UK may need to consider digital and eco-friendly graveyard solutions as space for dead runs out
UK may need to consider digital and eco-friendly graveyard solutions as space for dead runs out
Innovative ways to bury the dead will be needed in the near future, especially in overcrowded urban areas, according to a new study by a professor at Canada's MacEwan University
Graveyards could go digital in the future as UK towns and cities run out of space
(Image: Getty Images )
Experts warn that cemeteries may need to adopt digital solutions as urban areas in England and Wales are rapidly running out of burial space. With the global death rate projected to reach nearly 90 million by 2048, innovative burial methods will be necessary, especially in overcrowded cities.
In 2024, England and Wales recorded 568,613 deaths, prompting The Law Commission to suggest reusing old graves and reopening closed burial grounds, some of which have been declared "full" since the Victorian era, to address the shortage. To ensure respect for the deceased, safeguards would be implemented, allowing graves to be repurposed only if the last burial occurred at least 75 years ago.
A recent study by Dr. Farzan Baradaran Rahimi, an assistant professor at MacEwan University in Canada, proposes alternative ways to remember the deceased, such as living on as trees, generating green electricity, or even as holograms that can converse with loved ones. The Necropolis 4.0 report highlights that factors such as population growth, climate change, land shortage, resource constraints, and social inequalities are contributing to the diminishing availability of burial space.
Graveyards are running out of space
(Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images )
It emphasises "there is still an increasing need to find new ways to design for death as a social space in the urban future to make it less resource-demanding and isolated, but more nature-friendly and social leveraging emerging technologies and techniques".
In the future, cemeteries may transform from traditional headstone rows into interactive spaces where we engage with our ancestors. The report envisions people uploading their memories to extensive databases during their lifetimes, reports the Mirror.
Article continues below
Artificial intelligence will be utilised to create holograms, enabling future generations to interact with virtual versions of ourselves. In parallel, our remains could be placed in biodegradable pods with seeds, fostering the growth of trees and shrubs.
Thermal towers could harness the heat emitted to generate electricity through turbines. Dr Rahimi is optimistic about the potential shift in conventional attitudes towards death, particularly among younger generations.
He commented: "While some will embrace the idea of 'digital immortality', others may resist it, particularly due to cultural or spiritual understandings of death, the afterlife, and the nature of existence. But younger generations - and those that follow - may be more receptive to these ideas.
"They might see such concepts as a natural evolution of the world they inhabit, where identity and presence can extend beyond the physical realm."
Experts suggest greener and more digital orientated solutions could be the answer
(Image: Getty Images )
Dr Rahimi led a group of specialists to explore radical ideas about mortality. His study, featured in the journal Cities, suggests: "A nature-human-machine relationship... paves the way for... a novel, green, and sustainable design for death in the urban future. Necropolis 4.0 eliminates the need for physical burial spaces, significantly reducing the environmental footprint."
Article continues below
Necropolis 4.0 envisions a system of subterranean centres where individuals can preserve their memories. These hubs would also serve as places for people to interact with holograms that replicate our voices and facial expressions.
The deceased would be laid to rest in biodegradable pods alongside seeds to cultivate plants. The report further notes: "This paves the way for the spread of greenery, extending even to the rooftop gardens of skyscrapers.
