On 22 February1946, George Kennan, an American diplomat stationed in Moscow, dictated a 5,000-word cable to Washington. In this famous telegram, Kennan warned that the Soviet Union's commitment to communism meant that it was inherently expansionist, and urged the US government to resist any attempts by the Soviets to increase their influence. This strategy quickly became known as "containment" – and defined American foreign policy for the next 40 years. The Coming Wave is Suleyman's book-length warning about technological expansionism: in close to 300 pages, he sets out to persuade readers that artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic biology (SB) threaten our very existence and we only have a narrow window within which to contain them before it's too late. Unlike communism during the cold war, however, AI and SB are not being forced on us.

Our planet is altering at a dangerous pace due to climate change. And at the same time, we seem to be entering a period of unprecedented technological transformation. Advances in robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and internet-connected devices are creating increasingly complex intelligent technological systems. As pressures on the planet and its climate increase, so does the hope that these novel technologies will be able to help us detect, adapt and respond to the growing environmental crisis. There are plenty of examples of how artificial intelligence could do this.

The raging Australian and Amazon wildfires have raised a burning question for all of us - why the very technology, that has been a major facilitator to human evolution and growth could not predict, manage or control its destruction? To those of us who are in the business of technology, it is time to ask a few tough questions in our boardroom meetings and take ownership of solving the problem. After all, what is growth worth if the planet itself is in peril? As someone who has witnessed the digital revolution unfold, I may not have a full-proof plan to address the climate emergency, in fact, we don't even have the visibility of all evolving technologies that may be required to solve the climate emergency. But, I am clear and convinced that we have to start now and start with the available technologies which in their own right are very powerful and transformational.

"You must unite behind the science. You must do the impossible. Because giving up can never ever be an option" – Greta Thunberg Most woke Millenials have updated their vocabulary to use terms that more accurately describe the environmental crises facing the world. 'Climate change' has now turned to'climate emergency' – but there are others who haven't yet understood how the situation has worsened over the years. According to a report, seven million people have been displaced globally due to natural disasters including storms and floods between January and June 2019 and the number is estimated to grow more than triple by the end of the year.

Scottish Enterprise, in collaboration with the Scottish Government, calls on innovative organisations to help solve the Climate Emergency by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. The specific focus of this competition is in the use of AI to enable or significantly enhance products or processes that help to mitigate factors contributing to the climate emergency or to support adaptation to its impact. This 100% funded R&D SBRI project will provide up to 6 contracts of £28,000 over a 10 week period in phase 1 with up to £133,000 available for three successful phase 2 solutions over the following 12 months. They are seeking creative, cutting-edge proposals that can demonstrate the ability to support climate change mitigation and adaption. The competition seeks to encourage wide participation and with minimal prescription of the nature or focus of proposed ideas.

Scottish Enterprise, in collaboration with the Scottish Government, is looking for innovative organisations to help solve the climate emergency by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. This 100% funded R&D SBRI project will provide up to 6 contracts of £28,000 over a 10-week period in phase 1. And up to £133,000 will be available for three successful phase 2 solutions over the following 12 months. Scottish Enterprise is seeking creative, cutting-edge proposals that can demonstrate the ability to support climate change mitigation and adaption. The deadline for submission is 6 January 2020 at 12 noon.