s belief in a smarter, greener future. Corporate Knights acknowledged Schneider’s shift to leave high-voltage electrical distribution behind, to focus instead on data centres, off-grid solar storage, decentralised

distribution and smart solutions. “The firm is at the heart of a megatrend that will define the global economy for decades to come,” they wrote. We spoke to Amel Chadli, Vice President Strategy & Digital Energy for Middle East & Africa, and Aimen Abd-ElAzim, Digital Energy Channel Sales Leader, to talk about Schneider Electric’s sustainability values, why the future is all-digital and all-electric, the importance of being committed to Africa, and why the company should be the digital partner of choice for sustainability and efficiency.

Sustainability is everywhere when we work at Schneider, from our people vision to the core of our business. It’s a personal conviction and everyone is working hard to contribute to this fantastic journey”

Amel Chadli ISSUE 17

CASE STUDY

Schneider’s sustainability values Earlier this year, the company unveiled its Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) programme, which will span until 2025 and accelerate its own targets. It deliberately aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and is an addition to the work the company has already done over the 15 years since it first launched the Sustainability barometer. In the time since 2005, Schneider says it has saved its customers 120 million tons in CO2 emissions and given around 30 million more people much-needed access to energy.

The SSI has six long-term commitments across environment, society and economy. These six goals are backed up by 11 global targets as well as accompanying local targets. As part of its six long-term commitments, Schneider has set itself several major targets, including: saving 800 million tons of CO2 emissions for its customers, helping 1,000 of its suppliers to reduce CO2 emissions by 50%, and ensuring 80% of its revenue comes from green activities, providing 50 million people with access to green electricity and training 1 million underproveleged people in energy management. Chadli: “The goal of these commitments is to respect the SDGs that were defined by the United Nations. First of all, we have to act for a climate-positive world by continu-

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SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

ously investing and developing innovative solutions for decarbonisation. The second target is to be efficient with resource by behaving responsibly, and making the most of digital technology to preserve our planet. The third commitment is to live up to our principles of trust. We really want to build an environment where the trust is at the centre, with the highest social governance and ethical standards. The fourth commitment is to create equal opportunities. That’s for all generations, and also between communities and between all people – no matter their beliefs, their religion, or their sex. The fifth commitment is to harness the power of all generations, and we want to invest in order to integrate the younger generation. We really believe that the young generation is very innovative, and

they can help us in our fight against carbonisation. And finally the sixth commitment is to empower all local communities. We are present in more than 100 countries, where we employ from the local communities. We are working towards being the most global local company.” Abd-El-Azim: “Now we move forward to achieve our targets, keep leading by example, with our own operation and ecosystem, and we work to be part of the solution with our partners and customers. And other large companies need to do the same as they will be key for improving awareness and for global collaborations. This is how we will succeed in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals for a better future.” ISSUE 17

CASE STUDY

An all-digital, all-electric world Artifical intelligence, IoT and Big Data are changing the way we work and live together. From homes to commercial real estate, Schneider Electric’s vision for the Buildings of the Future has sustainability at its core.

Chadli: “We have smart homes, smart buildings, smart manufacturing, smart infrastructure, and all of these are leading to smart cities. We are seeing a lot of development with new technologies.” Abd-El-Azim: “Digital enables us to do more – much more – with less. It allows us to be more flexible, agile, inclusive, and resilient. Buildings of the Future depend on an all-digital, all-electrical world. It ramps up our interaction with our partners and increases the efficiency using digital tools, providing remote support to the end users through augmented reality tools.” 14

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Chadli: “We are deeply involved in carbon neutral buildings. They are, for us, one of the pieces of the puzzle, because buildings currently account for around 30% of global emissions. So we are putting in place the Buildings of the Future, which will be more efficient, more resilient, and more digital and far more customer-centric.”

With the onset of big data, the IoT and artificial intelligence, we might find our cities begin to think like a human brain” Aimen Abd-El-Azim

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Abd-El-Azim: “With the onset of big data, the IoT and artificial intelligence, we might find our cities begin to think like a human brain. Right now we are entering a new, all-digital, all-electric world, which enables us to rethink the entire building infrastructure and transportation life cycles for both old and new buildings. It gives us the foundation we need to create and retrofit buildings and infrastructures of the future that are sustainable, resilient, hyper-efficient and people-centric. So cities in 10 years will be bigger, more connected, all-digital, all-electric, and we need a greater end-to-end efficiency and sustainability. At the centre of this is electricity. As the world is seeing unprecedented demands

placed on traditional grids, Schneider is already armed with solutions. From microgrids and electric vehicles, to data centres and Buildings of the Future, Schneider’s priority is ensuring green energy is the future.” Chadli: “The microgrid will help in this disruption, and won’t only be for remote communities. We will see it power hospitals, malls, other major buildings and even data centres. We are also in the electrical vehicle sphere. We already have a fantastic charging product, and we are working towards an electrical fleet. All of this disruption and all of these innovative solutions will contribute to making the world more electric.”

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CASE STUDY

Electrifying Africa A report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that, as of 2020, 580 million Africans still didn’t have access to electricity. While those numbers were down from 610 million in 2013, it is still a terrifying number of people who can’t rely on access to something that much of the world takes for granted. It gets worse, too: the pandemic, plus a growth in population, means the IEA estimates those numbers won’t improve across the next decade - unless access to elec-

TECH FOR GOOD

tricity becomes smarter. This is where Schneider comes in. Schneider has worked within Africa for several decades to bring electricity to the people who need it most. There is, clearly, much work to be done. But through decentralised, decarbonised grids of the future, and more digitised operations and maintenance, Schneider is determined to bring mass electrification to Africa, and is committed to ensuring a smart and green future for the continent.

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Chadli: “Schneider’s role in Africa is really important, and we have always believed in the potential of Africa. There are more than 500 million people in Africa that don’t have access to energy, and we really believe that access to energy and access to digital is a basic human right. The number of Africans without access to energy will only increase with the rise of urbanisation, so the goal is to help Africa to strengthen and to bring new ways of empowering the people. We are introducing the technologies that will help bring it: smart grids and renewable energies, which are known to be cheaper, and can be deployed quickly. Recently, in Kenya, we were able to build a solar and storage microgrid at a hospital. And it was really successful. So smart grids can be a real solution for Africa, because it combines a range of innovative tools and practices supported by a new business model and regulatory framework to help to ensure better electricity in the continent. We are also powering the critical buildings like airports, hospitals, data centres, and we are in all other segments: in oil and gas, in water, in mining, and in education, where we are working with the universities. We are present everywhere, from the remote village where we work with our partners to install microgrids to supply local communities with renewable energy, to the big cities where we are working with

governments in order to build smartgrids and integrate renewables. We are really omnipresent and we believe in Africa and will continue to invest deeply in Africa.”

