Code of Conscience by AKQA

The Amazonian rainforest is on fire, and the globe is taking notice of the manmade destruction being done. With that, it’s still difficult to stop humans from destroying the forests, but a new campaign is helping to stop the machines that cause that destruction, thanks to new technology.

In collaboration with global NGOs, agency AKQA has launched an open-source software called ‘Code of Conscience’ that restricts the use of heavy-duty vehicles in protected land areas like the Amazon.

Code of Conscience uses open-source mapping data from the United Nations World Database on Protected Areas – updated monthly by NGOs, communities and governments – in conjunction with existing GPS tracking technology that’s installed in construction vehicles, to autonomously restrict deforestation crews from entering protected zones. A small, low-cost chip has been developed to equip the code into older, non-GPS models, and the software is available for free to everyone at CodeofConscience.org.

To get the word out about the chip and the movement, chief Raoni Metuktire – the most prominent Native Brazilian leader and a living symbol of the mission to preserve the rainforest and its indigenous culture – was enlisted to speak in a video. In it, the Kayapó leader makes an impassioned plea to help save the forests, which he calls “the heart”. He states that he wants people to coexist, love and take care of one another, but that the greed for the wood of the forest is getting in the way of that aim, thus, the need for the Code of Conscience chip that turns off the heavy machinery when it enters a protected zone.