Table 15 CSTEP five-dimensional three-scale evaluation

C

Climate and environmental benefit

1: No significant climate or environmental benefit

2: There is climate or environmental benefit, but remain unclear

3: There are significant and clear climate or environmental benefit

At which scale of climate and environmental benefits that this trend will provide to the ecosystem?

S

Social awareness and feasibility

Social awareness and feasibility mainly refer to the increasing awareness of certain social norms and convenience (from full/semi-manual labour involvement to fully automatic):

1: No significant increasing awareness or convenience

2: Might have increasing awareness or convenience, but remain unclear

3: There is significant and clear increasing awareness or convenience

At which scale of this stakeholders’ awareness or convenience requirement that trend matches?

T

Technology readiness level

The evaluation also corresponds to the Technology Readiness level

1: May be reached within a long-term period (TRL 1–2)

2: May be reached within a medium period (TRL 3–6

3: Can be realized within a short-term period. (TRL 7–9)

At which scale of the required technology is ready to realize this trend?

E

Economic feasibility

1: Long-term return-on-investment, or no financial significant benefit but large investment/cost

2: Medium-term return-on-investment

3: Short-term return-on-investment, or significant financial benefit and low investment

At which scale of financial benefits that this trend will provide to the core stakeholders?

P

Political and regulatory feasibility

1: Policy agenda is under discussion, and the related regulations remain unclear

2: Political agenda is there, and the regulation will be ready after a certain period

3: The regulations are ready or will be ready in a short-term period

At which scale of regulations and policy agendas are ready to support the realization of the trend?