The shape of things to come

If we’re to restore the health of our planet, business as usual is not an option. Rebecca Smithers looks at innovations that could pave the way for more sustainable living in the future

Powering our homes

We all know that tackling climate change means dramatically reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and switching to cleaner, greener forms of energy. While we’re making progress by increasing the amount of renewable electricity we produce in the UK, when it comes to heating our homes, reducing our carbon footprint is more of a challenge, with 80% of UK homes reliant on natural gas for central heating***.

The Government has said that natural gas boilers will be banned in new-build properties from 2025, but what about the gas boilers we already have in our homes? The Government wants to gradually replace natural gas with hydrogen gas, a more environmentally friendly alternative that doesn’t produce carbon dioxide when burned. British Gas says we could see ‘hydrogen-ready’ boilers on the market by 2025, ready for the possible roll-out of a blended supply of natural gas and hydrogen and, eventually, a pure hydrogen supply to houses.

The switch to lower-carbon heating is also likely to include technologies such as heat pumps, which use heat from the ground or air around a building to heat it, and even district heating systems, which supply heat to many connected homes and buildings in a neighbourhood. Copenhagen is already almost entirely served by district heating.

To heat our homes more efficiently, we’ll also need to insulate them better. ‘In the UK, 40% of our carbon emissions currently come from our buildings,’ says Janine Michael, director of development at the Centre for Sustainable Energy. ‘Better insulation of our homes is key to not wasting energy, and this will make it easier to switch to cleaner heating technologies.’

Meanwhile, moves to incorporate more electricity-generating elements into our homes are also underway. Solar tiles are an established technology, while solar windows and even solar paint for use on roofs and walls could be commonplace. Also in the pipeline are artificial intelligence-based energy management systems that will help us cope, for example, with the variable nature of renewable energy and make storing it easier.

Getting around

Transport is responsible for just over a quarter (27%) of the UK’S total greenhouse gas emissions. ‘While the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars after 2030 will help electrify transport and cut carbon emissions, tougher action is needed,’ says Jenny Bates, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth. ‘The number of car miles driven needs to fall by 20% by 2030 to meet our climate targets and clean our air. Clean Air Zones, pay-as-you-go-driving and ending large-scale road building will help make this a reality, but how we redesign our local areas so that people choose alternatives to driving will be key to cutting planet-warming emissions, too. Having shops and workplaces within walking and cycling distance of our homes is one way to make this easier, while cheap, reliable public transport can be a good option for longer journeys.’

With 80% of UK firms adopting hybrid working since the pandemic†, we’re also likely to see a longer-term downturn in car and public transport usage by commuters.

Driverless vehicles could also shake up the current model of car ownership and lead to fewer cars being on our roads, if one car could be used to ferry around different family members more efficiently, for example.

Producing our food

Rethinking the way we produce the food we eat, as well as rethinking what we eat, will be essential to address environmental challenges including climate change and biodiversity loss. ‘This will mean limiting our use of fertilisers and pesticides and eating less and better meat,’ says Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association. ‘Organic and nature-friendly farming will be central to this, but other emerging technologies such as hydroponics (growing plants without using soil by feeding them on mineral nutrient salts dissolved in water) may also have an important role,’ he explains.

Other high-tech solutions could help slash food waste, including a plant-based coating developed by California-based company Apeel that prolongs the shelf life of avocados and citrus fruit, which is currently being trialled by Tesco and Asda.

Another innovation is the use of ‘vertical farms’, which see fruit and veg grown on vertical frames in vacant buildings and other dead spaces in towns and cities, meaning less land needs to be cleared for farming and food travels less. Meanwhile, insect-based animal feeds could be used in place of soya-based feeds, which have been linked to deforestation.

Changing the way we shop

Major supermarkets have been trialling in-store refillable grocery stations for some time, while Tesco has rolled out its Loop system to 10 of its stores. This allows customers to buy 88 lines from major brands such as Persil, Coca-cola, Heinz and Tetley Tea (plus 35 own-brand essentials) in refillable, reusable containers that can be used up to 100 times.

As well as helping to save the planet, this way of shopping could also save us money, says Sian Conway-wood, author of Buy Better Consume Less and founder of #Ethicalhour: ‘These “pay per weight” options give shoppers more control over the amount they buy and pay for, with the added benefit of reducing food waste and eliminating single-use packaging.’

Another change to the way we shop that’s likely to boom in the future is renting products rather than buying them. From furniture (John Lewis & Partners is already doing this) to fashion and gadgets, it’s a model that promises to reduce waste when no-longer-needed items are discarded.