This year’s CES panelists are talking renewable energy, and it is no surprise to many. 2019 had much of the world realizing the dire situation we are in while politicians ignored it or were just not up to the task. The CES conference, held every year in Las Vegas, focuses on the latest tech innovations. At the conference, you could find everything from reusable packaging to atmospheric water generators. The products that will be on display at the conference seem to suggest that we can solve our climate and environmental problems while new companies capitalize on our situation.

Environmentally-Friendly Products

Since air-conditioning requires large amounts of energy and chemicals that are often harmful to the environment, Oxicool premiered a new system that claims to reduce electricity consumption by 90 percent. It uses only water as a refrigerant and, at the end of the unit’s lifetime, the water could even be drunk. The whole device is recyclable. According to the site MoneyPug, which is a platform to switch energy, this system could even make air conditioning more affordable in the future.

Another company that is making strides to improve the energy-efficiency and cleanliness of its products is Living Packets. Their new product is a reusable package with E-Ink screens. The box does not display the address, label, and postage, it can contribute to both reducing plastic waste and saving trees. The boxes have an internal mesh that rids them of the need for bubble wrap, polystyrene peanuts, and other wasteful packing materials. The boxes can be recycled, Living Packets refurbishes and recirculates them.

Rocean is a company based in New York City and is focusing on reducing our reliance on bottled water. By encouraging people to enhance their local tap water with a machine that filters, carbonates, and flavors the water, all in one machine. It is no surprise that clean water is a theme at this year’s CES. There is a water pollution crisis growing worldwide and shortages that will become an ever-present reality.

Zero Mass Water, coming from Arizona, is back at CES again this year. This company is doing the work to make clean water a boundless resource by generating it from the sun and the air. Their new product is the Source Rexi Hydropanel, which is a version of their Source Hydropanel generator the company premiered last year. The Rexi Hydropanel is placed on a roof, using solar energy to pull moisture from the air to produce fresh drinking water.

The Conference & Industry Focus

These are just a few of the companies premiering more eco-friendly products. The whole industry seems to be focusing on cleaning up the environment and making our lives more sustainable. The city of Los Angeles plans to carbon neutralize by 2050, although some say that this is not soon enough. With 30 years ahead and many investments available for this transformation, there is no reason that this shouldn’t be accomplished. It is, however, a large task. The city will need 192,000 charge stations, which means that 130 stations will need to be built per week. Cybersecurity is essential to the development of what is being called “smart cities.”

Technology is undoubtedly the way to make our world more environmentally-friendly and sustainable. Every tech company is looking for ways to be more eco-conscious and others are focusing on environmentalism as the fundamental component of their business. As the citizens of the world come to realize the full consequences of the way we have been living, the pressure is being put on big tech and our governments to actually do something to change the way we’ve been living. This is very reflective of the 2020 CES conference. For some, it doesn’t come a moment too soon. For those who are focused on the environmental stability of the future, they fear that it may already be too late. Whether you are in tech or are simply a concerned observer, there is a lot of potential for new technologies to solve our climate woes. While time moves into the future, we will bear witness to ideas and potential solutions. It is in our hands to support the politicians and companies that will help us move toward a brighter future.