SoLiXG:Digital and green transition
Digital and green transition
In response to climate change, governments are aligning increased digitisation to plans for a greener future.[1] For example The EU[2], Switzerland[3] and the UK[4] have issued policy frameworks promoting the "twin digital and green transition" as part of their commitment to Net Zero. By adding a digital layer on top of common infrastructures such as mobility, energy, healthcare and education, these infrastructures are claimed to become more easy to configure and therefore optimized for efficient resource use. Investments are made in blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies because they "could be used in material tracing, promising to aid the circular economy by better maintenance and recycling”.[5] 'Digital Twins', virtual models based on large amounts of captured data, "can model, among others, traffic, to optimise traffic flows, reduce jams and slash emissions in the process.”[6] What is often left out of such propositions is how digital technologies are themselves resource intensive, might create issues with privacy and security, require dependencies on big tech players, and reshape governance structures.
- ↑ “Policy Brief No. 111 - Twin Transition for Global Value Chains: Green and Digital.” UNCTAD, July 2023.
- ↑ “Green Digital Sector: Shaping Europe’s Digital Future.” The European Commission, May 24, 2023. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/green-digital.
- ↑ FOEN, Federal Office for the Environment. “Long-Term Climate Strategy to 2050.”, March 2023
- ↑ GOV.UK. “Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener,” April 5, 2022. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy.
- ↑ “Green Digital Sector: Shaping Europe’s Digital Future.” The European Commission, May 24, 2023. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/green-digital.
- ↑ “Green Digital Sector: Shaping Europe’s Digital Future.” The European Commission, May 24, 2023. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/green-digital.