There are more than 500 million people in Africa that don’t have access to energy, and we really believe that access to energy and access to digital is a basic human right” Amel Chadli

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CASE STUDY

The EcoXpert ecosytem Schneider Electric can’t change the planet on its own, of course. Creating a greener world requires collaboration and partnerships across industries, nations, and governments. But Schneider is doing what it can in its own sphere of influence, creating an EcoStruxure to ensure it partners in everything it does in order to, as the company says, “co-innovate and co-create the future of our planet”. Schneider’s implementation arm of its EcoStruxure is its EcoXperts, a partner programme that offers collaborations between Schneider Electric and a global network of solution providers across power and energy management and building control. To be a Schneider Electric EcoXperts means holding the same vision for a greener future, and the 18

TECH FOR GOOD

To learn more and join the Schneider Electric EcoXpert Partner Program, visit https://www.se.com/ae/en/partners/ecoxpert/

means of creating it through intelligent and sustainable solutions. Currently, there are almost 5,000 EcoXpert partner companies, across 79 countries. Abd-El-Azim: “Partners are in our DNA. We’ve worked for decades through an unparalleled network of panel builders, distributors, electricians, and contractors with whom we have mutual trust, understanding and shared values. Our partners are evolving to meet the needs of today’s customers. New trends for sustainable, resilient, hyper-efficient and people-centric Buildings of the Future have emerged and require more simplified, open and digital solutions such as EcoStruxure – our single, open, and interoperable IoT-enabled system, which allows us to innovate at

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

every level. These needs are addressed by EcoXpert business partners, our ecosystem of experts, gathering our historical panel builders, and newly embarked system integrators. Another strategic approach we have pioneered is Schneider Electric Exchange. Schneider Electric Exchange is an open and digital platform designed to empower our partners through providing a means to interact with a community of passionate engineers who collaborate to innovate. It’s also a platform that enables our partners, such as EcoXperts, to list themselves as service providers, allowing customers, contractors, consultants and other partners to find them based on their competencies and certifications.

With EcoXperts, we are more local, more efficient, and more sustainable. And with this approach, we are also helping our customers to both address their challenges and achieve their sustainability goals.”

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CASE STUDY

Your Trusted Partner for Electrical & Automation Solutions

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GILEAD SCIENCES

ISSUE 15

CASE STUDY

Meet the EcoXperts One EcoXpert is GAMA Engineering, which provides a range of electrical and automation solutions, building management systems and energy management services. GAMA is Schneider Electric’s EcoXpert partner in power and digital energy solutions and its specialist partners in the hotel segment.

Abd-El-Azim: “GAMA Engineering is a unique and loyal partner of ours offering multiple solutions for Schneider Electric under an umbrella for greenfield as well as brownfield markets. They bring excellent technical and project management skills to execute our solutions to customers. They have always maintained a high customer satisfaction level in their business verticals. Apart from new assets, GAMA Engineering is very active in upgrading existing assets for clients, helping them to realise significantly higher value for their old installations, seamlessly. They have been instrumental in implementing our EcoStruxure-based sustainability solutions in various seg22

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ments, like hotels, banks, manufacturing industries, largely developers and so many others.” Another EcoXpert is Koneltek, a Turkish company that provides home automation and smart home systems, climate control, energy monitoring and much more. Abd-El-Azim: “Koneltek’s perception of future is parallel with Schneider Electric’s vision. We have very strong commitments for sustainability and the future of our world, and so does Koneltek. They follow every action that we take and adapt their way of working. They take place in green building projects using our product and software that helps us to lower carbon emissions and also provide energy saving.Their area of working is so wide, from building management to electrical vehicle chargers, that they can positively impact the environment much more than a standard system integrator. They started working with us on a light and room control EcoXpert, but in the following years they have added critical power EcoXpert, which is about energy efficiency, and then building management systems EcoXpert, on top of their previous expertise. Koneltek has a team full of excellent engineers, and they also invest in R&D, so much that we get very valuable feedback from them about our products and software. This topic also makes Koneltek very special not only for Turkey but also for Schneider Electric globally.”

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

In Partnership: GAMA Engineering Schneider Electric EcoXpert

In Partnership: Koneltek Schneider Electric EcoXpert ISSUE 17

“ Koneltek has a team of excellent engineers, who have a wealth of experience. Their perception of future is parallel with Schneider Electric’s vision, and their area of working is so wide, from building management to electrical vehicle chargers, that they can positively impact the environment much more than a standard system integrator” Aimen Abd-El-Azim

Digital Energy Channel Sales Leader, Schneider Electric

CASE STUDY

Schneider Electric’s future vision When you talk to Schneider Electric about the future, three key areas emerge. First, infrastructure of the future: IoT-enabled transportation systems for better customer experiences across rail, airports, ports, and urban transportation, and the company sees eMobility as the most scalable opportunity for a green future. Secondly, as previously covered, Buildings of the Future: sustainable, resilient, hyper-efficient and people-centric. Thirdly, data centres of the future: the heart of the digital world, providing sustainability, efficiency, adaptability, resilience and state-ofthe-art technology. All three, Schneider Electric believes, will combine to create a greener world. The 26

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company is leading the way in its industry, and is well on its way to meeting its objective to become carbon neutral in its operations by 2025. With its partners, Schneider sees itself as more local, more efficient and more sustainable than ever before.

SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Chadli: “Electric is a big disruption. Why? Because electricity is the greenest energy. We know that we will move from fossil energy resources to solar and wind energy. Electric creates a future which is much better than the one that we have today. Electric will bring us to a smart and green environment. The transformation has already started, with microgrids, net-zero buildings, electric vehicles.” Abd-El-Azim: “All of us – customers, partners, suppliers, government, individuals – can make the planet hit the UN sustainability goals, and I am confident about it. Sustainability is not a fancy word anymore. Today, it is a mainstream priority. And at

Schneider Electric we have a long-term commitment, not only with our employees, but including our partners, suppliers and customers. Innovation is a key for change to happen. We recently launched our switchgear innovation, combining pure air and vacuum technology. Our SM6 AirSeT has already been recognised by industry experts within the Industrial Efficiency Awards category by phasing out SF6-potent greenhouse gas from all products by 2025. Schneider Electric will prevent the equivalent of over 4 million tonnes of co2 emissions per year. And that’s how innovations for an all-digital and all-electrical world will enable us to deliver more, with zero waste, zero emission, zero carbon. Hence we create a greener world.” ISSUE 17

ENVIRONMENT

TECH FOR GOOD

FLYING TO NEW HORIZONS

Can aviation be automated? NATS’ Head of Research Louisa Smith talks about the partnership with the Alan Turing Institute and how the two organisations are developing the world’s first AI air traffic control system to make flying faster, safer and more sustainable

AUTHOR: Beatriz Valero de Urquía

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he aviation industry hasn’t exactly been flying high over the past two years. In 2020, industry revenues totalled $328 billion, around 40% of the previous year’s, according to McKinsey. That’s the same as in 2000. Moreover, although the sector is slowly recovering, it is still at 60% of the air traffic levels of 2019, and the company does not expect traffic to return to 2019 levels before 2024. For some, this might sound like the start of the decline of the industry. Instead, aviation has set its sights on reaching new digital heights.

