Horizon Scanning 3.0 for the German UBA (German Federal Environment Agency) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

Our society is experiencing rapid changes - caused by technological developments such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, driven by ecological challenges such as climate tipping points, water scarcity or the destruction of natural habitats, but also influenced by social innovations such as a sharing economy. Other developments cast their shadows ahead, still to be interpreted in many ways: for example, quantum computers, a supposed global hydrogen economy or the greater commercial exploitation of space.

Against this backdrop, the Institute for Innovation and Technology (iit, subcontracted to adelphi consult GmbH) was commissioned with the "Future Issues Conference - Development of Future Relevant Fields of Action for the UBA/BMUV on the Basis of the Horizon Scanning Process and Development of a Knowledge Management System". The objectives of the project are to carry out the third round of the established horizon scanning process for the Ministry of the Environment in order to identify environmentally relevant future issues and to be able to analyse them in depth, to support the raising of awareness and sensitisation of the expert public for decisive future issues of environmental policy and to strengthen the expert discourse at a future conference. In addition, an internal and external knowledge management system is part of the project as a communication and control backbone of the current and future foresight activities.

The project contributes to further expanding the strategic planning and decision-making competence of the "Umweltbundesamt" (German Federal Environment Agency UBA) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and to strengthening "futures literacy" in the environmental department.