Digital sufficiency: conceptual considerations for ICTs on a finite planetShow others and affiliations
2022 (English)In: Annales des télécommunications, ISSN 0003-4347, E-ISSN 1958-9395Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
ICT hold significant potential to increase resource and energy efficiencies and contribute to a circular economy. Yet unresolved is whether the aggregated net effect of ICT overall mitigates or aggravates environmental burdens. While the savings potentials have been explored, drivers that prevent these and possible counter measures have not been researched thoroughly. The concept digital sufficiency constitutes a basis to understand how ICT can become part of the essential environmental transformation. Digital sufficiency consists of four dimensions, each suggesting a set of strategies and policy proposals: (a) hardware sufficiency, which aims for fewer devices needing to be produced and their absolute energy demand being kept to the lowest level possible to perform the desired tasks; (b) software sufficiency, which covers ensuring that data traffic and hardware utilization during application are kept as low as possible; (c) user sufficiency, which strives for users applying digital devices frugally and using ICT in a way that promotes sustainable lifestyles; and (d) economic sufficiency, which aspires to digitalization supporting a transition to an economy characterized not by economic growth as the primary goal but by sufficient production and consumption within planetary boundaries. The policies for hardware and software sufficiency are relatively easily conceivable and executable. Policies for user and economic sufficiency are politically more difficult to implement and relate strongly to policies for environmental transformation in general. This article argues for comprehensive policies for digital sufficiency, which are indispensible if ICT are to play a beneficial role in overall environmental transformation.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature , 2022.
Keywords [en]
Degrowth, Economic growth, Green IT, ICT for sustainability, Rebound effects, Sustainable production and consumption, Sustainable software, Application programs, C (programming language), Digital devices, Economics, Energy efficiency, Green computing, Circular economy, Economic growths, Net effect, Production and consumption, Rebound-effect, Sustainable consumption, Sustainable production, Sustainable softwares, Sustainable development
National Category
Telecommunications
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-323800DOI: 10.1007/s12243-022-00914-xISI: 000794105500001PubMedID: 37593439Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85129820562OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-323800DiVA, id: diva2:1736451
Note
QC 20230213
2023-02-132023-02-132023-09-21Bibliographically approved