Dear [US Representative’s Name],
I am writing to you today to urge you to consider our need for legislation that promotes green software in app stores and social media platforms, as a way to combat climate change. As the founder of Sprocket, a bicycle marketplace, and having worked on growth and sustainability a number of years at Lyft, the largest bikeshare system in the United States, I have seen firsthand the impact that adoption of green transportation options via software is already having on decarbonizing our environment.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided clear and compelling evidence that climate change is already affecting every region on Earth in multiple ways. The effects of climate change are projected to intensify in the coming decades, with increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, sea level rise, and impacts on food and water security, among other things. The IPCC’s reports provide a comprehensive and authoritative assessment of the scientific evidence on climate change and its impacts. The technology industry has a critical role to play in addressing this crisis, and I believe that one effective way to do so is by mandating green software be promoted in app stores and social media along with green software creators.
Green software refers to software that is designed with environmental sustainability in mind. This includes optimizing energy use in transportation, reducing energy consumption, improving the efficiency of data storage and transmission, minimizing waste, etc. By promoting the use of green software, we can significantly direct attention of the general public towards these climate-benefiting services as opposed to much of the software available on the internet which does not meaningfully deal with addressing climate change or exists for purely entertainment purposes.
Given the urgent need to address climate change, I urge you to introduce legislation that promotes green software in app stores and social media platforms. This could be achieved through a range of measures, such as implementing a green category, badge or other highlight and surfacing green software in search results/suggestions where appropriate in a way that rewards apps and services that are designed for advocating for the advent of a sustainable climate. Offering tax incentives for developers who produce green software is another idea. In essence doing this would create a category of apps and app social accounts similar to apps/accounts that pay to promote themselves, but where they are promoted automatically by the platform simply because of their social good in slowing irreversible climate damage! ( ofcourse they would still be able to additionally pay to advertise in order to promote themselves )
In addition to the environmental benefits, promoting green software would also have significant economic advantages. The growth of the green tech industry has the potential to create millions of new jobs and drive economic growth, while also reducing the costs associated with many of the energy inefficient behaviors and technologies that exist today. Not to mention the billions in future savings we won’t need to spend as unstable and unpredictable weather disasters are exacerbated year on year.
I urge you to take action on this critical issue and thereby incentivize the rapid growth of a new competitive green software sector of the American economy. The tech industry has a critical role to play in addressing the climate crisis, and by working together, we can build a more sustainable future for all.
Thank you for your attention to this critical and time sensitive matter.
Sincerely,
7
Founder of Retrographic & Sprocket App 🚲
www.sprocket.bike/app
seven@sprocket.bike
