These Promising Technologies Give Us a Chance for a Sustainable Future

Five emerging technologies worth watching in 2022.

Photo by Danist Soh on Unsplash

“All overnight success takes about ten years” — Jeff Bezos.

We often think that some innovations are developed instantly. But it’s far from reality.

Science and technology are powerful. But no groundbreaking discovery can happen overnight — they draw upon years of research and hard work.

Some of the emerging technologies will become a great success in the future. Others will fall short. We never know what will become the next big thing and change our lives forever.

In this article, I share the five promising technologies that can improve the quality of our lives and make them more sustainable.

#1 Direct air capture

Carbon dioxide is hugely responsible for global warming. To prevent that, we need to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Direct air capture (DAC) technology can do just that. It sucks carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air. It’s achieved through contact with chemical media, which is then stripped of CO2 through the application of heat.

While the technology is promising, it remains energy-intensive and expensive. The process needs to be powered by low-carbon energy sources. Otherwise, it won’t result in net carbon removal. This requires more investments in development.

Multiple companies have started developing similar systems such as Carbon Engineering, Climeworks, or Global Thermostat.

#2 Heat pumps

Heating buildings in winter accounts for a quarter of global energy consumption. The main resources for heating are gas, coal, and oil. If we want to become more climate-oriented, we have to find an alternative.

Heat pumps can move heat in either direction using the refrigeration cycle process. As a result, they can cool and heat your home with higher efficiency and lower CO2 emissions than heating systems powered by fossil fuels. Heat pumps can deliver 3 to 6 kWh of heat for 1 kWh of consumed electricity.