TECH FOR GOOD

New technologies are allowing air control systems to be smarter and aircraft to become lighter, quieter and more efficient. The promise of robotics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and unmanned aircraft systems will make the future of the industry unrecognisable from what it looks like now. “It is an exciting time because it gives us this huge opportunity to build back better,” says Louisa Smith. Once a military air traffic controller, she is now the Head of Research and Development at NATS - formerly the UK’s National Air Traffic Control Services - where

FLYING TO NEW HORIZONS

she leads the team that is building the world’s first AI air traffic control system. The goal? Faster, easier and more sustainable air travel. “We’re expecting traffic to increase quite significantly by 2030,” she says. “So whilst we’ve had this kind of lowland and slow recovery, we’re still anticipating in 10-15 years for there to be more aircraft operating in the skies. Plus, we’ve got these new airspace users - electric and autonomous aircraft - which will cause some more complexity to how we manage the airspace, and therefore, we want to know what technology can support us to ensure that we maintain those safety standards that we have at the moment.” Automation for the aviation industry offers huge opportunities. It could help the industry become more flexible and agile and, as Smith mentions, it is already opening the skies to new airspace users like drones and robotaxis. But it isn’t without its challenges. Safety concerns are an absolute priority when it comes to automating any aspect of flying, from the workings of the plane down to the air control systems. In addition, air control is an activity that requires a high level of ambiguity and very quick decision-making. Although machines are very good at the latter, they often struggle with the former. But, when you are talking about flying,

There is a kind of nervousness I can see around robots taking over the world and things like that. But actually, we already have a lot of automation in our operations room already” Louisa Smith

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there is no room for error. It needs to be correct 100% of the time. Therefore, the question remains: is it possible to fully automate the aviation industry? According to Smith, we don’t know just yet. “The goal of our research is to really answer that question,” she says. “There is a kind of nervousness I can see around robots taking over the world and things like that. But actually, we already have a lot of automation in our operations room already. The controllers use tools and systems to help them in their controlling every day; so we do have a huge amount of experience in implementing tools and systems to support the controller.

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“So it’s really about: How can the technology enhance what the controller can do to ensure that we keep the safety performance, the capacity, and actually the general public don’t see any of that, and they just get on their flights, and they don’t have any interruptions, or delays? This is about making sure that we lower the environmental impact of aviation in the future and that the end-user doesn’t really see what goes on behind the scenes so they can have a seamless flight.” Moreover, despite the obvious comparisons that are often drawn between the automation of the aviation sector with the development of driverless cars, the two are widely different in regards to their safety procedures.

FLYING TO NEW HORIZONS

The aviation industry has much stricter safety criteria, and with good reason: the risk is much higher. Nonetheless, as a result, approximately 27,000 people are killed or seriously injured in car-related accidents every year in the UK alone - the same number of people it would take to fill 180 Airbus A320s. In contrast, in 2019, across the world, there were about 257 commercial aviation fatalities. “While there is a lot we can learn from them, there are more complexities to what we do,” Smith says. “Obviously, people can’t just stop and get out of a plane. So there’s a real challenge around: What can the technology do better than the human? And what can

humans do better than technology? So it’s quite an interesting challenge for everyone to be working on.” A key to this question is NATS’ partnership with the Alan Turing Institute. The collaboration, called Project Bluebird, is working to develop the world’s first AI air traffic control system. The government-funded five-year project will utilise digital twin and machine learning technologies to develop innovative air control systems and promote the safe and trustworthy use of AI. “What we’re trying to achieve is to have an airspace where an AI, an agent, as we call it, is controlling some airspace alongside the controller,” Smith says. “Something that we’re very proud of is we don’t ISSUE 17

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There’s a real challenge around: What can the technology do better than the human? And what can humans do better than technology?”

have a lot of data about incidences when it doesn’t work particularly well, which is really great that we don’t have that data. But we need to be able to simulate that data in a very realistic way. So a digital twin will help us do that.” The two organisations have been working together since 2018, applying data science to the complex airspace in the UK and looking at the ethics behind the use of this technology for air traffic 34

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management. At the moment, Project Bluebird is still in the research phase, but both NATS and Alan Turing Institute feel very encouraged about its possibilities. “Here at the Turing we are excited to build on our excellent foundational collaboration with NATS, moving from proof of concept and scaling our work to more ambitious targets,” says Dr Evelina Gabasova, a Principal Research Data Scientist at the Alan Turing

FLYING TO NEW HORIZONS

Institute. “We are working together to bring research around probabilistic digital twins to life, improving how we learn from data and design sustainable airspace, while also looking at ethical challenges of using AI in air traffic management. This way we can better plan for the future – modelling the impact on future air traffic and evolving scenarios, which will be critical to resilience and recovery.”

The collaboration pulled in a diverse mix of world-leading interdisciplinary scientists, including Turing AI fellows, computer scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, engineers and computational ethics, to create a team that would address the problem holistically. Moreover, all these experts are working hand-in-hand with controllers and some of the researchers even went through the early stages of NATS’ air traffic training ISSUE 17

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course, that air controllers take when they join the organisation. The goal of this is to ensure that they design systems that are tailored to controllers’ needs. But the project also wants to be open to the public. Recently, the organisations put together a virtual research collaboration conference, where experts from all of these fields shared their insights and expertise regarding the future of the industry. “That’s a great way to work with people across a hugely diverse background to enhance what we’re doing as well, so working with them directly 36

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is really great,” Smith says. “And with the Alan Turing Institute, it sounds a bit cliché, but it is very much one team and everyone works together. And I think that’s why we were successful at getting the funding because it was one team working very collaboratively on it.” Project Bluebird will allow for the creation of faster and more efficient air travel, but Smith and Gabasova also believe that these technological advances could be fundamental beyond flying, having the potential to make a difference to the UK’s path to reaching net zero. To achieve this goal, NATS is involved

