A manifesto for algorithms in the environment

We are just starting to understand the effects that algorithms have on our lives. But their environmental impact may be even greater, demanding public scrutiny. Victor Galaz and colleagues present a new manifesto - the Biosphere Code.

Algorithms - step-by-step sequences of operations that solve specific computational tasks - are transforming the world around us. They support sophisticated search engines, voice recognition software, online transactions, data compression, targeted advertising and self-driving cars. But algorithms also shape our biosphere - the global ecosystem and its thin layer of life on our planet that underpins human development.

The influence of algorithms was already coming into focus during the mid-1980s when the "hole" in the ozone layer was discovered. It turned out that the hole been overlooked for almost a decade because extremely low ozone concentrations recorded by monitoring satellites were systematically discarded by the computer's algorithm. This delayed the response to one of the most potentially serious environmental crises in human history by several years.