Use of Technological Advancements for Achieving Sustainable Future in the United Kingdom

This essay discusses the issue of sustainable development and its impact on the United Kingdom. It covers different ways of creating a sustainable future by using technological advancements. It also discusses various barriers to achieving sustainable development in the UK and the progress made so far. The essay also covers the role of AI and energy storage systems in resolving the energy crisis.

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Use of Technological Advancements for Achieving Sustainable Future
in the United Kingdom
Sustainable development is defined as a development which is focused on meeting the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet
their own needs. In today’s competitive business world, the importance of sustainable
development has increased substantially because corporations started to exploit natural
resources to expand their operations (Armenta et al., 2012). The natural resources are
scarce and there immoral use leads to increasing pollution which adversely affects the earth
and its resources. Therefore, the importance of sustainable development approach has
increased to ensure that companies are not able to misuse these resources and resources
are left to meet the needs of future generations (Griggs et al., 2013). The aim of this essay is
to understand the issue of sustainable development and its impact on the United Kingdom.
Different ways of creating a sustainable future will be discussed in this essay by using
technological advancements. This essay will focus on different industries in the UK to
understand how their operations adversely affect the environment and how implementing a
sustainable approach will result in resolving this issue. Various barriers to achieving
sustainable development in the UK will be discussed in this essay to understand how it
creates challenges for organisations, government and individuals to achieve Sustainable
development goals (SDGs). The progress made so far and innovative ways through which
the concept of sustainable development has been promoted by the government of the UK
will be evaluted in this essay. Recommendations will be given in this essay which can assist
in achieving a sustainable future by relying on technological advancements in the UK.
Sustainable Development Approach in the UK
The concept of ‘sustainable development’ spread throughout the United Kingdom since
1987 which focused on achieving the development of all nations. Although the popularity of
implementing sustainable development approach has increased throughout the UK,
however, there is still considerable debate regarding whether this philosophy is compatible
with current societal directors or whether it negatively reflect on the economy of the
country (Seyfang, Park and Smith, 2013). The government in the UK has promoted the
relationship between protection of environmental resources and economic development by

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introducing various laws and forming treaties with the European Union. A good example is
the Clean Air Act in 1956 which address specific problem of air pollution and provide policies
to protect wild life, damaged caused to resources and pesticide residues in wild life. Since
then the use of technologies and laws has increased substantially to ensure that the country
is able to ensure that corporations are sustainably using natural resources (Barnett et al.,
2012). A number of significant agreements are implemented by the UK government to
achieve the objective of achieving sustainable development approach. A good example is
the Climate Change Conventions and steps which are taken towards Biodiversity
Convention. Moreover, there are 27 general principles which are focused on supporting
‘Agenda 21’ as provided in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Haines et
al., 2012). In this declaration, there are 40 chapters which provide detailed
recommendations which country can comply with in order to achieve a sustainable
development approach. The contribution of the UK in these agreements shows that the
country is serious about implementing these approaches; however, these are not enough to
fulfil various environmental, economic and social issues.
Challenges in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The SDGs are also called global goals which are focused on taking global actions to end
poverty, protection the environmental resources and ensure that people are able to enjoy
peace and prosperity. Currently, there are 17 goals which are included which are successes
of the Millennium Development Goals (Sachs, 2012). These goals cover major areas such as
sustainable consumption, economic inequality, innovation, climate change, peace and
justice and others. However, there are various challenges which make it difficult to achieve
the SDGs; these challenges make it difficult for the government of the UK to ensure that
these objectives are achieved. The government has established the UK Stakeholders for
Sustainable Development Group (UKSSD) which is focused on measuring and taking actions
to achieve SDGs in the country. As per this report, there are 143 relevant targets which are
set by the country. From these targets, the 24 percent of targets are in ‘green’ which means
that they are achieved. Moreover, 57 percent targets are ‘amber’ which means that there
are gaps in the current policies or the performance of policies are not adequate (UKSSD,
2018). Lastly, 15 percent of targets are in ‘red’ which means that there is little to no policies

