Written by Christian Kurrer, with James Tarlton
Technological developments, even those still at an early stage, could massively impact our lives in the very short- or longer-term future. To draw attention to ten specific technologies, but also to promote further reflection about other innovations, EPRS is publishing ‘Ten more technologies which could change our lives‘ – a follow-up to its 2015 ground-breaking publication ‘Ten technologies which could change our lives – potential impacts and policy implications‘. Each chapter highlights a particular technology, its promises and potential negative consequences, and the role that the European Parliament as co-legislator could, and should, play in shaping these developments.
‘Ten more technologies which could change our lives‘ presents ten additional technologies that increasingly require policy-makers’ attention. This report, like its predecessor, feeds into the work and priorities of the Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Panel and parliamentary committees. The topics chosen for the new publication:
- Electric cars
- Intelligent urban transport systems
- Maglev transportation
- Wood
- Precision agriculture
- Quantum technologies
- Radio frequency identification tags
- Big data and health care
- Organoids
- Genome editing
illustrate the wide range of EPRS and STOA’s focus on techno-scientific topics in the first half of the EP’s 8th legislative period; including eco-efficient transport and modern energy solutions, sustainable management of natural resources, the potential and challenges of the information society, and new technologies in the life sciences.
Tell us what other important technological developments you see that might have a significant impact on the way we live in the future, and that would require European policy-makers’ attention, by leaving a comment below or completing our feedback questionnaire.
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