Science and technology have brought development and convenience, but can they solve environmental problems? The movie The Matrix explores this question from the perspectives of techno-optimism and eco-optimism.
The reality in The Matrix is a future where machines dominate humans. The war between humans and machines has devastated the Earth, and life forms have been nearly wiped out, leaving only humans, who are exploited by the machines and their energy sources. Human bodies are trapped in artificial matrices (wombs) created by machines, and their minds are controlled by the virtual reality program called the Matrix. In this situation, some humans begin to leave the Matrix and fight against the machines. They search for a hacker named Neo who has the ability to disrupt the Matrix and prepare for the liberation of the humans.
Many people may already know this plot from the box office success of the movie. However, what struck me when I watched the movie again was not the setting in which humans are dominated by artificial intelligence created by humans, but the environmental issues in the movie.
The problems of pollution and resource depletion, which have accelerated since industrialization, have become major challenges that threaten the survival of humanity. As a result, many people are concerned about environmental issues and are seeking solutions. However, perspectives on environmental issues vary from person to person. The two main perspectives are technocratic environmentalism (techno-pragmatism) and ecological environmentalism (eco-pragmatism), which were classified by environmental writer O’Riordan.
Technocratic environmentalism argues that science and technology are not directly related to environmental degradation. Even if technological development has caused environmental problems, the position is that instead of restricting or abandoning science and technology, it should be used to solve environmental problems. On the other hand, ecological environmentalism argues that if humans forget that they are part of nature and try to become masters of nature, they will eventually be harmed by the wounds they inflict on nature.
Before the issue of environmental problems came to the fore, people were fascinated by the incredible efficiency of machines and indifferent to the smoke they emitted. Even after the issue of environmental problems came to the fore, the priority was given to economic development, and humanity has maintained a techno-centric attitude. The power of capital created by machines has advanced them and increased their numbers. However, the sharp blade of environmental destruction that was overlooked in this process is now threatening humanity. So can environmental problems caused by science and technology be solved with more advanced technology, as technocratic environmentalism argues?
At present, environmental technologies are being actively researched all over the world. A representative example is green energy technology. Green energy refers to energy that does not cause air pollution or carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, considering the impact of fossil fuels, which are gradually being depleted, on human civilization, the development of eco-friendly energy technology is a very important task. At present, the most popular environmentally friendly energy sources are solar energy and nuclear energy. However, the dangers of nuclear energy are well known, and solar energy cannot completely eliminate the elements that threaten the environment.
Solar energy is the basic source of energy for all living things and ecosystems on Earth. Atmospheric and ocean currents are also caused by convection due to solar radiation, so in a broad sense, wind and tidal energy can also be considered a form of solar energy. Fossil fuels are also the result of photosynthetic plants in the past synthesizing organic matter using solar energy. So, if humanity can harness solar energy at will, will it be able to completely solve energy and environmental problems? Absolutely not.
It is said that it is only possible to generate enough electricity for the entire world’s population using solar energy in regions with abundant sunlight near the equator. Therefore, in order to supply energy to regions such as Northern Europe and East Asia, a transmission network connecting continents and oceans is required, which is not entirely environmentally friendly. Even if we assume that 100% of the solar energy reaching the earth’s surface is used, solar panels would have to be installed over an area the size of a single African country to meet the energy needs of the world’s 7 billion people. Building a solar power plant over such a large area deprives the creatures that once lived there of the sunlight they need to survive, and this is not environmentally friendly.
This techno-centric environmentalism not only fails to completely solve the environmental problems facing humanity, but also has the potential to create other problems and plunge humanity into an even more dangerous situation. The following scene from a movie illustrates these concerns.
“It is certain that mankind burned the sky. The machines of that time depended on solar energy, and they believed that without the sun, the source of their energy, they would perish.” (The Matrix, 1999)
In the distant future, humans created machines with artificial intelligence that mimicked their “minds,” and their arrogance reached its peak. However, when the man-made machines threatened them, the humans decided to destroy the sun, the energy source of the machines. However, they forgot that their survival also depended on the sun. Here, humanity has viewed the sun and all life forms that need the sun as mere resources from a strictly techno-centric perspective. The movie The Matrix warns of the disastrous future humanity may face if it adheres to a techno-centric perspective to the end.