FLYING TO NEW HORIZONS

in FlyZero, a project that aims to realise the vision of zero-emissions commercial flight by the end of the decade. Recently, the team was able to showcase a plane that flew from London to Glasgow with 60% less CO2 emissions than 10 years prior. Moreover, another easy way to reduce the environmental impact of flying has nothing to do with the design of planes themselves, but with making routes more efficient and saving fuel. “When you fly into an airport you might have to go round and round before you land,” Smith says. “We’re trying to elim-

inate that hole by maybe slowing down an aircraft on their flight so they burn less fuel and when they arrive they can land straight away. Or there are other concepts that we’re looking at, far in the future, where maybe aircraft can fly behind each other in the slipstream like they do in cycling. If we could do that for airlines then that might save fuel for one of the aircraft. The military does it all the time. “There’s a huge amount that can be done. But it has to be industry-wide, you can’t just do something on its own. So we work on European projects to enhance those types of things. Because you don’t want to just have a very efficient flight over the UK, and then get delayed in another zone. So actually, we work very collaboratively with our European partners, because we’re trying to make it very holistic and prioritising and focusing on the environmental benefit.” Despite the many challenges, the future of the aviation industry looks as exciting as ever. In a matter of decades, the sky will be crowded with all types of vehicles, from drones to flying cars and driverless planes. But for this picture to be materialised in the years to come, the technologies that will enable it and ensure that these vehicles are safe and sustainable need to be developed now. After all, change won’t come out of thin air. ISSUE 17

GOOD OR BAD?

GOOD OR

BAD? Great power comes with great responsibility, and that is particularly true of new technologies. Each month, Tech For Good discusses the potential benefits and dangers of technological advances that are coming to market. This month we ask: Are NFTs the future of art?

AUTHOR: Beatriz Valero de Urquía

TECH FOR GOOD

NFTS

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GOOD OR BAD?

TECH FOR

raditional art is struggling. The 2021 mid-year Art Market report by Art Basel and UBS Global showed that art sales values dropped by 20% in the dealer sector last year alone. Moreover, with the coming of the digital era, where people can reproduce works of art in seconds without compensating the artist, it is no wonder that artists have jumped at the promise of NFTs. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are original, unique digital collectables. They hold a unique string of code, stored on the blockchain and, in contrast to digital art, they cannot be reproduced, allowing them to become part of the art market. And the profits show it. A few months ago, Sotheby’s Natively Digital NFT auction took in $17.1 million and Christie’s auction of an NFT by Beeple sold for $69 million. But art is just the beginning. NFTs have the potential to create real authenticity around personal identity, which can be used for any type of transaction. Already, Facebook is taking part in the building of the metaverse, Nike is creating NFT verification on shoes, and

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GOOD? Coinbase is building a NFT marketplace. Whether we like it or not, NFTs are here to stay.

What the expert says: “ The opportunities with NFTs are honestly boundless. The concept starts with uniqueness and you can apply that to anything. You will be able to NFT any asset you can think of, whether it’s an art piece or the deed to a building.” Dr Merav Ozair, faculty member at Rutgers Business School and research director of the RBS Blockchain Hub.

NFTS

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o the benefits of NFTs compensate their terrible environmental impact? That is the question almost everyone in the art industry is asking themselves. NFTs are intrinsically connected to cryptocurrency, and the huge amounts of energy that is needed to mine them. An estimate made by cdigital creator Memo Akten and backed by independent researchers found that the creation of an average NFT has a stunning environmental footprint of over 200 kilograms of planet-warming carbon, the equivalent to driving 500 miles in a typical American gasoline-powered car. The purchase of the NFT “Space Cat,” - a GIF of a cat in a rocket heading to the Moon - has the same carbon footprint as an EU resident’s electricity usage for two months. At a time when the world is pivoting towards sustainable business practices, the rise of NFTs seems to undermine any progress made in that direction. ArtStation, an online marketplace for digital artists, recently cancelled its plans to launch a platform for NFTs within hours of launching it, in response

BAD?

to the backlash received regarding the technology’s emissions. Perhaps the technology can evolve to a system that isn’t harmful to the environment. Until then, the use of NFTs will be directly opposed to any improvements made in the fight against climate change.

What the expert says: “ It turns out my release of six CryptoArt works consumed in 10 seconds more electricity than the entire studio over the past two years. It felt like madness to even consider continuing that practice.” Joanie Lemercier, French artist

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SOCIAL GOOD

DIGITAL BABY STEPS Where do your children’s digital footprints go? Ade Adewunmi, Strategy and Advising Manager at Cloudera Fast Forward Labs, talks to Tech For Good about why data rights for children should be at the top of the agenda

INTERVIEW BY: Beatriz Valero de Urquía

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DIGITAL BABY STEPS

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he next generation is growing up in a digital age. What benefits and dangers does this entail? There are many benefits to growing up in the digital age. Access to digital technologies has made it possible to connect and form broader friendships and has facilitated access to an infinite amount of information, to name just two such benefits. The digital age is also influencing the way we learn and work – mostly for the better. Some companies have identified opportunities for capitalising on the vast amounts of personal and behavioural

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data being generated, by using it to inform their customer segmentation strategies. By extension, this allows them to offer more tailored products and services and, in some cases, attract advertising revenue. This approach can and has led to product design decisions that prioritise constant use both to maximise data collection and to increase opportunities for surfacing advertising. The challenge is that many younger users of these data-centric digital products are likely to be unaware of these underlying motivations. DefendDigitalMe, in its recent report on the use of metaphors in

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data policy, notes: “Children are being ‘datafied’ with companies and organisations recording many thousands of data points about them as they grow up.” Young people could be sharing their data without fully understanding the risks of doing so. Even if they are aware of the risks they still might not always be able to protect the data because avoiding engagement with the offending applications or platforms may not be a realistic option. In the same report, DefendDigitalMe highlighted the frustration felt by young people about their lack of agency over how data about them is used. What’s more, parents aren’t always aware of all the ways their children’s data is being collected or how to protect their data rights. There are undeniable benefits of growing up in the digital age, but there are also risks. This is why it’s so important to regulate the ways that companies and government institutions use children’s data.

Helping children to understand how their online interactions are tracked and how that might be used to make decisions that can affect them, is really important” Ade Adewunmi

How is children’s data being misused online? I think most people will agree that children and, by extension, their data should be protected. While there are many legal protections in place to protect children, these safeguards don’t always extend to their data. A number of well-publicised data breaches have highlighted how vulnerable data is to being ISSUE 17

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stolen or misused, and children’s data is no exception. In 2019, news broke that gambling companies had been using data from the Learners Record Service (LRS) for age and identification purposes. The LRS, which is operated by the Skills Funding Agency, collects data relating to learners registering for relevant post-14 qualifications such as GCSEs, AS and A2 Qualifications etc. It contains personal data of tens of millions of people who have passed

In the US, schools are being criticised for installing intrusive tracking software on schoolissued laptops”

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through state schools as children. According to LRS’s own privacy statement this data should be used only “by organisations specifically linked to … [record holder’s] education and training”. The Sunday Times article that broke the story stated that as many as 12,000 organisations have access to the LRS database. The outcry around the data breach resulted in the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) conducting a mandatory audit of the Department for Education.

