These Promising Technologies Give Us a Chance for a Sustainable Future

Five emerging technologies worth watching in 2022.

“All overnight success takes about ten years” — Jeff Bezos.

We often think that some innovations are developed instantly. But it’s far from reality.

Science and technology are powerful. But no groundbreaking discovery can happen overnight — they draw upon years of research and hard work.

Some of the emerging technologies will become a great success in the future. Others will fall short. We never know what will become the next big thing and change our lives forever.

In this article, I share the five promising technologies that can improve the quality of our lives and make them more sustainable.

#1 Direct air capture

Carbon dioxide is hugely responsible for global warming. To prevent that, we need to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Direct air capture (DAC) technology can do just that. It sucks carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air. It’s achieved through contact with chemical media, which is then stripped of CO2 through the application of heat.

While the technology is promising, it remains energy-intensive and expensive. The process needs to be powered by low-carbon energy sources. Otherwise, it won’t result in net carbon removal. This requires more investments in development.

Multiple companies have started developing similar systems such as Carbon Engineering, Climeworks, or Global Thermostat.

#2 Heat pumps

Heating buildings in winter accounts for a quarter of global energy consumption. The main resources for heating are gas, coal, and oil. If we want to become more climate-oriented, we have to find an alternative.

Heat pumps can move heat in either direction using the refrigeration cycle process. As a result, they can cool and heat your home with higher efficiency and lower CO2 emissions than heating systems powered by fossil fuels. Heat pumps can deliver 3 to 6 kWh of heat for 1 kWh of consumed electricity.

A San-Francisco-based company Gradient engineered a hybrid heating and cooling system for consumers that will be available this year.

#3 Vertical farming

A promising type of agriculture is on the rise. Vertical farming is the way of growing crops on vertically stacked trays. Vertical farms provide a controlled environment with more efficient lighting and the use of water.

They can be located closer to customers to reduce transport emissions and costs. The main advantage of this technology is an increased yield of the crop, given the decreased land requirements.

Several companies are already opening their vertical farms, such as American firm Aerofarms or a European company Nordic Harvest. The scaling of this technology supports the transition to more sustainable agriculture.

#4 Flying electric taxis

If flying cars sound like science fiction to you, you’d be surprised to know things are getting serious.

Several companies are already working on launching their eVTOLs which stands for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Some have already conducted the test flights, such as Joby Aviation from the US.

The main challenges on the way of air taxis are certifications and aviation regulations as well as the development of infrastructure in the cities and public adoption.

While some experts say the industry can be overhyped like the autonomous cars market in 2015–2018, this could be a big change in transportation and aviation.

Among other companies working on air mobility are Volocopter from Germany, Vertical Aerospace from England, and EHang from China.

#5 3D-printed houses

3D printing has many use cases in architecture and design, including building concept models and creating prototypes of new designs. Now we can take it to the next level.

We can build real houses using 3D-printing technology. The printer squirts out the material as a foam which then hardens. The house can be printed layer by layer and, if needed, transported and assembled.

While it might seem surreal, these houses are already a reality. Gira has already built its prototype model in Germany. Mighty Buildings and Icon plan to build the communities of 3D-printed homes in the US.

This technology can help build more eco-friendly homes and live more sustainably.

In Conclusion

Although many technologies are being developed today, not all of them will become a breakthrough in the future.

Here are the five emerging technologies that can change the way we live and make our lives more sustainable:

• Direct air capture can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Heat pumps can make heating and cooling buildings more efficient at a lower cost.
• Vertical farming makes a big step towards more sustainable agriculture.
• Flying electric taxis will change the transportation and aviation industries.
• 3D printing can help create more eco-friendly homes.

These technologies are not science fiction — they are already a reality. Only time will tell which of them will stick around to make a difference.

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