Asia-Pacific
TAP-AP
Technology Assessment Platform Asia-Pacific
Since 2018, ETC Group has been working with a wide array of partners across Asia-Pacific to build the foundation for TAP-AP by sharing information and analysis on developments and trends in new and emerging technologies and their potential impacts.
The vast cultural diversity and language differences that exist in the region require the establishment of sub-regional TAPs in order to ground the deliberations and actions on the basis of shared realities among groups of neighbouring countries.
UPDATES FROM THE REGION
Map: Disruptive Technologies in Asia-Pacific
Click on the map icon below and enlarge to see the detail.
Risks from digitalisation trends in the Asia-Pacific food system
Some of the world’s biggest corporations, including Bayer and ChemChina, are making deals with data giants such as Amazon and Alibaba to turn human behaviour and environmental knowledge into computer code. The ‘artificial intelligence’ they are creating by applying...
Robots, Drones and Sensors: Biodiversity boom or bust?
As we face species’ extinction resulting from destruction of natural habitats, unabated expansion of industrial agriculture, wanton use of chemical pesticides, and pollution aggravated by climate change, industry actors are pushing for digital technologies, hailing...
Technology Assessment: Towards People-led Governance of our Future
We are living in a time where new technologies are often presented as near magical solutions to all sorts of challenges. Politicians and the media often obscure the political dimension to technologies, leading to confusion (Box 1). Box 1: What is meant by “tech”?...
Pandemic Poker? Big Tech’s Gamble on the Molecular Manipulation of Life in the Asia-Pacific Region
Molecular-level manipulations of every element that makes up the living world are being sold to us as “nature-based solutions” that can provide cures for almost all our problems. However, the hype that surrounds these sets of approaches is fatally undermined by the...
There is no Planet B: Earth Systems Manipulation is not an option
As the world faces the multiple challenges of climate, biodiversity and environmental crises, dangerous and unproven technological approaches are being proffered as quick fixes. Instead of supporting serious and often politically painful solutions,...
Nirvana or nightmare? Asia-Pacific’s new wave of disruptive technologies
Artists: Nemcy C. Cruz and Charley Hall It was long predicted that a pandemic like Covid-19 would take place sooner or later. Now it appears highly likely that the deployment of a range of new and disruptive technologies could sweep the world, potentially doing...