Digitisation is not only transforming our society it is also having an impact on the environment: On the one hand, digitisation can improve the state of the environment for example through digitally optimised production processes. On the other hand, negative environmental rebound effects can arise, like a higher demand for internet-enabled products from which an increase in usage of resources and energy during production processes results. With this impulse paper, UBA shows where digitisation can create opportunities and challenges for environmental policy. In doing so, UBA aims to help shape digitisation in line with the guiding principle of sustainability. Source: www.umweltbundesamt.de
In the second horizon scanning process of the environment department, the following ten emerging future topics have been identified and elaborated that could be of high environmental relevance:Quantum computingCryptocurrenciesTechnological innovations on the way to climate-friendly air transportNew regionalismResilience as the basis of a sustainable societyMobile workGrowing through crises: The EU's changing scope for actionWorld (dis)orderShaping opinions in the digital ageThe future of inner citiesThe future issues presented in this report have been identified in the context of the Corona pandemic and Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine. The report thus includes entirely new future topics as well as already known future topics that have been influenced by the pandemic and the war of aggression, but have acquired a new environmentally relevant quality.