The infrastructure nexus: from the future of infrastructure to infrastructure of the future, In: Building the future of quality infrastructure

This Think20 (T20) policy brief is a response to the call to recouple economic growth and social progress, at the dawn of a global infrastructure tsunami. It highlights the lack of a definitive model of urban, metropolitan sustainability and research on its impacts for global infrastructure and multilevel governance needs. It emphasizes that while infrastructures are forming a growingly boundless system, piecemeal approaches to developing urban sustainable agendas and projects are still prevailing, overlooking the systemic impacts of urbanization on biodiversity and ecosystem services, which are also boundless. The first paper of a series that is to be continued during the upcoming T20 Saudi Arabia, Italy, and India, complementing the T20 Japan policy brief Building Resilient Infrastructure Systems (Evans et al.), it advocates for a new generation of science-to-society and knowledge-to-policy connectivity to reposition infrastructure investments and value chains. In an era of rising resources limitations and urban growth, the paper outlines the underestimated role of research infrastructures in infrastructure for development policies and it proposes new priorities for a more comprehensive urban agenda within the G20, including biodiversity, with a specific focus on critical regions such as the Amazon and the Arctic

Challenges for circular urban development

A shift towards a more Circular Economy is, in many policies, seen as crucial to achieving a more sustainable andinclusive built environment that meets future demands.In the last decade, the European Commission’s researchfunding has supported numerous initiatives aiming to reducewaste generation through shifts towards Circular Economyapproaches. Many cities and regions followed and startedto develop circular economy strategies, action plans andcircularity monitors. The difficulties and challenges of implementing a seemingly simple concept are mainly to narrow,slow down and close materials streams and thereby reduceour dependency on raw material input. Europe’s geopoliticaldependency on resource-rich countries has become very apparent during the last years. In this article, we identify someof those challenges and propose potential ways forward.<br/

International Collaboration: Mainstreaming Artificial Intelligence and Cyberphysical Systems for Carbon Neutrality

Cyberphysical systems together with Artificial Intelligence play vital roles in reducing, eliminating, and removing greenhouse gas emissions across sectors. Electrification with renewables introduces complexity in systems in the deployment, integration, and efficient orchestration of electrified economic systems. AI-driven cyberphysical systems are uniquely suited to tackle this complexity, potentially accelerating the transition towards a low-carbon economy. The objective of this policy brief is to advocate for the mainstreaming of AI-driven cyberphysical systems for climate change risk mitigation and adaptation. To effectively and more rapidly realize the Intelligent Decarbonation potential, the concept of AI-driven cyberphysical systems must be elevated to a global level of collaboration and coordination, fostering research and development, capacity building, as well as knowledge and technology transfer. Drawing on a multidisciplinary, international study about intelligent decarbonization use cases, this brief also highlights factors impeding the transition to carbon neutrality and risks associated with technology determinism. The importance of governance is emphasized to avoid unwanted path dependency and avert a technology-solutionist approach dominating climate policy that delivers limited results. Given only 12% of the Sustainable Development Goals have been realized, a condensed version of this policy brief was submitted to the India T20, a G20 engagement group, urging global collaboration to prioritize AI-driven CPSs

Advancing AI for Climate Action

Artificial Intelligence (AI) combined with cyber-physical systems (CPS) can play a vital role in eliminating greenhouse gas emissions across sectors. The transition from fossil fuels to renewables is achieved through electrification, introducing complexity in systems deployment, integration, and efficient orchestration of electrified economic systems. AI-driven CPS are uniquely suited to manage this complexity, potentially accelerating decarbonisation efforts. This Policy Brief advocates for the mainstreaming of AI-driven CPS for climate change risk mitigation. To effectively realise the Intelligent Decarbonation (IDC) potential, AI-driven CPS must be elevated to a global level of collaboration and coordination, fostering clear IDC principles and guidelines, capacity building and technology transfer. The importance of IDC governance is emphasised to avoid unwanted path dependency and to avert a technology-centric approach, which has proven to yield limited results. A shift from trustworthy to sustainable AI is necessary to eliminate AI’s own carbon footprint

A new urban narrative for sustainable development

Our planet is rapidly urbanizing. Research has recognized the complexity of city-driven dynamics, but our political realities have yet to catch up. A new narrative of sustainable urban development must become central to global policymaking to help humanity respond to the most pressing social and environmental challenges