Module 2

A digital device can have positive or negative economic, social and environmental impacts at each stage in its life cycle, starting from the energy and natural resources used to make it, through to its usefulness, and ending when it becomes e-waste. Sustainability means minimising the negative impacts and maximising the positive impacts.

 

Figure 4: Scheme of sustainable development: at the confluence of three constituent parts. (Wikipedia: Sustainable_development)

 

The digital world is part of the problem and may be part of the solution.

A digital device has economic, social and environmental impacts at each stage in its life cycle, starting from energy and natural resource consumption and ending in e-waste. There are many negative impacts of digital devices. For example, many communities in the global South suffer from the negative effects of extractivism (or the mining and extraction of natural resources) or the dumping of e-waste. In contrast, information and communications technologies (ICTs) can enable efficiencies in social and economic life through digital solutions that can improve energy efficiency, inventory management, and a reduction in travel and transportation (e.g. telework and videoconferencing, substituting physical products like books with digital information). This capacity is referred to as “second order” or “enablement” effects.

The SDGs and the internet 

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have numerous objectives linked to reduced inequality. ICTs and digitisation can contribute to the achievement of all the SDGs. In fact, even if the internet is less visible in the SDGs than it should be, there are goals with direct implications: 7: “Affordable and clean energy”, which requires ICTs to be used in things like solar and wind energy, and isolated micro-grids; 9: “Industry, innovation and infrastructure”, with networking and computing as key infrastructures; 11: “Sustainable cities and communities”, where ICTs can be used to help achieve them; 12: “Responsible consumption and production”, which relates to the circular economy of digital devices; and 13: “Climate action”, where ICTs can be used to support data sharing, campaigning and the coordination required for climate action.

 

What is a “safe and just space for people on the planet”?

 

Figure 5: Doughnut economics