– Member Academies – All

01 Mai MEGATRENDS – The forces likely to shape work, employment and society in Ireland to 2040 and beyond

Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE)
2023
Megatrends, Download file Voltaire said the present is pregnant with the future and this is surely true of the intersecting forces, plans and events or “trends” that will shape Ireland’s society and economy over the medium term (2040 plus). The likely effects of some of these trends are already evident and others still have to reveal themselves more fully. In addition to the trends factors such as our current base of employment, existing national and sectoral plans as well as natural aspirations for a better society will all likely have a bearing on the shape of the future Ireland... . Executive Summary 1. Context
  • 1.1 Introduction
  • 1.2 Ireland’s Current Business Model
  • 1.3 Are We Over or Under-Educated?
  • 1.4 Irish Government Macro-Planning
  • 1.5 Global Megatrends
2. Exploring the MegaTrends
  • 2.1 Decarbonisation and Climate Change
  • 2.2 New Technology
  • 2.3 The Fourth Industrial Revolution - Industry 4.0
  • 2.4 The Circular Economy
  • 2.5 Remote Working
3. Conclusions and Recommendations.
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24 Nov Energy and Climate Change – Publication

Real Academia de Ingenieria (Spain) (RAI)
2022
The title: Energy and Climate Change The date of publication: Authors: Eloy Álvarez Pelegry Main themes: Energy Nature of publication: Joint sessions with other Royal Academies Report availability (link, paper version...): Link, paper. The conference given by Mr Eloy Álvarez Pelegry about Energy and Climate Change on the occasion of the joint session held by the Royal National Academies of Pharmacy, Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, National Academy of Medicine and Engineering, with the participation of academicians from each of them. http://www.raing.es/es/publicaciones/informes/energ-y-cambio-clim-tico
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01 Déc Generation Equation

Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering (IVA)
2021
What motivates young people to want to learn? What kind of knowledge creates meaning - both for the individual and for building a sustainable and democratic society? With Generation Equation we aim to investigate Swedish students' attitudes towards knowledge and learning, with a particular focus on science, mathematics and reading. Generation Equation is produced by IVA's Future Knowledge Society project, whose vision is a society where knowledge empowers people to build a better world for all. The report is based on both international and Swedish studies. It is divided into three main chapters: how enjoyable or interesting young people perceive learning to be; how they perceive their own abilities and situation, for example in relation to self-confidence and stress; and how they see the benefits of what they learn for the future. IVA concludes by identifying several themes and challenges where IVA finds a need for future discussion. One example is whether a broader perspective on possible educational and career paths for young people can be mobilised, in the light of society's major common challenges and rapid developments. The report is available in Swedish.
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01 Déc Agenda for sustainable water supply

Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering (IVA)
2021
Access to clean water is a challenge for sustainable development in Sweden as well as globally. IVA's Sustainable Water Supply project addresses the following issues related to water supply of freshwater in Sweden - climate change, water supply in urban environments, water cycles and water management. Ten areas where challenges to the common water resource exist in Sweden today are identified, including the lack of time perspective in planning, and managing water issues. Several keys to more effective water management and water supply follow, including the need for collaboration and synchronisation between more stakeholders going forward. IVA concludes with ten policy proposals on what should be done in Sweden to meet current and future water challenges, including developing knowledge and models on how climate change affects water resources, giving river basins a central role in planning, and initiating Water Plan 2045, a national long-term strategy for water resource management. The proposals are presented in a ten-point agenda - the Agenda for Sustainable Water Supply. The report is available in Swedish.
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14 Juin Technology Outlook 2021

Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
June 2021
Authors: Claudia Schärer et al. Main themes: early identification, technology Nature of publication: study SATW’s key mission of early identification comprises the detection, description and assessment of technologies that will be significant for Switzerland’s economy and society in coming years1. Every two years, these activities are wrapped up in the publication “Technology Outlook”, which in 2021 has reached its fourth edition. The Technology Outlook 2021 builds on the 2019 edition. The technologies described back then have been newly assessed with regard to their technological maturity. Those having a time horizon of less than three years till market maturity have been excluded. In collaboration with SATW’s two early identification bodies, we have identified new relevant technologies that will gain significance in Switzerland and that correspond to the targeted time horizon of at least three years until product maturity. The Technology Outlook 2021 presents a total of 45 technologies and areas of application. For this edition, SATW has again collected quantitative data on the different technologies and used the four-quadrant diagram “Economic significance of technologies for Switzerland / Available research competence in Switzerland”. This allows for the first time to identify certain trends.
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14 Juin Autonomous mobility

Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)
2021
The future aim of highly and fully automated vehicles with corresponding drive systems is to free drivers from often tedious tasks, eliminate them as a source of danger, and make more efficient use of infrastructure. They require an almost unimaginably high level of digitalisation, artificial intelligence usage and innovative networking to enable extremely complex systems to emerge. Autonomous vehicles are currently at an early stage of development, planning or even testing. Details of initial authorisations and commercial availability are still far off: sceptics dismiss this as just hype, proponents talk about it soon becoming a reality. This is supported by billions in investment from large countries such as the USA, China, and Germany, as well as gigantic technology and service conglomerates such as Alphabet-Waymo, Uber and leading automobile manufacturers. A realistic timeframe seems to be 20 years until highly automated vehicles penetrate the market, with at least 40 years for fully automated versions. Autonomous shuttles, taxi fleets, computer-guided lorry convoys and traffic on the outskirts of major cities will most likely lead the charge. The small brochure provides a detailed overview of the current challenges on a technical, legal, environmental, and social level, and shows some potential benefits.
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25 Mai Bending, but not breaking

The title: Bending, but not breaking
2021
Authors: Anna Mauranen, Eva-Mari Aro, Riitta Hari, Sirpa Jalkanen, Markku Kulmala, Arto Mustajoki, Risto Nieminen, Ilkka Niiniluoto, Kari Raivio, Jorma Sipilä, Kirsi Tirri, Pekka Aula, Jaakko Kuosmanen and Rosa Rantanen Main themes: The statement presents views on Finland's crisis resilience based on the lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic crisis, with the goal of a strong and resilient Finland. The statement looks further into the future, rather than focusing on the short-term recovery from the current crisis. The statement invites us to discuss ways of improving crisis resilience at the individual, community and societal levels. Nature of publication: Statement  
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23 Avr From system-level to investment-level Sustainability. An epistemological one-way street

A report of the Royal Academy of Belgium
2021
Authors: Max Krahé. Main themes: public investment in private enterprises, advancing socially and environmentally sustainable development.  
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23 Avr Du partage de la connaissance et de la promotion d’une « science ouverte » / On sharing knowledge and fostering « open science »

A report of the Royal Academy of Belgium / Un rapport de l'Académie royale de Belgique
2020
Authors: Document stemming from the work undertaken by the “Dissemination of Science” Group of the Royal Academy of Belgium, headed by Erol Gelenbe and comprising Guy Brasseur, Luc Chefneux, Véronique Dehant, Véronique Halloin, Jean-Paul Haton, Michel Judkiewicz, Bernard Rentier and Romain Weikmans. Main themes: dissemination of knowledge in the context of reducing the climate footprint.
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07 Avr Significant Gas Fired Generation Required During Transition To Zero Carbon

Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE)
2021
National Energy and Climate Plan, Download file The Irish Government has adopted a challenging target of having 70% of the country’s electricity produced from renewable sources (mainly wind and solar) by 2030. In its newly published report, ‘The Challenge of High Levels of Renewable Electricity in Ireland’s Electricity System’ The Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE), seeks to identify the risks in the transition to renewable electricity and recommend prudent actions by policy makers. There is broad agreement that long term decarbonisation of the planet’s energy systems requires a major shift to electricity as an energy vector. Ireland is planning to have nine hundred thousand electric vehicles on the road by 2030 as well as six hundred thousand heat pumps. Don Moore says “In this context, a failure of the power system would have a catastrophic effect on normal economic life. In order to maintain necessary reliability standards while replacing coal, oil and peat generation, Ireland will require significant gas fired generation for the next two decades.” Gas consumption will reduce as generating units will operate with lower load factors, but peak gas demand for power generation will be significantly more than today. Don Moore states that “Power system reliability is therefore critically dependent on secure primary energy supplies (natural gas) to the Island of Ireland”. By 2030, the island of Ireland will be almost totally dependent on Great Britain (GB) for its gas supply. GB in turn will import up to 75% of its gas due to declining North Sea production. In the Academy’s view, developing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Ireland is highly advisable to ensure secure, diverse and cost-effective gas supplies. There are several major LNG exporting counties, such as Qatar, Algeria, Nigeria, and Russia which have enormous gas reserves, and Don Moore says “ Ireland is one of the very few maritime countries in Europe which does not have an LNG import facility”. The global LNG market is now extremely competitive with over 20 exporting countries and more than 40 importing countries. Alternatives to gas fired generation to support 70% renewable electricity have been proposed, these include: • Pumped Hydro Storage • Compressed Air Storage • Battery Storage • Carbon Capture and Storage • Increased Interconnection • Hydrogen Fuel Options • Biofuels • Marine Energy (Wave/Tidal) • Nuclear Power The Academy’s considered conclusion is that none of these options can be implemented on a scale that would significantly reduce Ireland’s gas fired generation by 2030.
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