Technology

Technology plays a central role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The transformative power of technology can accelerate progress towards all the SDGs by driving economic growth, reducing inequalities, enhancing access to basic services, and promoting sustainability.

Under SDG 9, technology, particularly in terms of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a key enabler of industrial innovation and infrastructure development. ICT has the potential to drive economic growth by enhancing productivity, creating jobs, and fostering entrepreneurship. Moreover, it can contribute to making industries more sustainable by facilitating the transition towards smart manufacturing and circular economy models.

Regarding SDG 4, technology can greatly enhance access to quality education. Digital technologies, including e-learning platforms, can break down barriers to education, such as geographical distance, socio-economic status, and physical disabilities. They can also enrich the learning process by enabling personalized, student-centered learning experiences.

In the context of SDG 3, technology has a profound impact on health outcomes. Medical technologies, from simple devices like thermometers to complex systems like MRI machines, have revolutionized healthcare delivery. Furthermore, digital health technologies, such as telemedicine and mobile health apps, can enhance access to health services, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.

For SDG 13, technology offers powerful tools for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Renewable energy technologies can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while climate information services can enhance resilience to climate impacts. Furthermore, digital technologies can facilitate the monitoring and reporting of climate actions, contributing to greater transparency and accountability.

However, the benefits of technology are not automatic, and there are significant challenges to overcome, including the digital divide, cybersecurity threats, and ethical issues related to privacy and data ownership. Thus, policy interventions and multi-stakeholder partnerships are needed to ensure that technology serves as a catalyst for sustainable development and does not exacerbate inequalities.

This paper provides a detailed review of the physical mechanisms and resonance theories of WPT technology, performance enhancement methods, application scenarios, and future research directions, aiming to provide a comprehensive reference for relevant practitioners and researchers to promote the various applications of WPT technology in modern technology fields.

Mapping Innovations Patents and the Sustainable Development Goals report front cover
This comprehensive report produced by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) presents an extensive analysis of patents mapped to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Elsevier,

Sustainable Development of Renewable Energy: Latest Advances Production, Storage, and Integration, Advances Renewable Energy Technologies, 2024, Pages 401-412

This chapter aligns with SDGs 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by highlighting the roles of smart grids, renewable energy communities, information, and digitization, requiring technological, research, and political collaboration, in advancing the energy transition.

Large language models (LLMs) are positioned to become another destination for those seeking medical information. Consequently, the readability of these materials becomes an important factor in ensuring their effectiveness in promoting health literacy, given that the average American reads at the eighth-grade level. Supports SDGs 3 and 10.
This text ties into SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). It focuses on the development of biodegradable electronics using naturally derived conducting materials, which can help reduce electronic waste and promote sustainable production practices.
It is largely understood that climate mitigation (SDG 13) requires phasing out fossil fuels and switching to renewable energy sources which produce electricity (SDG 7). Is it better to directly electrify by e.g., developing electric cars, stoves, and freight, or to indirectly electrify by using renewable electricity to produce alternative fuels like hydrogen to power cars, stoves, etc.? This One Earth Research Article shows via modeling that for the EU an hybrid approach is optimal, with cars and stoves being electrified but shipping and chemical industry transitioned to synthetic fuels.
Elsevier,

S.C. Onwubu, Z. Obiechefu, T.H. Mokhothu, Ajay Kumar Mishra, 17 - The environmental sustainability of biowaste in bioplastic production, Editor(s): Ajay Kumar Mishra, Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain, Bioplastics for Sustainability, Elsevier, 2024, Pages 407-428, ISBN 9780323951999

This chapter ties into Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities and Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate action by discussing the environmental sustainability of biowaste in bioplastic production, including a life cycle assessment of bioplastic production from biowaste and a comparison of its environmental impact to conventional plastics.

The integration of comprehensive digital twins in laboratory environments heralds a paradigm shift, enabling a level of automation and data management previously unattainable. This integration promises to enhance the efficiency and scope of self-driving laboratories and pave the way for creating a general “artificial intelligence (AI) scientist” with universal capabilities.

The researchers examined the use of footwear that incorporates force-sensing resistor sensors to classify lower limb disorders affecting the knee, hip, and ankle joints. The outcomes of the study reveal promising findings for future gait analysis and injury diagnosis, and the potential of force-sensing resistors (FSRs) and machine learning techniques for improving the assessment of lower limb injuries, and thereby furthering SDG3.
In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Filip Neele, Lead Scientist at TNO in Utrecht, the Netherlands. They discuss carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as a “key” in energy transition and its role in supporting global sustainability.

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