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implemented by the government to address the target or the performance of the
implemented policies is poor.
It shows that the performance of the UK is poor in terms of achieving these targets within
the appropriate timeframe. There are various social, economic and political challenges
which make it difficult to achieve these goals as intended by the country (Constantine and
Shankland, 2017). One of the key issues is the difference between the economic positions of
different countries which makes it difficult to maintain a balance in economic growth. These
targets range from manufacturing to retailing industries where companies have to take
measures to reduce their carbon footprint and ensure that they did not engage in activities
which can harm the environment. However, compliance with these guidelines leads to
reduction in the economic growth of the country. Many small businesses suffer loss in case
they invest in expensive equipment to run their operations without using fossil fuels which
resulted in slowing down the economic growth of the country (Markides, 2013). In the case
of developing nations, they cannot completely shut down their current operations to
comply with eco-friendly policies since it will lead to reducing economic growth.
The political pressure also makes it difficult to ensure that compliance of these policies is
ensured. A good example is Brexit which is a major political decision which will make it
difficult for businesses operating in both the UK and the European Union to comply with the
guidelines to achieve SDGs (Seyfang et al., 2014). There is lack of legal support to ensure
that these policies are enforced on parties. There are no strict laws which ensure that
companies comply with the guidelines of SDGs which enable them to avoid these policies.
This is especially the case in the UK where large as well as small companies easily avoid
sustainable development policies since they can bypass the laws or pay small penalties.
There is also lack of technological advancements available which can help these companies
to ensure that they effectively reduce their carbon footprint which makes it difficult for
them to implement a sustainable approach.
Role of Technological Advancements
There are billions of people who have unprecedented processing power, capacity, storage
and access to knowledge through their smartphones which leads to foreshadowing stunning
possibilities (Payne, Wharrad and Watts, 2012). The continuous technological advancements

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have multiplied the potential which assists companies in achieving SDGs such as internet of
things, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, big data processing, blockchain, 3-D
printing and others. The process towards achievement of SDGs has been accelerated with
the use of technology. For example, people living in developing nations have direct access to
policies of SDGs which allow them to take part in supporting those campaigns which are
targeted on fulfilling these goals. People can easily get access to information regarding how
they can use technology to improve their current process to reduce their carbon footprint.
In the case of the United Kingdom, there are more than 48.52 million users who have access
to smartphone and this number is expected to reach up to 53.96 million by 2022 (Statista,
2018). The smartphones are becoming smarter and powerful as well which allow users to
use them as tools to improve their current policies and procedures.
The popularity of social media sites has also increased awareness regarding the fulfilment of
SDGs since people are able to talk with each other regarding these issues and spread
awareness. This is a small step, but it goes a long way when it comes to ensuring that the
SDGs are fulfilled. For example, a recent survey finds that 73 percent of millennial customers
prefer to pay extra for goods and products which are sustainably produced and
manufactured (Curtin, 2018). It shows that companies can make investment in technologies
to conduct their operations in an environmental-friendly manner to achieve long term
growth. They are more likely to implement a sustainable approach in the business by
changing their manufacturing and operation processes which leads to reduction in their
carbon footprint. The customers in the UK also prefer to consume products which are
organic and manufactured by companies without negatively affecting the environment
(Aschehoug and Boks, 2013). The perspective of customers is quickly changing, and
technologies play a major role in the same. Along with the popularity of smartphone and
social media sites, there are many specific technologies which are targeted towards
achieving SDGs.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The development of AI is one of the most important moments in recent human history, and
the outcome of this technology is still to be determined. With the assistance of growing
correlation between researchers and innovators around the world, the development of AI

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will assist in benefiting the human kind by achieving SDGs (Milano, O’Sullivan and Gavanelli,
2014). Currently, the movement titled “AI is Good” is gaining momentum on the social
media sites which are focused on driving business and innovation ideas which AI can be
used as a promising tool for sustainable development. The AI can be applied in many key
areas such as Machine translation, computer vision, image recognition and classification,
natural language processing and analysis of data and pattern recognition. The question
arises how these applications can be used for achieving sustainable development goals.
These goals can be achieved by using AI in sectors such as energy and healthcare which will
open up many potential opportunities. For example, the AI can be used by evaluating the
satellite data for Global Fishing Watch. It is an initiative which was launched in late 2016 in
order to protect the world’s fisheries. This assist in fulfilling ‘Goal 14’ of the SDGs which is
focused on conserving and sustainably using oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development. This technology processes over 22 million position message every
day which is collected from more than 200,000 ships (Chiaretti, 2018).
The AI technology assists in detecting patterns that signify which vessels are fishing, when
and where. Due to the application of AI in this process, anyone with an internet connection
is able to see fishing activity anywhere in the ocean in a near real time. This facility is also
free for everyone that ensures that individuals and companies did not misuses resources
relating to oceans (Rauch, 2018). This application is used by people in the UK in order to
recognise the best location to catch fish from the ocean. Along with large enterprises, small
businesses are also able to use this technology in order to ensure that they sustainably use
natural resources. It also leads to the economic growth of the UK. Another use of AI in the
achievement of SDGs is the research project started at Stanford University. The university
compared high-resolution images which were taken in the rural areas in Africa and used AI
technology in order to identify infrastructure and characteristic features. The use of AI in
image recognition software assisted in the achievement of this objective which allows them
to predict how rich or poor certain areas are. The research found that the predictions made
by the university match with the data collected from these sources (Oshri, 2018).
This research proves to be an easy tool in order to track progress in Africa which assists in
eliminating poverty. This application assisted in achieving the ‘Goal 1’ which focused on
eliminating poverty in its all forms. The sustainable use of AI technology was highlighted by

