Technology in a Cold Climate (Report)

Technology in a Cold Climate aims to engender a greater understanding among the technology sector and policy makers about the role that technologies could play in meeting the UK’s ambitions and challenges.

The UK faces severe challenges that manifest themselves in the short term in a cold economic climate, in which unemployment is high and a large government deficit threatens to reduce public sector spending.Furthermore, in the medium term other trends such as a rising, ageing and unsustainably developing population are likely to lead to global problems: food, water and energy shortages.

The effects of anthropogenic climate change will almost certainly compound these threats. Together such challenges point towards an uncertain period in which resources are scarce and the threat of hardship looms large.

We suggest that in difficult times, the most valuable technological innovations are those that are versatile, purposive and enable society to become parsimonious and decentralised.

To contribute towards this aim, through a short period of research and validation we have identified some measures that could help the UK make more of technology in an economic climate of relative scarcity, uncertainty and adversity.