Trends Identified

Sustainable consumption and production
We are used to see consumption as a key driver of economic activity. Its current level, composition, associated production methods and resource use are not sustainable though. The distinction between consumers and producers is becoming increasingly blurred together with the dichotomy of goods and services allowing efficiency gains through shifting from ownership of products to use of services. Monitoring technologies will make citizens more aware of resource use and could change behaviours. Advanced manufacturing helps to pave the way towards an industrial renaissance in Europe while aging populations will be a driver for new products and services across various sectors. There may be trade-o s between environmental issues and new ways of accessing and using resources for an increasingly urbanised population.
2015
Preparing the Commission for future opportunities - Foresight network fiches 2030
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Sustainable design of communities
Applying green construction to multiple buildings at once has the potential to revolutionize the amount of energy and water we consume. Sending locally-generated solar power to a smart microgrid could reduce electricity consumption by half and reduce carbon emissions to zero if a project currently under development at the University of California at Berkeley Goes to plan. Meanwhile, the same project’s plan to re-design water systems so that waste water from toilets and drains is treated and re-used on site, with rainwater diverted to toilets and washers, could cut demand for potable water by 70%.
2017
These are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2017
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Sustainable land-use
Known technical solution areas which require innovation to realise their potential and enable scale of deployment: Land-use transparency, Low-emissions agriculture, New-techniques in forest management, Reduced losses in the supply chain, Soil sequestration, Low-emissions sources of protein, Reduced emissions from livestock, Reduced deforestation.
2017
Innovation for the Earth - Harnessing technological breakthroughs for people and the planet
PWC
Sustainable production and consumption
Known technical solution areas which require innovation to realise their potential and enable scale of deployment: Circular economy recycling solutions e.g. cradle to cradle, Sharing economy, Reduced waste and energy production, Clean chemicals, steel, cement, and paper production, Extreme durability for energy-intensive products and materials, Extreme efficiency of IT/Data centres, Supply chain transparency, CO2 extraction from manufacturing.
2017
Innovation for the Earth - Harnessing technological breakthroughs for people and the planet
PWC
Sustainable resource management and harvesting
The new technologies – particularly sensors, data analytics, AI, drones, robots and synthetic biology – could usher in a new era for the sustainable management and harvesting of forest and fish resources. Together, these tools could allow resource managers and government overseers to monitor ecosystem and resource health, to develop more ecological planting and harvesting strategies, and to quickly identify and implement targeted interventions. Being able to see the whole system would improve planning, investment and public accountability.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Sustainable shipping
International trade relies on shipping, and despite technological improvements, emissions continue to increase as trade increases. Decarbonising short-haul shipping is an expanding market opportunity driven by developments in battery technology and alternative fuels, with the potential to help the sector’s low-carbon transition.
2018
Global opportunity report
DNV GL
Swarm robotics
Example of Organizationsactive in the area: SRI International (US).
2018
Table of disruptive technologies
Imperial College London
Synchronous Interactions
The success of HQ Trivia, a game with shows scheduled for specific times, “harkens to olden days,” says Siegler. “When people were forced to listen to the same thing, or watch the same thing on TV, dating back to the game shows of the ’50s, when people gathered around, or even more recently to Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. It’s antithetical to the way social networks have been predominantly used, connecting people but doing so asynchronously. What if there’s a desire for people doing the same thing at the same time in a connected way?”
2018
The Most Important Tech Trends Of 2018, According To Top VCs
Fast Company
Synthethic biology
Inter-disciplinary branch of biology applying engineering principles to biological systems. The market for biotechnology already exceeds $80Bn/year.
2017
Innovation for the Earth - Harnessing technological breakthroughs for people and the planet
PWC
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology may be the least known and most “disruptive” of the technologies in this study. In essence, it is the application of engineering principles to biology. It draws on a number of existing technologies to design and construct new biological systems that produce useful products or serve useful purposes. Current so ware helps bio-engineers use a growing online library of “biobricks” to design new genetic functions. Biobricks can be assembled by robots, or digital DNA les can be sent to a DNA printer; in either case, the new DNA is inserted into a living cell. The technology is proving to be very efficient.
For example, when genetic engineering (which modifies only a few genes at a time) was used to develop
a yeast to produce precursors to the an malarial drug, artemisinin, it took 150 person-years of work and $25 million. Using biobricks, however, a lab of 12 people produced 12 biological systems of comparable complexity in 3 months. Working in this field is becoming easier for researchers at all levels.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada