A World on Fire: AAI Foresight Report #2 (press release)
Cindy Wagner
Submitted by Cindy Wagner on
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - A World on Fire: New Report from AAI Foresight
A World on Fire
Submitted by tom on
Megafires are on the rise worldwide, due not only to climate change but also to approaches to combatting fires that paradoxically increase their likelihood. A panel of futurists and two wildfire professionals convened to analyze the complex, interconnected trends in wildland fires in the context of three different scenarios for the decades ahead. They concluded that wildfire managers and the communities they serve need a new approach for managing future fire risk, one that entails more resilience and a less combative relationship with nature. By Robert L. Olson and David N. Bengston.
Signals: Living in (Smart) Glass Houses... and more
Living in a (Smart) Glass House
Colder winters and hotter summers are why living and working in glass-fronted buildings is not smart. These beautiful but energy-inefficient designs are costly for owners and waste tremendous amounts of energy.
Marketing for a Better World
Tim Mack
Submitted by Tim Mack on
While I have written in the past about the revolution that the world of retail is undergoing, one interesting thing about the future is that it keeps unfolding. Like any lively crossroads of converging technologies, the principles of retail choice (or should I say persuasion) brings psychology, behavioral economics, and even neuroscience together with digital technology to change the mechanics of human decision making.
Signals: The Consequences of Adaptation... and more
Adaptation and Its Consequences
The efforts that societies put into adapting to climate change may in themselves put even more pressure on the environment, warns a study led by Carlo Fezzi of the University of East Anglia’s School of Environmental Sciences.
Nanotech and Cancer
Tim Mack
Submitted by Tim Mack on
One of the most encouraging trends in medicine in recent years is the growth of systemic approaches to problem solving, much like approaches in foresight. In other words, a range of factors often affect an outcome, each requiring a solution that must work effectively in combination with other related solutions.
Signals: Energy for Mars... Deforestation and Species Loss... Customers Too Engaged? and more
Harvesting Energy on Mars
A major technological hurdle to colonizing Mars is providing a sustainable source of energy for travelers and inhabitants. Researchers at Northumbria University are developing an engine that can harvest energy from carbon dioxide, which is apparently abundant on Mars in the form of dry ice. The breakthrough also means that a ticket to Mars need not be one way, according to scientists.
Jumping Technology Categories
Tim Mack
Submitted by Tim Mack on
Over the years, I have written concerning the unexpected consequences for companies of moving into technologies completely new to them, encouraged by their success in other, unrelated arenas. The illusion that success is a quality that travels with its recipient to new endeavors is a form of hubris that seems most endemic to areas like Silicon Valley in California.
Signals: Wave Energy... Unequal Inequality... Craft Villages... and more
Wave Energy Gears Up
Harvesting the power of the oceans to produce cheap electricity has long been a dream of green engineering. So far, however, wave energy has been hampered by the inconsistencies of waves themselves, which vary in timing and height, making it difficult to create a reliable conversion system.
Battery Challenges in Coming Years
Tim Mack
Submitted by Tim Mack on
Electric vehicles (EVs) continue to climb in attractiveness, with the Tesla Model S winning acceleration comparisons hands down. Their environmental advantages are clear, but the cost and recharge requirements of automobile batteries continue to stand in the path of broad market acceptance of EVs. Breakthroughs in this area are announced regularly; however, any celebrations might be followed by an “Oops!” announcement, or the “breakthrough” may gain no real momentum and just fade away quietly.
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