Slowing down runaway climate change requires a multi-pronged approach. The main efforts that we all know about focus on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. This is done primarily by reducing our electricity consumption (responsible for a quarter of all global emissions) or producing it in a cleaner way through renewable energy, producing less waste, minimising emissions from industry and vehicles, and shrinking the carbon footprint of our food production.

However, there are also a number of extra efforts concerning our infrastructure that can, and should, be implemented to reduce carbon emissions.

Build less, preserve more

When it comes to carbon emissions, cement is an often overlooked culprit, contributing as much as 8% to the global carbon footprint. The solution? Investing in new, more environmentally-friendly ways of producing cement, and, well… building less. 

It is vital to empower countries to do their very best to preserve existing structures rather than (re)building new ones, especially large infrastructure like bridges and dams.

However, infrastructure preservation is no easy feat. Over the last decade, up to a hundred or more (considering widespread underreporting in developing countries)  critical infrastructures have collapsed worldwide. A structure like a bridge has a lifespan, after which the construction materials it is made from begin to critically deteriorate.  Often, the structures that collapse are way over their useful life. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed swiftly. The concern here is that there are currently hundreds of large infrastructures that demand urgent attention.

The graph below is merely an example from the US. If we consider the other 195 countries (most with fewer resources than the US), the scale of the problem becomes almost overwhelming. How do we monitor and maintain all of them efficiently?

It doesn’t stop there. Ageing building materials are further crippled by added structural and ground stress from increasingly frequent extreme weather events, a phenomenon typical in this changing climate. Think sudden, heavy rainstorms or searing drought speeding up the natural weathering of materials and foundations. To compound the problem even further, our human-aggravated ground erosion tops it off. 

We continuously disrupt natural drainage and destabilise slopes through deforestation, urbanisation, and by building poorly planned infrastructure. Pile this on top of the severe weather effects and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Without ongoing infrastructure maintenance, collapse and the dire consequences of that are inevitable.

Thankfully, huge advances in Remote Monitoring technology have begun to empower industry to begin to catch up with long-overdue infrastructure maintenance, even in difficult to reach areas. That means infrastructure preservation is becoming much more viable. That’s both better for the climate, and better for preserving lives. Remote monitoring technology is also making it much easier to take life-saving action when an inevitable disaster does loom. 

Remote monitoring never sleeps

The upgrade from manual inspections to remote monitoring through digital monitoring systems is not to be underestimated. Such innovation not only redirects our limited resources towards more urgent activities such as maintaining or repairing failing infrastructure, but acts as an early warning system too. 

Early detection of degradation

The constant readings made available from smart systems such as Worldsensing’s LoRa connected monitoring sensors is an incredibly valuable tool, providing instant and continuous geodata – impossible to get from human inspections. For example, remote monitoring reveals immediately when a slope begins to become unstable, even if that movement is almost imperceptible to human eyes. By being notified instantly with this data, the right people can take action. Whether that’s geoengineering to stabilize the ground (e.g. rock bolting or other preventative measures) or taking other appropriate risk mitigation actions, it can save a structure from collapse. In more extreme cases when a landslide or major ground collapse is imminent and unavoidable, Worldsensing remote monitoring sensors are linked to alarm systems that can instantly and automatically initiate full-scale evacuation.

Remote monitoring can also be part of a flood prevention system, saving infrastructure from inundation and water damage. Apart from being a warning system, real-time monitoring data has infinite other capabilities. For example, informing reforestation projects by identifying areas most at risk of soil erosion or degradation.

Read More: When Mountains Move: Responding to Worsening Landslides with IoT

Less Cables, travel and habitat disturbance

Using the LoRa wireless network makes lengthy cabling obsolete when it comes to monitoring, providing even more benefits in terms of saved resources as well as the saved carbon emissions it would take to produce, lay and maintain these. 

Since Worldsensing remote monitoring devices have an exceedingly long battery life and excellent reliability, the need for in-person site visits is heavily reduced. Less inspection trips means less environmental disturbance. This approach is particularly beneficial for monitoring remote or ecologically sensitive sites, such as bridges in protected natural areas or dams near wildlife habitats. 

Read More: Using a cloud-based warning system to protect the Amazonian rainforest

What’s more, eliminating these cumbersome and sometimes even risky trips saves carbon emissions by cutting out unnecessary travel which is surprisingly significant. 

Securing carbon capture

Another area where remote monitoring will make a big impact is Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), another important prong in the approach to slowing climate change. 

In CCS, carbon is captured from industrial processes or the air and stored (injected) underground in places like depleted oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams or deep saline formations. These porous areas are under enough pressure to keep the greenhouse gases contained and can soak up CO2 like a sponge. Since a defective well or unmapped fault could allow gasses to escape, detection of gas leaks is paramount.

Remote monitoring of elements in the groundwater (such as Manganese) could be a powerful way to enable mitigation and prevent CO2 contamination. Furthermore, remote monitoring the structural integrity of injection wells is key to preventing a leak in the first place, which is why industry has begun to implement Worldsensing downhole monitoring equipment in CCS sites.

Monitoring sustainable energy management

As mentioned, electricity production from burning fossil fuels involves vast amounts of carbon emissions. Promoting sustainable energy use is of course paramount. Worldsensing has demonstrated that IoT monitoring devices powered by solar energy can oversee the energy consumption of buildings. These systems provide detailed insights into energy usage patterns, enabling the optimization of energy consumption. In urban areas, where energy demand is high, such systems are invaluable. By identifying inefficiencies, building managers can reduce energy waste, lower operational costs, and minimize their carbon footprint. 

Worldsensing has also validated a remote dirt sensor for solar panels. A solar panel only works at full capacity if it is free of dust and debris. Now, when a panel needs to be cleaned, the right people can be notified immediately – erasing the need for manual inspections or having the panel run at reduced efficiency for extended time periods.  To reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, we must do all we can to capture renewable energy. Remote technology is a way to help solar panels capture solar energy more efficiently. Picture the scope of this technology when used on every building with solar panels, or whole solar farms. A small device, but a huge potential impact.

Remote monitoring: Our environmental ally

Action is imperative to slow and withstand our rapidly changing climate. It is vital to use many simultaneous approaches, to address such an enormous and very real issue from all sides. Remote monitoring plays a crucial role in helping preserve infrastructure, securing carbon capture and promoting sustainable energy use. Although the reality we face with climate change is daunting, remote monitoring is our ally in protecting the environment, lowering carbon emissions and safeguarding ourselves. One thing is certain, the demand for remote monitoring for all sorts of uses is absolute, and the race to implement these devices globally is on.