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It’s not all doom and gloom though. As the UK’s data regulator, the ICO has introduced a new code of conduct, the Age-Appropriate Design Code. This code directs tech companies making applications and operating platforms that are used by children to design their products in ways that protect children’s privacy and reduce their exposure to inappropriate advertising. This is a step in the right direction but it doesn’t address all the ways in which children’s data is captured. More needs to be done. Ideally, companies and institutions operating in this space will take proactive steps to protect children’s data even before additional regulation is introduced. There is an opportunity here to make this a source of competitive advantage. What impact has the pandemic had in attitudes towards children’s online safety? The pandemic-induced lockdowns and the disruptive impact it has had on children’s education has intensified interest in data-centric edtech technologies. It has also meant more time online for children whose usual physical extracurricular activities have been curtailed. Broader use of data-centric digital technologies in places like schools and more screen time for children has brought more attention to the potential harms this can pose to

children. This is a keen area of interest for researchers like Dr Jun Zhao and activist organisations such as the 5Rights Foundation. Dr Zhao is involved in longitudinal research, publishing academic papers on her research. However, despite these types of efforts to educate and inform, we are seeing the pandemic being used as a justification for controversial decisions about appropriate use and collection of children’s data. An example of this is the well-publicised case of nine schools in North Ayrshire in Scotland that sought to incorporate Facial Recognition (FR) software into their school meals verification processes. The schools claimed that this was a necessary step to create a more COVID-secure environment by speeding up queues and reducing the need for physical contact (they used to use a fingerprint scanning system). Complaints to the ICO about disproportionate (biometric) data collection have meant the regulator has stepped in to review. Although the company that installed the FR system has stated that the biometric data will be held on schools’ servers, it is worth noting that the adoption of this system introduces a new data breach risk and could make schools more of a cybersecurity target. Meanwhile in the US, schools are being criticised for installing intrusive tracking software on school-issued laptops. ISSUE 17

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Remote learning has meant more school children are using such devices. Children - and adults - leave digital footprints as they navigate the online world, often without realising. Why is data literacy important to help improve children’s online safety? The importance of data literacy cannot be overstated. Whenever we surf the web, engage on social media platforms or use apps on our phone, we are making digital footprints. And there really isn’t a way to fully prevent this.

We are seeing the pandemic being used as a justification for controversial decisions about appropriate use and collection of children’s data” 48

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Helping children to understand how their online interactions are tracked, how far such data might travel, who might have access to this data about them and how that might be used to make decisions that can affect them, is really important. It’s also important to help them understand what ‘levers’ are available to them so they can better shield themselves while online as well as how the rights they do have allow them to refuse to give up - or at the very least challenge demands for - personal data. This type of data literacy helps them develop agency and a sense of autonomy over their digital footprint. This is important as current trends mean this generation of young people will spend much of their lives navigating an increasingly data-centric world. How can parents introduce these complex issues to their children, especially when, often, they don’t understand them either? The pace of change can mean that parents - and not just children! - might struggle to fully understand what data protections they can expect or how expansive our digital footprints can be. As a result, they might feel ill-equipped to discuss these things with their children. However, the truth is no-one can be completely knowledgeable about these

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things. I’d encourage parents and guardians to approach the work of helping their children and guardians as a journey of exploration. One they can take alongside their children. This involves asking their children questions about which social platforms are they signed up with? What educational resource platforms are they using? What are they posting online? This will help parents understand their child’s internet

usage and ensure they are best placed to advise their kids on how to avoid sharing sensitive data online or reduce the risk of their data being misused. What steps is Cloudera taking to raise awareness about this issue or improve its products to better protect children? At Cloudera our mission is to make data and analytics easy and accessible for everyone. In celebration of ‘International ISSUE 17

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day of the Girl’, we hosted a panel discussion around data literacy, with experts in the field. Cloudera has also created and published a children’s book called ‘A Fresh Squeeze on Data’ in partnership with education organisation ReadyAI. The book aims to help children between the age of 8-12 understand how problems can be solved through the 50

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use of data. It covers concepts such as machine learning model training and data bias in a way which is fun and engaging. A free e-version of the book is downloadable on FreshSqueezeKids.com and there are also other handy and useful resources available on the site. The under-representation of girls and women in STEM careers increases the risk that products that inadvertently

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discriminate against girls and women will be created. This is why the panel spent time discussing the risks of gender-related bias in machine learning applications. Data holds immense value and we hope that discussing and understanding how it is used in everyday activities can hopefully spur further curiosity. Where do you see society going in the next three to five years when it comes to data rights? There will hopefully be better enforcement of existing regulations designed to protect people’s data rights and facilitate redress when things go wrong. GDPR, for example, was a massive gamechanger when it comes to data protection. However, without adequate enforcement there is a risk that it becomes ineffectual at deterring inappropriate data practices. As the public has become more aware of how organisations and institutions collect and use data about individuals, the appetite for using regulation like GDPR to seek redress is growing. Having said that, growing public awareness about the risks associated with inappropriately applied algorithmic decision-making means that members of the public are becoming more demanding of explanations about when and how algorithms are being used to inform decisions that impact them. This is why algorithmic

transparency has become more of a focus for policy makers. Another topic that is being considered and discussed in greater depth is the auditing of algorithm-enabled applications. The researcher Deb Raji explores this brilliantly in a recently released paper. I think in the coming years smart organisations will be more open to commissioning and publishing these types of audits as a way of reassuring their customers as well as relevant regulators. Is there anything else you’d like to add? Yes, I’d encourage any parents to look up the 5Rights Foundation, which was set up by Baroness Beeban Kidron, to better help protect the rights of children online. They have done some fantastic work in this area, and are pushing for legislative changes and industry changes to the digital world to ensure it caters for children and young people. Additionally, Defend Digital Me, a civil society organisation, is also doing amazing work in this area. ISSUE 17

ENVIRONMENT

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PLANTS VS PLASTIC

PLANTS VS PLASTIC Plastic is a major contributor to the climate crisis, but it isn’t irreplaceable. Tom van Aken, Avantium’s CEO, talks to Tech For Good about the 100% plant-based, fully renewable plastic that might move the industry away from fossil fuels AUTHOR: Beatriz Valero de Urquía

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arm winters, wildfires and hurricanes have shown that the climate crisis is no longer a feared possibility - it’s the present. Despite the commitments by various nations to cut coal emissions, reverse deforestation and make grand investments in clean energy, there is still no sign f a grand-scale plan to target climate change globally. But, as the leaders of the world debate how to reduce global emissions, some organisations are already taking on one of the most polluting materials out there: plastic. Globally around 300 million tonnes of 54

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plastic is made from fossil fuels every year. In 2018, it was reported that the chemical industry is responsible for 8% of global human-derived GHG emissions, along with the warning that this could rise to 15% by 2030 and 25% by 2050. Although there is a general global consensus on the need to move to a 100% renewable and decarbonised energy sector, there is not yet an equivalent strategy for the chemical and plastics industry, where carbon is the essential element. The path towards sustainable plastic is a long one. And one in which organisations, governments and private individuals all have a role to play.

