A new wave of learning

I was in high school in the 90’s when the internet became a thing you could use at home.

Remember dial-up modems? 😍

As “computing” in general started gathering momentum, schools had to add computer departments and fit out rooms with computers kids could learn on.

There was a tech wave sweeping through, and it was clear that accelerated education was needed to prep for the roles and the tech of the future.

Today, the volume button on your phone can do more complex functions than those computers could, but learning computing at school in the 90’s and earlier, was a seed for many people who now work in app development, IoT, AI, crypto…

For a long time leading up to 2023, the climate wave has been building like the tech wave did.

Accelerated climate learning in schools, in private firms, and inside organisations is going to increase, just like it did with tech (as detailed in an often referenced report from Microsoft here).

It’s still in a kind of infancy, and many of us will be the first to take certain paths with climate action… It’s possibly why there’s a hesitation, or just an uncertainty, to getting started.

Today’s tech roles were probably a pipe dream at best in the 90s, but they’re completely mainstream now.

Farm equipment is guided by satellites; Garbage is sorted using AI; The Pope Tweets; You use a phone to order dinner and track it’s delivery to the minute. Completely normal.

Makes me think of a quote/meme I’ve seen a few times, not sure where it originated… But imagine Einstein comes back to life, and you’re explaining smart phones to him:

In my pocket I possess a piece of glass that is capable of accessing every piece of information known to man… I use it to look at pictures of cats and argue with strangers.

Tech that was barely a glint in someone’s eye 30 years ago, has become so synonymous with work and life now that we barely notice it.

Someone, somewhere is setting up a climate lab in a school that will plant the seed for the roles of the future.

Completely normal, mainstream roles that will be utterly mind blowing by today’s standards.

The difference this time is that we know what the roles will be.

Just like tech, climate will become synonymous with every role in work and life, that we’ll barely notice it.

(The awesome retro-tech image of the modem came from this equally awesome retro website that looks like it has remained unchanged since that modem was released. I love finding gems like this.)