A brand-new research study reveals that thinking about the point of view of “imaginary future generations” uses brand-new insights into sustainability and innovation, especially through the lens of hydrothermally produced permeable glass. This approach motivates long-lasting thinking, exposing a prospective future of plentiful renewable resource and sustainable innovation practices. Credit: SciTech Daily.com
Researchers at Osaka University have actually found that thinking about sustainability concerns through the lens of “imaginary future generations” offers important viewpoints on technological developments and patterns in society.
The world bases on the edge of an important ecological limit; the options we make today about energy, resources, and the environment will have extensive effects for the future. Despite this, the majority of sustainable idea tends to be restricted to the perspective of present generations.
In a research study released in Technological Forecasting and Social Change, scientists from Osaka University have actually exposed that embracing the point of view of “imaginary future generations” (IFGs) can yield remarkable insights into long-lasting social and technological patterns.
The Case Study: Hydrothermally Produced Porous Glass
The scientists arranged a series of 4 workshops at Osaka University, with individuals drawn from the professors and trainee body of the Graduate School ofEngineering The workshops talked about the state of future society and production in basic, and likewise took a look at one innovation in specific: hydrothermally produced permeable glass. During the workshops, the individuals were asked to think of this innovation from the point of view of IFGs, to envision how this innovation may be embraced in the future, and to evaluate its future potentiality.
Processes of producing utilizing hydrothermal innovation. Credit: Hara K, Miura I, Suzuki M, Tanaka T, Assessing Future Potentiality of Technologies from the Perspective of “Imaginary Future Generations”– a Case Study of Hydrothermal Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 202, 123289, 2024
“We chose hydrothermally produced porous glass for the case study because of the generational trade-offs involved,” states lead author of the research study KeishiroHara “Porous glass is incredibly useful as either a filter for removing impurities or an insulator for buildings. Also, it can be recycled into new porous glass more or less indefinitely. The problem is that making it takes a lot of energy – both to pulverize waste glass and to heat water to very high temperatures. There’s a striking trade-off between costs now and gains in the future.”
In the workshops, the individuals initially took a look at concerns including society and production from the point of view of today and were then asked to picture themselves in the shoes of their equivalents in 2040.
Flow of workshop (consideration experiment). Credit: Hara K, Miura I, Suzuki M, Tanaka T, Assessing Future Potentiality of Technologies from the Perspective of “Imaginary Future Generations”– a Case Study of Hydrothermal Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 202, 123289, 2024
Imagining a Sustainable Future
“The future the participants imagined was quite different from the future as seen from the perspective of the current generation,” discusses Toshihiro Tanaka, senior author. “Most groups described a future in which sustainability has become a central concern for society. Meanwhile, advances in renewal energy mean that energy is abundant, as are resources, as frontiers such as the moon and deep ocean are opened to exploration. In this context, hydrothermally produced porous glass comes into its own as a sustainable way to recycle glass, and the energy needed to produce it is readily available.”
Results of innovation evaluation based upon questionnaire study (Group A). Credit: Hara K, Miura I, Suzuki M, Tanaka T, Assessing Future Potentiality of Technologies from the Perspective of “Imaginary Future Generations”– a Case Study of Hydrothermal Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 202, 123289, 2024
The individuals were surveyed in between workshops and asked to rank signs associated with the future potentiality of the innovation. Interestingly, these rankings looked rather various after the workshops in which the individuals were asked to handle the point of view of “imaginary future generations.”
“We discovered that when the “imaginary future generations” approach, which has actually been shown to be reliable in helping with long-lasting thinking, was embraced, individuals viewed the expediency of this innovation in a different way, and their adoption situations altered appropriately,” states Hara.
The research study recommends that the easy act of putting ourselves in the position of future generations might offer brand-new viewpoints on concerns of sustainability and innovation, assisting us to reassess our top priorities and set brand-new instructions for research study and advancement.
Reference: “Assessing future potentiality of innovations from the point of view of “imaginary future generations”– A case research study of hydrothermal innovation” by Keishiro Hara, Iori Miura, Masanori Suzuki and Toshihiro Tanaka, 29 February 2024, Technological Forecasting and Social Change
DOI: 10.1016/ j.techfore.2024123289
The research study was moneyed by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