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PwC UK in the Responsible Technology Policy which was launched by the company in April
2017. The objective of this report is to provide various guidelines which assist parties in
ensuring that they did not misuse the AI for generating personal gains while causing harm to
the country. This report is also targeted at developing strong business policies by deploying
AI solutions and trusting their outputs (PwC, 2017). This framework will result in changing
the use of AI in the UK by ensuring compliance with ethical principles while using
technologies to conduct business operations and accounting. Therefore, these examples
show how AI can be used by the UK in order to improve current procedures and operations
relating to fishing, poverty elimination and others which assist in attaining sustainable
development.
Solution of Energy Crisis
Power supply is failing, leaving the UK in an energy crisis. This energy crisis has increased
due to a growing population and electrification of domestic lives. This dilemma has
sustained by to decline in fossil fuel-based power plants along with the growth of renewable
energy sources with the popularity of technological advancements (Barnett et al., 2012).
Therefore, the issue of the energy crisis is being resolved by the latest technologies. The UK
has committed to ambitious goals in relation to reducing carbon emissions and using
renewable energy sources through the Clean Energy Act and the Climate Change Act. The
UK and Irish electric grids are a major source of electricity in the country; however, the use
of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, has changed these operations rapidly.
In the case of the UK, the integration of these resources into the grid is not enough to meet
the demand for sufficient power during peak demand (Markides, 2013). Currently, the state
of renewable energy sources is not developed enough to ensure that it is able to meet the
demand of citizens of the UK. One of the key issues is that there is less sunlight in major
areas of the UK where the electricity is most required.
It makes it difficult to ensure that enough energy is available to fulfil the demand of people
through solar energy which is an easy and renewable source. However, this is not the case
throughout the UK, and this renewable energy source can be used in places where there is
enough sunlight. Maintaining a balance between energy generation and the growing
demand is crucial to ensure that the grid remains at a safe frequency of 50Hz (Kumar et al.,

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2017). Due to process in technological advancements, many solutions are available which
makes it easy to access energy sources which are available in the industrial and commercial
space. As the popularity of battery based products increases, the energy consumption in the
UK will be improved as well. In future, batteries will be able to store large amount of
electricity which is crucial fulfilling energy demand of individuals. Technological
advancements will allow integration of renewable energy sources with battery which will
assist companies in harnessing the power from wind and sun in batteries (Armenta et al.,
2012). Energy companies can use batteries to collect and store excess electricity; however, it
leads to relatively short term revenue streams and marginal returns on investment.
Automated Vehicles
In the past few years, the popularity of autonomous vehicles has increased. These vehicles
are rapidly reaching mainstream, especially in the United Kingdom which assists the country
in achieving a sustainable development approach. These vehicles have the potential to
reduce petrol and diesel consumption substantially which will lead to protection of
environmental resources. It is expected that the UK will have fully autonomous cars on
roads in 3-4 years and the self-driving technology advances in the future (Merat and Lee,
2012). However, there are many challenges relating to implementing this technology which
adversely affects the sustainable development approach. One of the major issues with these
cars is that they reduce consumption of petrol and diesel; however, the electricity which is
used in these vehicles comes from fossil fuel which means that these vehicles did not reduce
carbon footprint; instead, they just shift the emission. The preparation of these cars requires
a substantial number of resources which are not cheap which makes it difficult for
corporations to acquire profits from the business. Putting these vehicles on a mainstream
network requires that charging stations are situated throughout the UK and the charging
time must be less (Merat et al., 2012). Establishing a national wide charging system will lead
to increasing the costs of the government and waste resources which is opposite to the
sustainable development approach. Therefore, until technological advancements improve, it
is difficult to rely on autonomous vehicles in order to achieve sustainable development
goals.
Automation