"As the plants flourish, they contribute to the natural beauty of the surroundings while also purifying the air. Thermal energy created in the rapid composition process will serve the power grid across the city."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
If books could kill: The poison legacy lurking in libraries
The Victorians loved the colour green. In particular, they loved a vibrant shade of emerald created by combining copper and arsenic, which was used in everything from wallpaper to children's toys."This colour was very popular for most of the 19th Century because of its vibrancy and its resistance to light fading," says Erica Kotze, a preservative conservator at the University of St Andrews."We know that many household items were coloured with arsenic-based green pigments. It was even used in confectionery."The trouble is, the combination of elements used is toxic and that's still a problem more than a century later. And it's a particular problem when it comes to old books. Victorian bookbinders used arsenic as well as mercury and chrome to create striking covers. And unlike domestic items, books have survived in archives around the world, creating a 21st Century problem from 19th Century exposure to multiple green books can cause low level arsenic poisoning. Long-term exposure can cause changes to the skin, harm to the liver and kidneys and a reduction in red and white blood cells, which can lead to anaemia and an increased risk of infections. In 2019, an attempt to tackle the problem was set up in Delaware between the Winterthur Museum and the state university. The Poison Book Project tested books and drew up a list of titles which are potentially harmful to humans. These included four books in the National Library of France, which were immediately by this, Erica Kotze called on her colleague Dr Pilar Gil, who trained as a biochemist before working in Special Collections at the University of St Andrews. Dr Gil took a practical approach to surveying the thousands of historic books in their collection."The most important thing was to find a non-destructive, portable instrument that could tell us if it was a poisonous book or not," she rule out X-ray technology because of the fragile nature of the books being examined and instead looked to the geology department. They had a spectrometer - a device that measures the distribution of different wavelengths of light - for detecting minerals in rocks."Minerals and pigments are very similar," says Dr Gil, "so I borrowed the instrument and started looking for emerald green in books."She tested hundreds of books and then realised she was looking at a breakthrough."I realised there was a distinctive pattern to the toxic ones. It was a 'eureka' moment. I realised it was something that no one had seen before." The next task was to speak to the physics department to build their own Graham Bruce, senior research laboratory manager explains how it works."It shines light on the book and measures the amount of light which shines back," he says."It uses green light, which can be seen, and infrared, which can't be seen with our own eyes. The green light flashes when there are no fragments of arsenic present, the red light when there are pigments."The new testing device is smaller and will be less costly to produce and use than a full-scale spectrometerIt has already been used to survey the thousands of books in the St Andrews collections and in the National Library of Scotland, and the team hope to share their design with other institutions around the world. "We're lucky as a large institution to have expensive kit, so that we can test 19th Century potentially toxic books," says Dr Jessica Burge, deputy director of library and museums at the University of St Andrews."But other institutions with big collections may not have those resources, so we wanted to create something which was affordable and easy. It doesn't require a specialist conservator or analysis, and it's instant."It's also a problem which isn't going away. If anything, toxic books will become more harmful as they get older and them means they can stored in a safe way and still enjoyed with controlled access and precautions such as wearing gloves. "It will continue to be a live issue," says Dr Burge."But I think that the biggest issue for institutions at the moment is that any book that's got a green cover from the 19th Century is being restricted because they don't know. "And as libraries and museums, that's not really what we're about. We want people to be able to use the books and help bring back access to collections, rather than restricting their use."
Scotsman
17 hours ago
- Scotsman
warning signs of Victorian era STI
There is concern after the latest data showed cases of syphilis had continued to rise 🏥 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has published its latest data on sexually transmitted infections (STI). Concerningly cases of syphilis, an STI most commonly associated with the Victorian era have continued to rise. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious and potentially life-threatening complications. Cases of a Victorian era sexually transmitted infection (STI), are continuing to increase, latest data from the UKHSA has shown. Syphilis, is an STI that was once believed to be a thing of the past, however, cases are 'concerningly' on the rise in 2024, compared to 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Overall, there was a 2% rise (9,535) in diagnoses of early-stage syphilis in 2024 compared to 2023 (9,375), whilst 'concerningly', figures rose to 5% for late-stage syphilis, increasing from 12,456 in 2023 to 13,030 in 2024. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious, irreversible and potentially life-threatening problems with your brain, heart, or nerves. Dr Hamish Mohammed, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: 'Levels of STIs in this country remain a big threat to sexual wellbeing. These infections can have a major impact on your health and that of any sexual partners, particularly if they are antibiotic resistant. 'If you've had condomless sex with new or casual partners, either in the UK or overseas, get tested for STIs and HIV at least yearly, even if you don't have symptoms. Regular testing protects both you and those you're having sex with.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad New data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that syphilis cases have continued to rise. |What is syphilis? Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), that is passed on through unprotected sexual contact. Most commonly associated with the Victorian era, it is still prevalent, with cases 'concerningly', continue to rise in the UK. What are the symptoms of syphilis? Symptoms of syphilis can take up to three weeks to appear after being infected. They can be mild and come and go, but the infection will remain and you will be able to pass it on. This is why if you suspect you have syphilis or have symptoms it's important to get tested. The NHS explain symptoms of syphilis include: small sores (ulcers) on your penis, vagina, or around your bottom (anus) sores in other areas, including in your mouth or on your lips, hands or bottom white or grey warty growths most commonly on your penis, vagina or around your anus a rash on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet that can sometimes spread all over your body white patches in your mouth flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headaches and tiredness swollen glands patchy hair loss on the head, beard and eyebrows Who is at risk of syphilis? You are at risk of syphilis if you have unprotected sexual contact (vaginal, anal or oral), with someone who is infected with syphilis. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The STI can also be passed onto unborn babies or can spread through injecting drugs with a needle that has been used by someone who is infected, in very rare cases it can also be passed on through blood or organ transplants, although in the UK all blood and organ donations are checked for syphilis. How is syphilis treated? Syphilis is treated with antibiotics, it's important not to engage in sexual contact until you have completed your treatment and had a test that has confirmed you are over the infection. If you have a partner, do not have sexual contact until they have also been treated and a test has confirmed they no longer have syphilis. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious, irreversible and potentially life-threatening problems with your brain, heart, or nerves. This is why it's so important to seek treatment as soon as you suspect you have been exposed or have symptoms. STI testing is free, confidential and can be accessed through local sexual health clinics, your GP surgery, university and college medical centres or through self-sampling kits which can be sent discreetly through the post .
