THE EFFECT OF THE METAVERSE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
The Metaverse is indeed the vision and the great next leap that our world is going to undergo. Like evolution, it is going to bring about massive changes in the world as the real one is slowly blending into a digitized realm very soon.
This augmentation has gained more momentum with the onset of the pandemic. Netizens have witnessed a whole new experience when it comes to the world of the internet. Many have shared their experiences and have narrated that they have not come across any striking difference, which shows how seamless the two worlds seem to be. Systems such as virtual reality and other AI technologies are being implemented in the field of Metaverse to intensify its advantages.
The best features of the Metaverse include that it would considerably reduce the issues with commuters; thus, there would be less traffic, fewer accidents on roads, fewer pollutants in the environment and thus fewer effects of global warming. This would enable people to work from any part of the world, which would save more time and the greater expenses that are related to it. Overall, it would not only help the people that are eventually associated with or using this technology, but would also have a better impact on the environment as it would help reduce the amount of carbon footprint and improve the quality of air. For instance, last year, Fortnite, a highly popular computer game, organized a virtual concert by rapper Travis Scott that was virtually attended by over 12 million people from all over the world.
There cannot always be benefits rendered from a technology, hence it comes with a fair share of downsides as well. The Metaverse would surely decrease the pollution caused to the environment. However, if there was a rampant adoption of the Metaverse on every device, it would have detrimental impacts on society. This is because operating such systems requires a gigantic amount of energy, which could have a significant effect on the environment. Reports have suggested that training a single AI model can generate around 626,000 pounds of carbon monoxide which is more than five times the output of an average car.
The future would surely have Metaverse as an integral part of it. However, governments and private business owners should take a step towards creating and providing a green and clean renewable energy resource. Companies like Facebook have already committed to achieving net-zero emissions globally by 2030. Reliance has also invested around 75,000 INR to bring about a dire change in the next three years.