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Automation and digitalisation innovation is likely to have a profound impact on the
developing countries which will allow them to implement a sustainable development
approach. In the case of the UK, the automation is a major factor which is used by
companies to ensure that they use sustainable policies to conduct their business operations.
The use of automation leads to eliminating material uses by reducing their wastage, and it
assists companies in ensuring that they are able to implement a sustainable development
approach (Fasth-Berglund and Stahre, 2013). The use of automation resulted in reducing the
use of electricity or power in the manufacturing operations which makes it easier for
corporations to ensure that they reduce their carbon emissions. However, a major challenge
relating to automation in the UK is that it leads to increasing the rate of unemployment
which leads to increasing poverty. The use of automation process eliminates the
requirement of employees in the workplace which result in major layoffs in which many
employees lost their jobs (Nica, 2016)
Due to these job losses, the unemployment rate in the country increases and its negative
reflect on its economic as well. However, in the future, the automation is likely to create
new jobs for skills labours which will assist the government of the UK in achieving the SDGs.
In the future, the demand for skills workers in developing new processes for automation
machines will increase which will create employment. The number of non-skilled labours
will reduce, and the corporations will focus on hiring skilled employees who have knowledge
of machines (McClure, 2018). These policies will open new opportunities for companies
which will allow them to ensure that they are able to attain the SDGs by using automation
process which eliminates wastage of natural resources and makes the process efficient. In
the future, the renewable energy resources can merge with the automation process which
will assist in ensuring that the automation process will be able to manufacture in large
quantities without relying on fossil fuels which will protect environmental resources and
assist in attaining SDGs.
Recommendations
The challenges relating to achieving the SDGs can be addressed based on the
implementation of technological advancements. As discussed above, there are many
potential technologies which have the potential to assist countries in achieving SDGs.

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However, there are many barriers relating to the use of these technologies which makes it
difficult to ensure that organisations are able to achieve a sustainable development
approach. In order to implement a sustainable development approach in the UK, the
government should increase the investment in research and development (R&D) operations.
Without appropriate research, it is difficult to rely on technological advancements to
implement a sustainable development approach (Griggs et al., 2013). The government in the
UK should increase the investment in research and development which will allow them to
ensure that they are able to improve their current policies and procedures to comply with
sustainable development policies. This research should be public which will allow individuals
and small and large businesses to use the research to find innovative solutions to their
problems. The government should collaborate with other organisations in the research and
development process to align their expertise with sustainable goals. For example,
companies which operate in energy field and manufacturing of batteries should
collaborative with the government to find new solutions for sustainable related problems
(Haines et al., 2012). Compliance with these policies is crucial for ensuring that the
government is able to address the major issues relating to the crisis of energy. They should
find solutions which allow companies to remain profitable in the long run while adopting a
sustainable development approach.
The government should focus on implementing stricter governance policies which ensure
that companies operating in the UK comply with sustainable development policies.
Currently, there are no laws which are focused on ensuring that companies are able to
adopt a sustainability approach in their business which leads to the achievement of SDGs
(Constantine and Shankland, 2017). The government in the UK should change this approach
by introducing stricter laws which are targeted towards monitoring the operations of
companies to ensure that the SDGs are fulfilled. For example, the government in the UK
should ensure that the companies comply with the corporate social responsibility (CSR)
policies which are targeted on maintaining a balance between the interests of different
stakeholders of the company. It promotes transparency in the operations of companies
which hold them accountable for their operations. It also requires that companies disclose
the actions taken by its board of directors to achieve the interest of different stakeholders
which include the environment and the public (Hahn, 2013). Thus, adoption of the CSR

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structure enables companies in ensuring that they take appropriate measures which are
crucial for achieving the sustainable development approach since they can be held
accountable for their operations. The CSR structure ensures that the companies did not
solely focus on increasing their profits; instead, they should focus on fulfilling their duties
towards the stakeholders. Compliance with these policies enforces companies to rely on
innovation while conducting their business operations to ensure that they implement a
sustainable development approach which is crucial for achieving SDGs (Kolk, 2016). All these
recommendations can assist in attaining SDGs in the UK by using technological
advancements.
In conclusion, technological advancements play a crucial role in the achievement of the
SDGs. In the case of the UK, there are various social, economic, political and other barriers
which make it difficult to ensure that the sustainable development approach can be
adopted by individuals, businesses and the government. However, this issue can be
addressed by use of technological advancements which assisted in improving or changing
current procedures which leads to the achievement of SDGs. The new technological
advancements are usually available to marginalised populations which assist them in
contributing to the innovative approach which allows people to find creative solutions to
problems which makes it difficult for them to achieve SDGs. Various examples of current use
of technological advancements are discussed in this essay along with their application to
understand how they assist the UK and other countries in attaining SDGs. Various
recommendations are included in this essay as well which can allow the government,
individuals and organisations to use these technologies for improving their current
operations and practices which leads to adopting a sustainable development approach. The
use of technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, renewable energy
sources and others assist in addressing major sustainable development barriers. These
technologies are currently being used in many applications in which the companies are able
to use them to overcome major sustainability barriers. Various recommendations are
included in this essay which can assist in ensuring that these technologies assist in adopting
a sustainable development approach in the UK. Increasing the investment in the R&D
process, collaboration with organisations and strict governance policies are specific
recommendations which can assist in ensuring that the sustainability objectives are fulfilled.

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