# Evolution of Technology and Technology Governance
## 3 Results  
### 'Four Seasons' of a Technology  
The invention of new technologies, and their development, improvement and replacement with innovative solutions, occurs under a combination of driving forces; still, it is possible to conditionally distinguish periods characterized by one or another driver. As it is emphasized in the theoretical background, resource efficiency is one of the key drivers, but to understand it, our societies have had to face challenges which became evident only in the 20 th century (Figure 2). Figure 2: The concept of technological evolution. Source: Authors. In history, the'morning' (or'spring') of a technology comes when there is a request for it from the society. At this stage (we call it'scientific and technical stage') inventors or scientists discover the possibility of obtaining a new substance, material, or some other 'thing' necessary to satisfy a new need or a human curiosity. There are many examples to back up this statement: a rubber tree for indigenous peoples; the first telegraph and telephone; the first controlled nuclear reaction. At this stage, the technology should demonstrate only the ability to work to achieve the desired result. The economic benefits are not yet that important, but at the next 'technical and economic stage', business begins to show interest in the technology and the means of investing in the commercial implementation of the attractive technological process. The 'day' (or'summer') of the technology is coming. This is time when the technology concerned becomes more economically feasible and cost-effective. Depending on the implementation scale, it is the time when the 'presence' of this technology begins to be 'felt' by the society (its environmental impacts are often factors that make the technology become widely discussed). It is good if people appreciate and in a way 'approve' the technology. However, it often happens that technological by-products or industrial emissions and waste are perceived with hostility. Here comes the stage of active interaction (if not confrontation) between business and the society. We call it the 'economic and social stage' which represents the 'evening' (or 'fall') of the technology: further technological improvement in terms of resource efficiency is still possible, but is seriously limited by technical factors. At the same time, business is interested in increasing or maintaining the output of 'traditional' products, but this does not always suit the society. In most cases, environmental modernization approaches are suitable to alter the technology, to introduce Best Available Techniques or other regulatory instruments setting requirements for the rational use of resources and reduction of negative environmental impacts. The government intervenes and regulates the relationship between the technology and the society: the'social-regulatory stage' is coming. This is the 'night' (or 'winter') of the technology. In most cases, as a result, a new development round is initiated. Here we speak rather of innovative solutions than of a modernization approach. The scientific and technical stage is devoted now to the search for technical solutions that contribute to significant transformation of a known technology or its complete replacement, including taking into account the requirements developed at the social and regulatory stage of the previous cycle. BAT is a moving target, and this is essential. An example from the Swedish pulp and paper industries during the period of 1970-2020 may illuminate this issue. In the 1970s, the permitting authorities prescribed Emission Limit Values (ELVs), mainly for typical water pollutants (Biochemical Oxygen Demand, BOD; suspended solids), acid gases (SO\({}_{2}\)), smells (H\({}_{2}\)S) and toxic compounds (Hg). In the 1980s, other toxic emissions were added to the prescribed ELVs, such as emissions from the bleaching of pulp (Adsorbable Organic Halogens, AOX; dioxins). In the 1990s, emissions included also other acid gases--nitrogen oxides (NO\({}_{\text{x}}\)).