PLANTS VS PLASTIC

“The future of plastics is above the ground, so we need to wean the world away from petroleum,” says Tom van Aken, CEO of Avantium. “In order to move to renewable carbon, we need truly innovative technologies. We also need to set up completely new supply chains. This means rethinking the chemical and plastics industry, carefully balancing and weighing sustainability, performance and costs. Businesses need to take an integrated approach and implement practices that can lead to genuine change on environmental issues while ensuring their commercial goals are still being met. “I strongly believe that businesses have a key role to play in solving the world’s climate crisis. Companies can set examples for their industry peers to follow and spark a chain reaction that can have a tangible, positive impact. By working together with other companies, governments and institutions, we can create more sustainable practices that will reduce environmental impact and make the world a greener place for future generations to enjoy.” Avantium is a company taking these challenges head-on. Its vision is simple, but not easy: to achieve a fossil-free chemical industry by 2050. Avantium’s mission would mean turning the chemical industry on its tracks and promoting a 180-degree shift to-

The future of plastics is above the ground, so we need to wean the world away from petroleum” Tom van Aken

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wards renewable carbon. To achieve this, the company has developed polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a new type of plastic made from sugars. This “new generation polyester” is 100% plantbased, fully recyclable and has a significantly lower carbon footprint than traditional plastic, while also maintaining all its benefits. The material is created through a new technology called YXY, capable of converting plant-based sugars into furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), the key building block for a wide range of plant-based chemicals and plastics. Avantium has successfully demonstrated the YXY Technology at its pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands. “Plastics are everywhere and have ideal properties for packaging solutions: they are light-weighted, transparent and produced in a low-cost manner,” Van Aken says. “The downside of today’s

Plastics do not need to be made from fossil feedstock: we are making them from plant-based sugars” 56

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plastics is that they are made from petroleum and contribute to carbon emissions and that they pollute our natural systems after they have been used. Our solution is to address these problems while making sure that we don’t sacrifice on performance. “Plastics do not need to be made from fossil feedstock: we are making them from plant-based sugars. Rather than try to do the impossible of completely moving away from plastics, we wanted to create a realistic, but sustainable solution that can be adopted on a mass scale. We believe that PEF will ultimately become mainstream once global production through largescale licensing is achieved.” It has been decades since a new product has been introduced into the plastics industry, a difficult one to enter into, particularly when trying to compete on pricing. Van Aken predicts that, although PEF will initially be more expensive than traditional plastics during the first phase of market entry, the performance of the product and its environmental advantages will overcome those initial barriers until higher production volumes can be achieved and the cost can be reduced. “PEF’s clear advantages in increasing the shelf-life of food and beverages, reducing waste, all while using less material, justifies the initial higher price,” Van Aken says. “In the long-term, we

PLANTS VS PLASTIC

believe that the costs of producing PEF will come down when we scale up and further optimise the technology. “Our technologies have potentially transformational applications and can help wean the world away from fossil-based resources, accelerating the transition to a fully circular economy.” Materials like PEF have the potential to forever change packaging, textiles, film, and many other consumer products. They address one of the main problems of replacing plastic with paper, as it can be used to package food and drinks, including the carbonated ones - which are notoriously hard to package - as well as cosmetics. Overall, PEF provides a longer shelf-life of packaged products,

therefore avoiding unnecessary food and product waste. PEF can be used as a single layer in small bottles for soft drinks, beer and juices, replacing glass bottles, aluminium cans and multilayer bottles. However, it was not enough that PEF is made from sustainable materials. In order to address the challenges of global warming, it also had to be recyclable itself, to avoid creating more waste. Currently, most of the plastic bottles that are used for packaging are made from polyester, also known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, many multilayer PET bottles include polyamides (PA) such as MXD6 for barrier properties. This creates a challenge ISSUE 17

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when it comes to recycling, as PA has a very low compatibility with PET, making it essential to sort out the PA from the PET in the recycling stream. In contrast, PEF can substitute polyamides as barrier material in multilayer PET bottles, enabling the recycling process of these packaging solutions in combination with PET. “It was important for us to make a polymer that can be processed in existing recycling streams and can be recycled alongside PET,” Van Aken says. “With similar chemical properties to PET, both can even be recycled together. PEF is compatible with PET mechanical recycling assets, and when processed as part of the PET recycling stream, it has been proven that PEF has a much lower environmental impact than other barrier

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materials. Moreover, PEF products can also be recycled entirely by themselves in a closed-loop system.” PEF can also degrade much quicker than PET. An accelerated study on industrial compostability by OWS in Gent, Belgium has shown that PEF degrades to CO2, water, and biomass in 250-400 days at 58 degrees in soil. By comparison, PET is estimated to take between 300 to 500 years to break down. “While it is ideal that PEF is recycled or reused again until the end of its lifecycle, should it unintendedly end up in nature, it will help reduce the endless plastic accumulation,” Van Aken says. “But let us be very clear: this is not a permission to litter, PEF is a high-quality polymer designed for recycling.”

PLANTS VS PLASTIC

One concern that comes with using sugar-based products is its impact on the agricultural sector. Food scarcity is already a huge problem in certain countries of the world, and with the constant increase in global population, it is one that will need to be addressed soon. To avoid creating a bigger problem than the one it solves, PEF uses plant sugars from sugar beet, corn or wheat as feedstock, or convert non-edible biomass such as agricultural and forestry waste streams. By using waste from sustainable forestry management and agriculture and turning it into high-value materials, Avantium is further supporting waste-management initiatives and ensuring that the whole of PEF’s supply chain is sustainable.

