Technological and social changes into the third millennium and the impact on refrigeration

A technological revolution based on information technologies is reshaping the nature of society while globalisation has impacted on the location and nature of economic production and ownership. The scope of these changes indicates a transformation that is equal to the extent of the changes associated with the Industrial Revolution. At the beginning of the third millennium, it is possible to anticipate how these transformative changes will impact upon the way societies and people produce, communicate, manage and live. This paper will outline some of the major changes that have occurred, or will be likely to, over the next two decades, with particular attention to the way in which social institutions and social interaction will evolve. It will also pose questions about the implications for facets of refrigeration given the fundamentally different ways in which societies and individuals will interact with, and expect to use, various technologies.