Healing the Climate with a Single Morning Breath
Climate change is now an urgent global issue, affecting every country, city and individual. Yet understanding and action to protect nature remain limited, even as the UN, governments, and organizations implement policies that often fall short of their goals. The problem is not only implementation methods; at its core, many of us lack inner awareness of our relationship with the natural world. This series of articles offers a small contribution on how parents and children can make a meaningful difference—starting with a simple daily practice, a single mindful breath each morning that reconnects us to the planet and inspires everyday choices that help reduce climate impact.
Robin Nguyen
Part 6: Technology Driven by Growth is the Cause of Climate Change
We have gone through different stages of technological development—from machinery to the internet, and now to AI—hoping our environment would improve, but conversely, it has worsened. Climate change has reached a critical stage just as we attain our highest technological level: AI. At the same time, mental health problems and dangerous diseases are rising alongside this development. So, is technology the cause of climate change and human problems? It is technology driven by growth that is the true cause!
Here are a few concrete examples: When we developed machines, we destroyed the environment through more factories. The internet pushed everything to move faster and become more convenient, but it also widened the gap between the rich and the poor, leading to social instability as children and younger generations became addicted to games and social networks, resulting in shallow thinking, poor health, and diminished creativity. AI could be the biggest problem yet, as it threatens to take away most human skills, eliminate human connection, and decrease our intuitive consciousness. The consequences are conflicts, concentration of capital, and social division, all of which drive climate change. As I mentioned in Part 2: “Understanding the Connection Between Humans and Nature” humans are deeply connected to nature; when humans become spoiled, we spontaneously damage the climate, and vice versa.
Therefore, it is a crucial time to drive technology through service. For example, for many years, EdTech (Educational Technology) has prioritized convenience and speed for learners, but that approach has not fully met user needs. From day one, the IBI platform was designed around innovative instructional design, rigorous teaching methodology, and meaningful learner engagement—an approach we now call PedTech (Pedagogical Technology).
Similarly, consider using a robot to assist nurses in patient care. While the goal is to reduce workload, patients are human beings who do not just need mechanical convenience; they need genuine, human care.
Every day, I walk to a garden in my neighborhood to exercise, and I always smile at the gardeners. To me, that smile is a happy moment, and for an elderly man, it can help lessen his solitude. Just imagine if one day all of those gardeners were replaced by robots! It is a nightmare since all of those smiles can nurture the environment and plants around us, too.
I know our economic and social structures are already deeply ingrained and very difficult to change, but I hope this article may awaken some of us. Even taking small, step-by-step actions can help change this world, as I believe it will ultimately be guided by our true consciousness.
Author: Robin Nguyen