“We don’t want our products to compete with food supply chains,” Van Aken says. “Creating bioplastics from renewable sources and plant-based feedstock can be managed in a very sustainable way and shouldn’t be in competition with food production. In fact, increased demand for non-food applications could support a healthier agriculture sector and stable food supply through investments towards higher yields, sustainable landuse practices, and secure supply.” Avantium’s vision is one where the chemical and materials industries will closely collaborate with farmers to build new supply chains and use all parts of the plants in a sustainable way for making food and materials. To make this a reality, the company recently announced

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Small steps are being taken, such as events like COP26, but leaders need to understand we need radical change to hit the proposed timelines. Ultimately, we are running out of time” the creation of a joint venture with Cosun Beet Company, a co-op of 9,000 farmers, to build a plant-based glycol flagship plant, using sugar beet as feedstock. The journey towards a circular economy is one that will involve many players. Collaboration between experts and companies with shared environmental values is the only way to succeed and ensure that the technology is not only developed, but also made accessible to consumers. “Our new partnerships are exciting points of validation,” Van Aken says. “They demonstrate the commercial potential of PEF.” Avantium has developed their solutions in partnership with leading brands 60

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like Coca-Cola and Danone.. For example, the company is working alongside beer brewer Carlsberg in the development of PEF-based packaging of beer, such as the Green Fibre Bottle. As consumers’ behaviours change to demand more sustainable products, countries around the world are imposing measures and setting deadlines to reduce plastics and carbon footprint. COP26 is part of this story, but not the whole picture. “We are seeing signs of positive change,” Van Aken says. “Small steps are being taken, such as events like COP26, but leaders need to understand we need radical change to hit the proposed timelines. Ultimately, we are running out of time. “The appetite for change provides opportunities for technologies like ours to be successful. Governments play a key role in enacting change, but also industry and consumers play a key role. We are in the middle of a decisive shift, whereby in the past we have moved far too slowly away from dependence on fossil fuels, and there has been a significant push for recycling and renewable energy programmes in the past. Now, more emphasis and investment need to be placed into the renewable chemistry sector to commercialise these breakthrough technologies and transition into a circular, sustainable economy.”

PLANTS VS PLASTIC

Step by step, companies such as Avantium are taking the lead in making that change. Looking towards the future, Van Aken is excited about the development of Avantium’s “first-of-a-kind” flagship plant, which will be built in the Netherlands and is set to open in 2023, with the goal of sending the first PEF products to market in 2024. Moreover, the company is also excited about developing its other technologies, All of these developments will be fundamental if Avantium is to realise its pledge: a fossil-free chemical industry by 2050. “The time to act is now,” Van Aken says. “We’re seeing great progress as governments and the private sector set net-zero targets and look for greener

alternatives for our everyday products. The next generations are rightfully demanding that we put our energy into taking more drastic actions to ensure that we cut our carbon emissions and reduce plastic waste. By developing, scaling and adopting sustainable technologies, working to form new supply chains and adopting circular practices, we stand a better chance of reducing plastic pollution and achieving a greener future. “Decades of short-term thinking is causing irreversible consequences to our environment. We must adopt a long-term view – investment in innovation and sustainability is needed now for the essential benefits to be felt in the future.” ISSUE 17

HEALTHCARE

OUR PLASTIC LUNGS Plastics are an increasing risk to people’s health. We speak to Dr Fay Couceiro, an expert in environmental pollution at the University of Portsmouth, about why plastics is a problem that will only get worse

AUTHOR: Helena Pozniak

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OUR PLASTIC LUNGS

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HEALTHCARE

e already know that plastics have reached the remotest parts of the planet; the deepest seas and poles of the earth. We know they are in our food, in water, in our bodies. What we might not realise is that every breath we take ushers tiny fragments of plastics into our lungs. And these fragments - microplastics - are even found in the clean air of the mountains and Arctic. Everywhere scientists have searched, they’ve discovered airborne plastic. This worries Dr Fay Couceiro, an expert in environmental pollution at the University of Portsmouth. She’s been measuring levels of microplastics in the air, and how everyday activities - kids bouncing on beds, vacuuming - might stir them up and increase the levels we inhale. Scientists know very little about how these tiny flakes and fibres of airborne plastic affect us. Previous research has focused on the impacts of polystyrene beads than other polymers for plastic particles, largely because these are easier to source. Smaller particles can pass the body’s defences to enter the lungs, she says. “We know we’re breathing them in, but not what they are doing to us.” Indoors, the concentration of microplastics might be 60 times or more, higher than outdoors, according 64

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to some studies, she says - and in the UK we spend 90% of our time inside. “We know that at very high concentrations, airborne microplastics can cause inflammation and asthma-like symptoms, and possibly cancer,” says Couceiro. But we don’t know at what level they become harmful, nor the effects of different types of polymers, or different fragment shapes. “Information is sparse,” she says. “But we know that the burden of all air pollution on children’s lungs is much higher than it is per weight on adults.” Some 10% of the UK population now

OUR PLASTIC LUNGS

Information is sparse,” she says. “But we know that the burden of all air pollution on children’s lungs is much higher than it is per weight on adults” Dr Fay Couceiro has asthma, and numbers of sufferers have increased since the 1970s - while levels of plastics in the environment have soared. “We don’t know if they’re directly linked, but we’d like to find out,” says Couceiro. Plastic is a wider problem that will only get worse, scientists say. Once manufactured from fossil fuels, it never goes away: bottles and bags simply break down into smaller particles which can hang around for centuries. The more that is produced, the more that accumulates. Latest figures from lobby group Common Seas show some ISSUE 17

HEALTHCARE

THE DARK SIDE OF PLASTICS Plastic was first mass produced in the 1950s and since then some 8.3 billion tonnes have been made - and 80% of that is estimated to be found in landfill, or in nature. Every year the quantity of plastic produced rises by about 3%, and 90% is not recycled. Microplastics find their way into the environment via various routes. Largely they break down from larger plastics, but they have been manufactured for products such as cosmetics and toiletries and industrial goods. These particles are small enough to leach through water filters into the seas researchers have found them in marine and fresh water fish and creatures. Not enough is known about human health risks of plastics. Research shows that when plastic enters someone’s system, it can have an inflammatory effect, even cross placentas and settle in human organs. Experts led by Dutch Vrije University are beginning to investigate if and what types of plastics are in human blood. Research suggests pathogens can attach themselves to plastic particles in the water raising concerns about the potential to spread infectious disease. 66