Scotsman
20 hours ago
- Scotsman
warning signs of Victorian era STI
There is concern after the latest data showed cases of syphilis had continued to rise 🏥 Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) has published its latest data on sexually transmitted infections (STI). Concerningly cases of syphilis, an STI most commonly associated with the Victorian era have continued to rise. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious and potentially life-threatening complications. Cases of a Victorian era sexually transmitted infection (STI), are continuing to increase, latest data from the UKHSA has shown. Syphilis, is an STI that was once believed to be a thing of the past, however, cases are 'concerningly' on the rise in 2024, compared to 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Overall, there was a 2% rise (9,535) in diagnoses of early-stage syphilis in 2024 compared to 2023 (9,375), whilst 'concerningly', figures rose to 5% for late-stage syphilis, increasing from 12,456 in 2023 to 13,030 in 2024. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious, irreversible and potentially life-threatening problems with your brain, heart, or nerves. Dr Hamish Mohammed, Consultant Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: 'Levels of STIs in this country remain a big threat to sexual wellbeing. These infections can have a major impact on your health and that of any sexual partners, particularly if they are antibiotic resistant. 'If you've had condomless sex with new or casual partners, either in the UK or overseas, get tested for STIs and HIV at least yearly, even if you don't have symptoms. Regular testing protects both you and those you're having sex with.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad New data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that syphilis cases have continued to rise. |What is syphilis? Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), that is passed on through unprotected sexual contact. Most commonly associated with the Victorian era, it is still prevalent, with cases 'concerningly', continue to rise in the UK. What are the symptoms of syphilis? Symptoms of syphilis can take up to three weeks to appear after being infected. They can be mild and come and go, but the infection will remain and you will be able to pass it on. This is why if you suspect you have syphilis or have symptoms it's important to get tested. The NHS explain symptoms of syphilis include: small sores (ulcers) on your penis, vagina, or around your bottom (anus) sores in other areas, including in your mouth or on your lips, hands or bottom white or grey warty growths most commonly on your penis, vagina or around your anus a rash on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet that can sometimes spread all over your body white patches in your mouth flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headaches and tiredness swollen glands patchy hair loss on the head, beard and eyebrows Who is at risk of syphilis? You are at risk of syphilis if you have unprotected sexual contact (vaginal, anal or oral), with someone who is infected with syphilis. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The STI can also be passed onto unborn babies or can spread through injecting drugs with a needle that has been used by someone who is infected, in very rare cases it can also be passed on through blood or organ transplants, although in the UK all blood and organ donations are checked for syphilis. How is syphilis treated? Syphilis is treated with antibiotics, it's important not to engage in sexual contact until you have completed your treatment and had a test that has confirmed you are over the infection. If you have a partner, do not have sexual contact until they have also been treated and a test has confirmed they no longer have syphilis. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious, irreversible and potentially life-threatening problems with your brain, heart, or nerves. This is why it's so important to seek treatment as soon as you suspect you have been exposed or have symptoms.
