The city in “Float” runs on green energy, with all of the electricity generated by tidal power. The community uses technological advances to protect the planet – with the floats enabling them to create clean electricity – and also to keep young people safe. However, they do the latter through use of augmented reality, which is a very high-energy kind of technology that requires a lot of data. The characters think that this is an essential part of their lives, without giving any consideration to the incredible amounts of energy required to run this programming.
In our society, engineers are constantly creating new technology that everyone wants to try. Even if we are aware of how much energy we’re consuming, it’s very hard to stop wanting the latest phone models or tech upgrades. It makes us feel left out if we don’t get to travel on planes or have the new fashion trends.
But the best way to live sustainably is to reduce and reuse – only buy the things you really need, and make them last for as long as possible. It uses much less energy to replace an engine part on a car than to build a brand-new one from scratch.
We all need to think really hard about what is most important to us when we spend our money – do we only want comfort and luxury? Or are we willing to put in a bit more work, to put the planet first?