Looking to the future

The world is in a process of constant change and development. Not only is technology advancing, but the environment as well as  political, social and economic systems are constantly changing. To respond, it is important to look into the future so as to recognize and take advantage of opportunities as well as detect and minimize risks to mitigate negative consequences. A forward looking and precautionary resource and environmental policy has to take into account not only megatrends but also emergent developments. We must detect and observe emerging trends critically in order to be able to design appropriate responses. This report was prepared as part of the project "Models, potentials and long term scenarios for resource efficiency (SimRess)". It presents developments and trends that may have an impact on the design of sustainable resource efficiency policy. These trends should raise awareness for future developments. They show potential opportunities but also the risks for the development of policy. This report is intended to illustrate what's coming our way and enrich the further development of the German and European Resource policy with new perspectives.