[ EARTH ]
Resources & Sustainability
Earth’s material, energy, and ecological carrying capacity are finite; at the same time, intelligence and digitalization are constrained by data and compute. How to let technological progress benefit more people without exceeding planetary boundaries is a shared challenge for science, engineering, and governance. The following directions combine academic and societal value.
Few-shot learning, transfer learning, and efficient algorithms reduce AI’s dependence on data and compute, allowing more regions and institutions to gain capability at lower cost. Improving efficiency eases energy and resource pressure and helps narrow the digital divide and broaden access to technology.
Circular economy and closed-loop design reduce dependence on virgin minerals and fossil resources; bio-based, degradable, and high-performance substitutes lower environmental footprint. From urban mining to bio-manufacturing, efficient cycling and substitution are the basis for sustainable industry and consumption and matter for climate, ecology, and resource security.
Sensors, satellites, and AI for precise monitoring and allocation of water, energy, land, and biodiversity; smart agriculture, smart cities, and conservation. Getting more from limited resources while providing a scientific basis for policy and governance is essential for global sustainability.
The Earth system has physical and ecological limits; climate, ocean, and biodiversity are under great pressure. Understanding and respecting these boundaries, and developing restoration, carbon sinks, and protection technologies to balance development and conservation, is a responsibility to ourselves and future generations and a frontier of interdisciplinary science.
High-quality data and large-scale compute are concentrated in few hands, leading to uneven distribution of technological benefits. How to improve efficiency and foster openness and collaboration while protecting privacy and rights so that intelligent technology benefits more people and regions is a challenge at the intersection of technology, ethics, and governance.
Historically, resource use has risen with economic growth. Can innovation, circular economy, and institutional design increase welfare while reducing resource use and environmental impact per unit of output? The degree and speed of decoupling will determine whether humanity can prosper long-term on a finite planet.
Water, minerals, ocean, and climate are transboundary and intergenerational. Building fair, effective, science-based global and regional governance to avoid tragedy of the commons and protect vulnerable groups and future generations requires integration of politics, economics, and natural science.
Climate, ocean acidification, and biodiversity loss can exhibit tipping points and hysteresis; once passed, recovery is very costly or impossible. Identifying these boundaries more accurately and constraining behavior and policy accordingly is a core challenge for Earth system science and risk governance, and matters for the future of humanity and all life.
High-value use of waste, urban mining, closed-loop production and design. Shifting from linear to circular industry to reduce dependence on virgin resources and pollution and to provide engineering and systems solutions for sustainable consumption and production.
Bio-based and degradable materials, high-performance substitutes, green synthesis and low-carbon processes. Reducing the environmental footprint of materials and products while meeting performance and cost, to support sustainable manufacturing and consumption.
IoT, remote sensing, and AI for water, energy, land, and ecology; smart cities, precision agriculture, and conservation. Putting data and algorithms to work for resource savings, efficiency, and ecological protection and for public policy and livelihoods.
Monitoring and pollution control, carbon sinks and climate mitigation, biodiversity and restoration. Understanding the Earth system, assessing risk, developing restoration and adaptation technologies to provide a scientific basis for policy and society and to safeguard ecological security.
Developing efficient, scalable recycling and remanufacturing and design–use–recycle loops for products and materials to approach “zero waste” where technically and economically feasible and to reduce resource pressure and pollution.
Developing substitute materials and processes that are acceptable in performance and cost to reduce dependence on critical minerals and fossil resources, and improving efficiency so each unit of resource yields more welfare with less emissions and waste.
Building transparent, inclusive resource and environmental governance across borders and generations, combining science and policy so that benefits and responsibilities are shared more fairly and vulnerable regions and future generations are protected.
Deepening understanding of Earth system tipping points and irreversible risks; developing monitoring, early warning, and adaptation so that policy and behavior operate within safe boundaries. This is the scientific basis for harmony between humanity and nature and a responsibility to all people and future generations.