Sustainable Futures (Dec 2023)
New directions of technologies pointing the way to a sustainable global society
Abstract
One of the fundamental problems in modern economies is fossil-fuel pollution having detrimental effects on climate, environment and human population. The goal of this study is to identify and analyze new trajectories of technologies that can support energy and economic transition of countries for a sustainable development that reduces environmental pollution and some factors determining climate change. Results reveal that technologies with promising perspectives of growth inducing ecological transition are: offshore wind turbines and carbon capture storage and utilization (especially, electrochemical conversion and bioconversion of CO2), sustainable production of ammonia with innovations that reduce energy consumption, and finally cellular agriculture (cell-culturing technologies that produce substitutes for animal-based foods and bio-based materials with lower negative environmental impacts than conventional agriculture). These findings here suggest critical technological directions that support environmental sustainability and can guide decisions of policymakers towards R&D investments in technologies driving the transition from fossil-based systems of energy to renewable energy oriented systems in order to reduce fossil-fuel pollution and foster the outlooks of sustainable development.