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OUR PLASTIC LUNGS

370 million tonnes of plastic were made worldwide in 2019 - and this is expected to treble by 2050 at current rates of growth. While microplastics incorporate any fragment smaller than five millimetres, airborne plastics tend to be shorter than a millimetre and light enough to drift in the air. They shear off clothing, from food packaging, carpets, sofas and other everyday goods. Couceiro looks at different shapes - some particles are long and thin, others irregular. In the past, scientists have measured levels of microplastics in the air with simple collection methods using sticky tape or containers to look at deposits over time. But these only gather the fragments heavy enough to settle as dust. Couceiro wants to conduct a more thorough environmental analysis. While the pandemic has delayed Portsmouth researchers from examining what young people, sick people and the elderly breathe in, Couceiro has begun to look at the shape, size and type of airborne plastics. “I think ultimately we should be looking in schools, hospitals and care homes,” she says. “If we are going to spot any impacts in healthy populations, it will likely be in children and the elderly.” Rates of inhalation and ingestion of micro plastics are greatest in children under six. Researchers have found

they breathe in three times more microplastics than average, because they breathe faster, they typically have more floor time, put their hands in their mouths and they’re relatively smaller. Couceiro is also looking at how we can limit exposure to these microplastics. Close weave carpets rather than hard floors create more plastic fibres, as do synthetic clothing. Carpeted homes have nearly twice the number of plastic fibres than those without carpets, researchers have found. Hoovering frequently - twice a week - can help limit them, and opening windows lessens the concentration of airborne plastics indoors. ISSUE 17

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We know that at very high concentrations, airborne microplastics can cause inflammation and asthma-like symptoms, and possibly cancer”

A large citizen science project is underway, led by the University of the West England and funded by UK Research and Innovation, for people in Bristol and Bradford to measure airborne plastics in their homes. Using passive samplers and low cost microscopes they can take images of minute particles, which will be analysed by machine vision. Once Couceiro’s team understands which types of plastic are most prevalent, they can also begin to examine 68

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how particles affect lung cells, and how this varies according to changing concentrations, size and shape. Couceiro would also like to investigate human tissue samples “to see what’s in us”, investigating saliva and lung tissue. She’d also like to work with respiratory academics to investigate the impact of certain types and sizes of particles on lab grown tissues. This is harder than it sounds - in the atmosphere, microplastics can bond or mix with other particles and

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must be separated by chemicals, which can then affect toxicity tests. “It’s difficult to prove all the toxicity comes from the plastics and not the chemicals we’ve added to separate them,” she says. To combat this, experts must synthesise their own samples down to between one and 10 micrometres - nearly a tenth of the width of a human hair. “These are the ones that can reach our lungs.” Common Seas has been lobbying the government to commit some £15

million of research funding to accelerate investigations into the health impact of plastics. Are there any safe levels of exposure? “Work with microplastics is still in its infancy,” says Couceiro. “There’s a belief among medical experts that although microplastics probably only make up about one to 10% of what’s in the air indoors, they don’t biodegrade, they’re very robust and likely to be causing problems.” ISSUE 17

TEENAGE TECH STORIES

Teenage tech stories Each month, Tech For Good speaks to one teenage entrepreneur about their incredible achievements in the world of tech, and how they’re contributing to making the world a better place

Name: Camellia Sharma

Age: 14 Born: Richmond, Virginia, USA Achievements: From the medical to the naval industries, Camellia Sharma’s projects are far-reaching. This 14-year-old has developed an Alzheimer’s-detection tool, a water leakage-detection system and a fish-counting algorithm, just to name a few. Camellia has won over $50,000 in cash prizes in various STEM competitions, including Broadcom MASTERS and the SM Young Scientist Challenge.

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CAMELLIA SHARMA

am a 9th-grade student in the Centre for Medical Sciences at Mills E. Godwin High. It is a STEM-intensive magnet school specialising in the medical sciences. I like building things. Last year, I designed diverse 100-metre-long hulls for the ocean-going tankers and container ships using a professional naval architecture software. Then, I 3D-printed 20cm-long scale models from the resulting engineering drawings. Finally, I analysed the relative fuel efficiencies of the hulls in a testing tank that I designed and built. I play football and I am currently working on my soccer referee license. I also love snorkelling, painting, knitting, sewing, and gourmet cooking.

I was motivated to work on Alzheimer’s Disease because my great aunt is suffering from numerous neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s and dementia. I started by downloading MRI images from Open Access Series of Imaging Studies and Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse. It is amazing how much usable data is available freely online! In the next step, I extracted anatomical features using ITK-SNAP. Once again, it is freeware. Finally, I applied machine learning algorithms to identify possible cases of Alzheimer’s Disease and I compared my results with those in the databases. It worked so nicely that the clinicians have included their diagnoses in the anonymized databases.

ISSUE 17

TEENAGE TECH STORIES

I am passionate about the environment. We can substitute our sources of food, but there is no alternative for air and water. Approximately 48.6 billion cubic metres of water are lost annually worldwide in the water distribution systems, costing an estimated $14.6 billion. Amazingly, 15% of the freshwater is lost in the ageing water pipes of the United States. I was surprised to find how little is being done to reduce this loss of water. To me, it’s a no-brainer. Why spend so much money and resources on purifying water and then lose it to the leakages? The leak detection system sends electrical pulses through underground pipes to detect breaks in the pipes. The technology has been used by phone and cable companies for decades. Interestingly, it has not been deployed for detecting the breaks in buried pipes. I needed to innovate to adapt the technology to the uninsulated pipes.

Fish are an important source of food and a vital part of the aquatic ecosystem. The fish population is dwindling because of climate change, overfishing, pollution, etc. Knowing the fish population in a waterbody is essential for estimating the extent of damage and the benefits of the remedial actions. I applied computer vision to count and artificial intelligence to categorise the fish type. Currently, the stock is estimated anecdotally from sources such as publications and fish caught annually. While so much sophistication has been achieved in other areas using AI such as face recognition, stock assessment is being largely ignored. FishPopAI was my first time experimenting with CV. It was so much fun! Observing the results and marvelling at the power of CV algorithms was awesome.

TECH FOR GOOD

CAMELLIA SHARMA I took numerous underwater photographs using AquaDrone, that I invented. It is a hybrid aquatic and aerial drone. I used the photos to perfect FishPopAI. A GPS-enabled hybrid drone has the advantage of performing local studies in the context of a wide area. For example, in Minnesota, the drone could land on the water to study marine habitat in a lake and then fly to the adjoining lakes to see if there is a pattern among the water bodies spread over a wide area. AquaDrone has many potential applications, ranging from marine biology to search and rescue and defence.

The awards have been transformational. They have reinforced my motivation to continue with STEM research. Showcasing the projects at luminary forums such as Broadcom MASTERS helps me draw attention towards important everyday topics such as water leakage and stock assessment. The cash is a lovely bonus, but the recognition rather than money has been the real motivator for me. The possibility of having two technology patents before graduating from high school is thrilling! I plan to get a degree in mechanical engineering. As the manufacturing base is shrinking in the country we need more people, especially women, in the traditional engineering disciplines. Eventually, I want to start a STEM-oriented business with my brother Cameron. Researching viruses and vaccines is his primary passion. To the best of my knowledge, we are the only siblings in the country who are both Broadcom and YSC Finalists! Meet other incredible teenagers by listening to our Teenage Tech Stories Podcast! ISSUE 17

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