Exploring how digital transitions can align with sustainable futures by minimizing their negative sustainability impacts and maximizing their contributions to innovative sustainable solutions
The relation between digitalization and sustainability is a rapidly emerging topic. On the one hand, concepts such as smart cities, smart grid, and smart mobility reflect the promise that the use of advanced information and communication technologies will lead to a significant reduction in energy and resource use. They view digitalisation as a key component of ecological modernization. On the other hand, recent reports highlight the growing energy usage of data centers and AI. Rapidly rising carbon emissions jeopardize climate goals, while water pollution, mining practices, and industrial land use threaten communities across the world. In short, digitalisation and the AI revolution dominates the news and triggers not only high expectations but also raises great concerns about the enormous sustainability challenges this technological revolution will bring. Addressing the widely known and yet fragmentarily studied relationship between sustainability and digitalization requires a collaborative effort.
High hopes and deep fears dominate debates, but sound, interdisciplinary scientific insights are often lacking. Addressing the knowledge gaps in the relationship between sustainability and digitalisation, as a basis for policies and action, requires a collaborative research effort.
Digital Pathways to Sustainability is part of the strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability and aims to bridge disciplines and build new perspectives on digitalization that emphasize long-termism, sustainability, sobriety, and prudence. By doing so, we aim to identify new pathways for sustainability transition in domains as diverse as the circular economy, sustainable cities, and reduced energy consumption.
