The Next Industrial Revolution

In The Next Industrial Revolution, Vincent Petit builds on his earlier work, The Age of Fire Is Over (2021), where he explored how key transformations in consumption patterns impact our energy system in ways that have been seldom envisioned. He further develops this work here, and traces how these transformations apply to our modern industrial system, the bedrock of our global economic development and wealth creation. Petit argues that the world is on the cusp of the next centennial transformation of our industrial system, driven by major technological enhancements, considerable opportunities for productivity step changes, but also significant resiliency and environmental challenges. Through a deep and unique exploration of the innovation landscape and global context in each major sector of industry, the author sheds light on the key changes that will transform not only every sector of activity, but also the way they interact with one another to produce nothing short of a complete redesign of our industrial system. The way such transformation will unfold will, however, depend on the complex entanglement of technological progress, policy, business transformations and cultural evolutions. Through different scenarios, the author highlights some of the key decisions that need to be made today, in order to make the most of this opportunity. Contents: Foreword About the Author Setting the Context Right: Changing the Way We Look at Innovation Industry in the Age of Efficiency: Are We So Efficient? Industry in the Age of Resources: A World of Scarcity? Industry in the Age of Nature: A Race Against Collapse? Industry in the Age of Innovation: We Are Far from Having Seen It All Exploring the Future: Time to Draw the Thread on the Map Following the Thread: Construction Following the Thread: Automotive Industry Following the Thread: Machinery Industry Following the Thread: Electronics Industry Following the Thread: Chemical Industry Following the Thread: Nonmetallic Minerals Industry Following the Thread: Mining and Metals Industries Industry in the Age of Innovation: We Are Far from Having Seen It All Charting the Map of Change: The Butterfly Effect How Likely Is All This to Unfold? Time to Chart the Map(s) of Change Industry in the Age of Innovation: Time for Hope? Index Readership: Academia: professors and graduate students in Environmental Science, Public Policy, Industrial Ecology, Engineering. Business: CXOs, Strategy leaders. Key Features: Unique exploration of the innovation landscape across all sectors of industry — there is not another book with this breadth of information Systemic approach to the industrial system: not a sector-by-sector review, but an integrated perspective of the bedrock of our modern economies & industries Key scenarios that describe potential pathways toward transformation, a seldom activity in books, which lays ground for a better understanding of key uncertainties at play