STORIES THAT CHALLENGE AND MOTIVATE
Speaker and adviser focusing on digitalisation that promotes the environment, human rights and democracy.
Digitalisation gone astray
A talk that turns everything you thought you knew about sustainable technology upside down. Ørjan Stenseng takes you behind the facade of everyday digital life and shows how electricity use, water resources and minerals from conflict zones are the price we pay for technological progress. With insight, a love of storytelling and a twinkle in his eye, he conveys a serious message in an accessible and engaging way – and gives the audience the tools they need to think critically and act responsibly.
Learning outcomes
- Why digitalisation is not necessarily green – and what it actually costs the environment?
- How our consumption of electronics contributes to modern slavery and resource crises
- Why critical thinking is essential in the face of technological development
Mineral madness
A talk about how mining around the world destroys nature and the people who live there. The minerals that digitalisation requires have to come from somewhere. Unfortunately, this mining takes place in the Global South, and the consequences for the people who live there and for nature are catastrophic. Now we are seeing the same thing happen in the North, and here too it is the local population that suffers for "digital progress"
Learning outcomes
- Which minerals do we need in our daily lives?
- What structural and global consequences follow from our digital lifestyle?
- How businesses and individuals can reduce their digital footprint – and thereby the need for minerals
AI – friend or foe
Since Microsoft and OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, the use of generative AI has exploded. Today around 2.5 billion people use ChatGPT, and hundreds of millions use Gemini, Grok, Claude and other large language models. But how sustainable is this? And what happens to democracy when the internet is flooded with AI-generated content?
Learning outcomes
- Which natural resources does AI need?
- What is the consumption of electricity, water, minerals and land?
- How is democracy affected by our use of AI?
The green shift – how green is it?
We tend to call wind turbines, solar panels and electric cars the green shift. Or renewable power and zero-emission vehicles. But how sustainable is this? Locally, wind and solar power require enormous areas of land and contribute to the dramatic development of Norwegian nature, while wind power kills birds and insects. On the Helgeland coast, wind power is killing the eagle owl, and elsewhere too there is great conflict between the desire for power and the need to protect nature. At the same time, solar, wind and electric cars require minerals from fragile areas in the Global South. Here, immoral mining is carried out that is a disaster for the environment and the people who live there.
Learning outcomes
- Which minerals do we need for digitalisation and the green shift?
- How much nature does "the green shift" destroy?
- How is wildlife on land and at sea affected by wind turbines?
Social media – a threat to society and democracy
Social media dominate our lives, and more and more platforms keep arriving to ask for our attention. How does this affect society, and how sustainable are all the data centres that produce these services?
We thought the internet would strengthen democracy. Instead, it has become an effective tool for undermining popular rule and a direct threat to society and democracy.
When a few global technology companies decide which issues trend, which politicians get attention, and which voices are amplified or silenced.
Then someone has to dare to ask whether this is good for the planet, society and democracy. I dare!
Learning outcomes
- The algorithms are designed to maximise engagement, not truth or understanding. What does that do to our minds?
- The data centres that social media come from require electricity, water, minerals and land. How sustainable is this?
- Public opinion is no longer shaped in Parliament or in the town square, but in California and Shenzhen (China). How does that harm democracy?
Ready to challenge accepted truths?
Get in touch for a no-obligation chat about talks, workshops or panel appearances.