Is digital technology compatible with the ecological transition?

Over the last five years, there has been an increasing number of studies and calls for action on the environmental and social impact of digital technology. Faced with the urgent need to bring the digital age back within planetary limits, this Commentary proposes ways of learning about the issues involved in using digital tools to make societal choices.

The first part shows that digital technology currently accounts for 2-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with a growth rate of 6-9% per year, which could lead to a doubling of its impact before 2030. Given the need to reduce global emissions by 50% by 2030 and 95% by 2050, in order to achieve carbon neutrality and comply with the Kyoto Protocol, the Group has decided to launch a study to assess the impact of its activities on the environment; The current and anticipated state of digital technology at global level therefore appears to be unsustainable. At the European level, thanks to the well-documented case of France, we can see that user terminals (computers, telephones, TVs) are the source of 79% of greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect) and waste production. A sober approach to digital technology therefore requires a drastic reduction in demand for new terminals, as well as limiting over-availability and providing incentives for the purchase of new products, such as connected objects.

The second part classifies the theoretical advantages offered by digital technology in terms of impact according to the Avoid-Shift-Improve (ASI) model and shows that;fundamental questioning of perceived needs and demand (Avoid) seems to be necessary in a consumer society. The case study that follows shows that commuting to work would save 60-90% of the GHG emissions associated with commuting by car, but that public and active transport still have the least impact when the office-to-home distance is less than 30km (trolleybus) or 100km (train), return. 

The third part broadens the analysis of the case study and identifies at least nine mechanisms that induce a rebound effect, classified according to four types (microeconomic: direct effect and indirect effect, macroeconomic: market effect and growth effect). Based on the Donut model, S&RS adds at least four types of undesirable effects generated by digital technology (on physical and mental health, working conditions, social equity and biodiversity).

In the light of these factors, this Commentary concludes that it is essential to carry out an extensive and rigorous examination of the effects of the létères effects that could be generated by the current use of digital technology and, even more so, by future choices in the deployment of related technologies. Proposals for digital sobriety at a societal level would therefore seem to be the most fervent area of reflection for the future.

Publication date: April 2023