Government Office For Science
The report, produced by the Foresight team, highlights the important role of the subsurface for housing everyday resources and services such as water, building materials and fertile soil. It also explores how the subsurface can help contribute to net zero emissions through initiatives like electricity grid upgrades, adapting to climate change with underground drainage systems, and taking advantage of new technologies such as quantum sensing.
The project takes a long-term view of subsurface management, looking out to 2040 for possible challenges and opportunities, and uses a systems-thinking approach, which considers multiple perspectives rather than a singular view, to explore the complexity and interconnectedness of subsurface features and activities.
New technologies, including quantum sensors, AI and robotics offer potential solutions that make it easier and cheaper to measure, monitor, excavate, tunnel and maintain the subsurface. These are on the horizon but may need new policy or regulation to enable their widespread use.
The government is committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050, which will require the reduction of carbon emissions across different industries and sectors. Many of the infrastructure and technological solutions needed for net zero, such as EV chargepoints and ground source heat pumps, require subsurface space.
Dame Angela McLean, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said:
This Foresight report highlights the crucial role of the subsurface in the UKs future, demonstrating that the choices we make today in subsurface management can profoundly shape our tomorrow.