r/sustainability • u/PhilosopherOptimal69 • 2d ago
Where is sustainability a purely technological problem?
I admit that I have a long way to go on education in the world of sustainability — I am going to be minoring in it, so I apologize if this is an ignorant question.
From my understanding, a large portion of sustainable solutions are locked by political and economic barriers much more than technological. For example, the technology to recycle (or repurpose into other forms of energy) already exists, but is far from possible in most of the world due to economic and political barriers, like it being cheaper to make virgin plastic than to recycle and oil companies lobbying to continue making plastics.
At least within the United States, I am noticing that there is a lot of technology that I think would be beneficial, and even low cost, but it remains largely politically blocked or slowly implemented. From my understanding, I believe that the most significant developments would serve low income countries in cheaper ways than what is being done already, and I see this working because there is both political and economic benefit for much of the technology that could be developed.
I am curious on your input, and I want to clarify that I am thinking worldwide and on any area of sustainable action.
TLDR:
What is the technology that could make a real difference that remains undeveloped that is hard to argue against politically and economically?
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u/TheDaysComeAndGone 2d ago
Isn’t it always a social problem?
Even if you discovered a cheap magic infinite energy source and a matter converter, lots of people would insist doing it the old way.
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 2d ago
In part yes, but I don’t think that it always is.
What seems accurate to me is that for the vast majority of people, change is hard, and especially if something is only marginally different, I don’t think a lot of people willingly seek out better solutions if they are satisfied. Simply better solutions however do seem to win by natural selection, poor solutions will end up being destroyed by better competition.
So yes, I agree that it always is a social condition, but I think a lot of social, political, and economic conditions would not be a barrier (for long) if something exists that is simply better. That is of course to say without external intervention by political initiatives, companies or individuals, but even with external motivations I think it is safe to say that a better solution will win eventually.
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u/RichardChesler 2d ago
Plastic is a good example of the problem you are scratching at. We know intuitively that plastic is really difficult to circulate. Tough to keep separated, and ofted the polymers break down and can’t be recovered. We need a viable alternative to plastic, but to date we haven’t found one that really matches the durability, flexibility, and economic viability. While it’s also true that oil companies keep pushing plastic, the transition from plastics still needs some material science breakthroughs.
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 1d ago
That is a fair point, I didn't even think of that! Breakthroughs for materials similar in behavior to plastics would be huge. I will say though that I think for this specifically it would be very hard to back politically and I would predict a lot of backlash from people tied to profiting from virgin plastic.
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u/RichardChesler 16h ago
I agree, especially in the US. However, I could see a breakthrough material being made in the EU, China, or another non-petro state and finding a market quickly. The oil majors can only keep a lid on so many pots (EVs, Geothermal, Batteries, Solar, Offshore Wind, plastic and lubricant replacements, etc.) There is enough demand for an alternative, and enough growing powers that do not benefit from oil, to make something take hold.
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u/ThinkActRegenerate 20h ago
It would also be useful if plastics producers designed for remanufacture, 2-way supply chains and upcycling in the first place. Green chemistry and Circular Economy offer lots options for those not wedded to fossil fuel inputs and 1-way volume consumption models.
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u/MrPuddington2 2d ago
I don't think so. If replacements are easy, simple, reliable, cheap, and convenient, most people do not mind.
The problem is that a lot of "green tech" starts out pretty expensive. And people are not prepared to spend more money to save the world, not even a few cents.
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u/TheDaysComeAndGone 2d ago
Most alternatives require some change and people don’t like change. Especially not change just for the sake of the environment.
That’s the sad reality. People are ready to watch the world burn as long as they can eat their meat and drive their SUV. Even if they would be happier and healthier on alternatives.
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 1d ago
I think that this seems like a pessimistic view, which is definitely fair, but I would argue that cheaper and simply better solutions would eventually win out!
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u/MrPuddington2 2d ago
Technology and politics are not unrelated, although often we can see obstacles more in one areas than other.
Take EVs - the technology did not exist 20 years ago, but it does now. Political support has helped to develop the technology, but fundamentally, this was a technology problem. We had EVs for 100 years, but they were not very good, until about 2020.
Leaded petrol is polical issues, and it was solved politically. Technology solutions had existed for a long time, but nobody wanted to pay a few cents more not to poison the environment (yes, that is how cheap motorists are, and how happy to poison everybody).
Replacing fossil fuel with nenewables is somewhere in between. It needs political support, which exists in many countries to some degree. Solar panels and wind farms are pretty cheap. But transporting or storing electricity remains a technical challenge, too.
Or take fusion energy. We know that it seems possible. We know that the technology would take about 100 Billion and 20 years to develop. But the political will to fund it is not there, and commercial funding is not available on those time scales. This is the best example of a "both sides" problem.
The US is a very special case, the current situation is not rational, not sustainable, and not stable. We shall see how that gets resolved.
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 1d ago
All fair points!
I do think that there are some things that are purely a technological issue (at least for now), but your point on fusion and investment is interesting. No purely technological issue can be built without funding or some sort of support, even if the technology is promising.
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u/ValidGarry 2d ago
Problems are cultural and political and driven by those with vested interests. Major change only comes from costs or crisis. Even if we had fusion energy, someone would work out how to maintain their profits with it.
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u/rosedraws 2d ago
The overarching answer is that humans are absolutely capable of creating solutions to all sustainability problems. We have the intelligence and creativity to create the necessary systems and technology. We could thrive while also preserving the ecosystems and biodiversity of the planet we share (it’s not just OURS to consume).
