Sustainable Future: Technology, Energy, and Urban Development

Sustainability and technological adoption across two primary domains: Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies and smart city development. One source explores the industrialisation potential of various DAC technologies, such as Temperature Vacuum Swing Adsorption (TVSA), Aqueous Carbonate Capture (AWCC), and Electrochemical Swing Adsorption (ESA), by comparing factors like cost reduction through learning curves, energy demands, and material requirements, noting that while ESA has the highest theoretical potential, it also carries the highest uncertainties. The remaining sources focus on the integral role of digital solutions in smart cities and the circular economy, discussing how digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), enhance sustainability functions like monitoring and optimisation, and highlighting the need for strategic agendas, robust data governance, and collaborative public-private partnerships to overcome challenges like digital divides, skills shortages, and the environmental impact of digital infrastructure. Additionally, documents from the International Energy Agency (IEA) reiterate the critical need for global net-zero emissions by 2050 and the required acceleration of clean energy innovation, including carbon capture technologies, to meet climate goals.