Digital Pathways to Sustainability: critically shaping our digital future

Digital technologies are often presented as key drivers of sustainability transitions. From smart cities to AI-driven efficiency, digitalisation promises solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time. At the same time, the rapid expansion of digital infrastructures comes with significant environmental and social costs: costs that are often invisible, but increasingly hard to ignore. To address this tension head-on, Utrecht University’s strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability is launching a new community: Digital Pathways to Sustainability (Digital Pathways). We spoke with Prof Albert Meijer and Dr Rianne Riemens, two of the initiators, about why this community is needed now, what it aims to achieve, and how others can get involved.

Why a Digital Pathways community?

The idea for the community grew out of a shared observation: while many researchers at Utrecht University work on digitalisation and sustainability, their efforts are often dispersed across faculties and projects. “The relationship between digital technologies and sustainability has become increasingly important,” Albert explains. “But until now it was mostly addressed implicitly. There was no dedicated space focusing specifically on this relationship.”

Rianne adds that this gap has become more pressing as digital infrastructures rapidly expand. “We wanted to bring studies of digitalisation and sustainability together,” she says. “Many of us were already working on this topic, but Pathways to Sustainability was missing a community that explicitly connects the two.” Especially with the recent proliferation of AI tools, they argue, the environmental footprint of digitalisation has grown significantly. Digitalisation, they emphasise, does not automatically become a pathway to sustainability.

A critical and constructive approach

What defines Digital Pathways is its explicit dual approach. On the one hand, the community critically examines the sustainability costs of digital technologies. “Data centres consume enormous amounts of energy and water,” Albert says. “These infrastructures put real pressure on ecosystems, energy grids and local environments.” Rianne places this in a broader societal context: “The ongoing commercial push for the use of cloud and AI services is jeapordising climate goal and leads to large carbon emissions and other environmental issues. That makes it necessary to think critically about how digital development can take place within planetary boundaries.” On the other hand, the community explores how digitalisation can actively contribute to sustainability transitions. “Digital technologies can support smarter cities, better biodiversity monitoring and more efficient energy infrastructures,” Albert explains. “But only if they are developed and governed differently.” Both perspectives, critical and constructive, are essential to the community’s mission!

Why this moment matters

According to Albert and Rianne, the timing of the community is no coincidence. “The environmental impact of digitalisation is growing rapidly, mainly due to the fast expansion of the AI industry,” Rianne says. “Data centres put increasing pressure on local and national energy grids.” What makes this issue particularly urgent is that these impacts are now entering public and political debate. In the Netherlands, recent news coverage has highlighted controversies around hyperscale data centres, energy consumption, water use and transparency. Conflicts between tech companies, local governments and water authorities have made visible the physical footprint of infrastructures that are often perceived as purely digital. “Digital infrastructures are often out of sight, but their consequences are very tangible,” Rianne notes. At the same time, digitalisation and sustainability are still too often treated as separate policy and research domains. “The digital future is being shaped right now,” Albert warns. “If we don’t intervene, it may develop in ways that are deeply harmful to people and the planet.” Critical reflection, they emphasise, is therefore not optional, but urgent, particularly from the perspective of environmental justice.

From research to action

The community aims to stimulate both research and concrete initiatives. On the critical side, this includes projects that monitor and make visible the sustainability costs of digital infrastructures. One ambition is to apply this lens to digital practices within Utrecht University itself. “Creating awareness is an important first step,” Albert notes. “It can encourage what we call digital sobriety: digital solutions that are more energy-efficient and use fewer resources.” On the constructive side, collaboration is key. The community seeks to work with other Pathways initiatives and external partners to explore how digital technologies can genuinely support sustainability transitions, from energy systems to biodiversity monitoring.

Bringing disciplines together: exchange, collaboration and impact

Interdisciplinarity lies at the heart of Digital Pathways. Currently, the community brings together researchers from the Faculties of Humanities, Geosciences, and Law, Economics and Governance, combining critical reflection, governance expertise and applied sustainability research. “But we really hope to include more people with technical backgrounds,” Albert says. “Information science, data science and other technical disciplines are essential if we want to shape digital pathways responsibly.” Rianne adds: “This topic requires knowledge from many different fields — from media and AI to energy, policy, climate change and human rights.” Exchange and collaboration are not just guiding principles, but practical necessities. “We want to work on multiple scales,” Albert explains. “From very local initiatives at our own university or in our city, to global developments such as AI infrastructures and smart cities worldwide.” The community also aims to actively engage with policymakers, NGOs and other societal actors, including through stakeholder workshops and public dialogue.

Kick-off: 17 March

The community officially launches with a kick-off event on 17 March! “The kick-off is meant to start a real conversation,” Albert says. “About what our focus should be and how we can bring this community to life.” The event will introduce ongoing research, facilitate interactive discussions, and invite participants to help shape the agenda for the coming years.

For those interested in contributing, the invitation is open. “This is a topic many people care deeply about,” Rianne says. “By bringing them together, we hope to do meaningful things — within the university, in the region, and beyond.” Albert concludes: “The digital future is being shaped now. This is the moment to ensure that digital pathways contribute to a sustainable and just future.”