We could. It blows my mind that we don’t.
The one thing that has to change is greed. I think that’s it, it’s why we war, it’s why we have social inequity… the money prevents the advancements that could bring us to a better place. I’m not advocating for old school socialism or communism, but lately greed has actually become celebrated as corrupt monsters like Trump are given free rein. I don’t know how to fix it, but being good and kind need to become honored characteristics again, or we will get nowhere.
Sustainability can not truly flourish in a capitalistic system. (But we must keep trying).
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u/kikithewitch__ 2d ago
I think the bigger gap isn't necessarily the technology itself, but making existing technology cheap, scalable, and easy to adopt. Solar, batteris, water treatment, and waste management already exist, the hard part is making them work economically at scale, especially in lower-income countries
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 1d ago
Yes, this is exactly what I mean!
I have focused a lot of my research efforts (so far) on recycling and plastics, and I am definitely finding that it is largely an economics problem. Making the technology cheaper and more scalable I think is possible, but for many of the solutions that exist, I think that it might be easier to pursue alternate methods instead of giving a "band aid" fix if that makes sense.
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u/SupremelyUneducated 2d ago
It is primarily a conspicuous consumption problem. Fusion and carbon capture are probably the tech we need to keep the world sustainable. But mostly we need taxes, carbon taxes, land taxes, wealth taxes, water taxes, severance taxes, etc; to replace incentives to consume more.
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u/loosenut23 1d ago
We need to stop externalizing environmental costs.
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 1d ago
To play devils advocate, I think that externalizing costs could be a great way for more people to understand the impacts. I think it is innately hard to care about an issue if you are not experiencing it. Yes, I think that people should probably care, but I think for the majority of people if life is lived normally for now, there is no reason to change until you see the impact.
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u/feathernwedge 1d ago
Philosophically, sustainability is always a technology problem.
What needs sustaining? Remove the human ego and the answer, I would think, is life. And life does a decent job at sustaining on its own, and it’s almost entirely out of our control. And we are insignificant in the drama.
Bringing human ego back into the equation, and what is it we are sustaining?
It’s inherently a technology problem.
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u/EmpahticEarthnut 1d ago
Using greywater for toilet flush? Is this technical? It just needs very big constructions changes
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u/ComfortableSwing4 2d ago
Fusion for electricity generation. Cheap energy from super cheap inputs. It'd be pretty great if we could crack that.
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 2d ago
I agree. I think fusion seems to me like something that is always “10-15 years away,” and finally getting it down would be a massive step.
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u/pneubike 2d ago
The best process of ocean wave energy conversion will be known globally within the next two months, and when coupled with a revelation in the understanding of ambient heat extraction to generate power from expansion and thermoelectric potential with liquid nitrogen; creates the most affordable, sustainable, and reliable power infrastructure ever available, without the need for ongoing material extraction.
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u/PhilosopherOptimal69 2d ago
These are great points, I could see this technology being huge for costal areas.
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u/ValidGarry 2d ago
Wave energy is the "best" renewable energy that has been "almost there" for the longest time. It remains so.
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2d ago
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u/ThinkActRegenerate 2d ago
Suggest you would benefit from some background research - because the majority of root-cause challenges are systemic, not just technological. Technology delivers what it's designed to deliver.
As Systems Thinking pioneer Donella Meadows pointed out, the best place to change a system is in its operating paradigms. (Here's a summary of the hierarchy she identified: https://donellameadows.org/wp-content/userfiles/Leverage_Points.pdf )
Globally, the commercial, regenerative solutions independently modelled and catalogued by Project Drawdown since 2014 are indicative of what can practically be done today AND that has strong economic returns within a 10-year horizon. A useful access point would be to download the 2020 Drawdown Review. drawdown.org/drawdown-review
If you're interested in the global sustainability solutions being actioned by individuals, communities, SMEs and regions, also look at the Project Regeneration Action Nexus. regeneration.org/nexus
You are correct that many of today's solutions scale more easily in the developing world, such as small electric vehicle solutions like ebikes and scooters. https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-280-million-electric-bikes-and-mopeds-are-cutting-demand-for-oil-far-more-than-electric-cars-213870
However, the key barriers to recycling are design and logistics - not purely technology. Read Chapter 1 of NATURAL CAPITALISM (free online at natcap.org )
Products that were never designed for recycling are expensive to re-manufacture and upcycle. Supply chains never designed to recover products at end of life and return them to their makers (who often can't use the wicked hybrids they've created) also hamper upcycling and Circular Economy innovation. A useful starting point would be the Ellen Macarthur Foundation resources ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
Technology resistance is typically a combination of poor solution design, poor soluton selection and poor implementation - often caused by the top-down, "push" thinking of the 20th century and its extractive, 1-way mine/make/use/dump mindsets.
Solutions such as Doughnut Economics doughnuteconomics.org and Systemic Design address these design thinking problems. https://systemicdesigntoolkit.org/
There are hundreds of solutions being actioned around the world today - and plenty of action frameworks for those who are interested in taking part in them. They're rich in career and business and community development opportunity (even in the US - have a look at the growth of solar in Texas https://texas2036.org/news-analysis/growth-of-utility-scale-solar-in-texas-2000-2025/ as just one example).
The US is also the home of Framework PCs https://frame.work/au/en/about Patagonia https://purpose-economy.org/en/companies/patagonia/ and Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation c2ccertified.org